That's Entertainment!

The 2011 season of the Ethelton Entertainers has been and gone. This year I played guitar, rather than bass, as part of the EE band. I had to cede my bass playing duties to a man with an upright bass - not only did the upright bass deserve a place in the band on aesthetic merits alone, but Kym is a much better player than me. In any event, it allowed me to road test my new Telecaster. Which was nice.
On each of the nine nights, when the time was right, I left my orchestra post and took to the stage for a song or two. It only happens once every 12 months, but I love singing the old cabaret numbers. Over the years I've performed such classics as Summertime, All of Me, Pretend, Wee Wee Hours, Something Stupid, Dream Lover, This Guy's In Love With You, and a host of others. The rat pack would be proud. This year I sang Mean to Me, a song I first heard on Dean Martin's 1960 This Time I'm Swingin' album, a record that still means so much to me, largely because of where I was in my life when I initially came across it. I picked it up for a couple of dollars at a second-hand vinyl shop. There I was, aimless, bereft of joy, alone and poor, when along came Dino. Nelson Riddle never sounded so cool...

If I could find a job singing this stuff regularly, I reckon I'd take it.

www.bleakumbrella.com