The After Party…

So, apparently, when you sign into the Grammy party, they give you cards for complimentary drinks for the after party.  In this case, the party is at the hotel’s bar called the DRINKSHOP on the second floor of the W.  A young singer/songwriter from Ireland named Colin Devlin is performing in a dark corner with a very appreciative audience.  We stroll over to the bar for a drink.  It turns out you can have anything with Vodka in it. Perfect for me. But I order a Virgin Mary because I have to work the next day. The guy says fine, but I have to go get the mixer from another floor.  He is gone before I can make it easier for him by changing my drink to cranberry juice.

So we sit across from the bar to wait, when Mala who used to work with the Chickasaw Mudd Puppies, and later Brendan O’Brien, and now the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, strolls up with her friends.  One of them is famous Producer Nick Didia. I have no idea of who he is.  My personal list of super producers that I know is limited to Scott Litt, David Barbe, and well, John Keane.   He introduces himself to John and is ready to identify his body of work, when John says, “Of course, I know your work. “ And then he says, “I am John Keane,” and the other guy says, “Of course, and I am familiar with your work as well,” or, some similar conversation.  The mutual admiration society is called to order, which has been a standard in my limited music biz experience.  I say that in jest, as the whole conversation really did seem sincere. Super Producer Nick Didia is a really nice guy.

Super Producer Nick Didia, who has worked with Bruce Springsteen (yes, I had to be TOLD this), is “sort of nominated for a Grammy” in his words. He explains that The Pearl Jam record is up for record of the year. If it wins, then he gets a Grammy, sort of a retroactive nomination. Kind of odd, I thought. I learn that the single, The Fixer, was released in 2009 prior to the release of the record to be considered for the 2010 Grammy’s, and the record that contains the Fixer, Backspacer, was released in 2010 to be considered for the 2011 Grammy’s.  WOW. What a revelation for me. There is a way to play the game.

And the grominee is…. John Keane

It’s the morning of December 2, and I’m at work when I get a call from my neighbor telling me that John has been nominated for a Grammy. I’m thinking, like what? I’m told it’s on Facebook. I’ve got to see this for myself. So, I’m checking out my messages on Facebook, when I see my friend Ellie’s post: Congratulations to John Keane for his Grammy nod for his engineering work on Widespread Panic’s Dirty Side Down. My mind goes right away to the other John Keane that wrote the music for CSI, and I’m thinking there has been some terrible mix up... except that Ellie works for Widespread Panic. She would know. So after I process all this, I contact Ellie and ask her how she knew.  She says, I was reading the LA Times and there it was. As though everyone reads the LA Times at the start of the day.  In retrospect, I realize it is probably her job to check out the Grammy nominations just to be current on the music news.

So suddenly people who never in their lives paid any attention to the Grammy’s start sending me links… did you see the nominees for the 53 Grammy Awards… scroll down to item 91 on the list… http://www.grammy.com/nominees.

Of course, John’s three, teenage children are very excited. They have taken to calling him “The Grominee.” And you know it is a bit like being President or Governor… he is now and forever The Grammy Nominated John Keane!  No, they won’t make it to the Grammy’s.  School first!

-jo

Sunshine Cleaners Saves the Day

The replacement red dress arrives in the mail: with fingerprint stains… from lotion. I can’t stand it anymore. By now this is the only dress in the world for me, and it is flawed. I can’t stand the thought of dealing with salespeople about it. The shipping, the waiting, the charging and crediting the credit card -- I didn’t want any part of it.  My neighbor, Kathryn, suggests I take it to the cleaners.  I had thought of that, but I thought, if the stains won’t come out, then I can’t take it back. It wasn’t cheap.

So I go to Sunshine Cleaners. The one person in the entire world I trust with fabric has retired. NO!!!! But, another kind woman who says she has been in the dry cleaning business “a long time” assures me that it is indeed a lotion stain, and they can get it out. I sent John to pick it up the following day. I couldn’t bear to look at it.  So the next day, while I was at work, I called Sunshine Cleaners to ask them if they remembered me, my story, and my dress… and could they please tell me if they got the stain out.

The lady said, yes, now go look at that dress!