Jubal Blog: 6th Tri-City Jam Session

Yet another Tri-City Jam Session went down yesterday and though the turn-out was disappointing we still got a lot done, played some good music and generally had a good time. As has been the unfortunate trend over the last couple of weeks there were no jammers and only one guy who got up and sang one song (the song was "Wonderful Tonight" but, alas, I cannot remember the gentleman's name). We worked up a few songs to add to our set list, including "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", "Like a Hurricane" and "Hey Bartender" (there were probably a couple more, but I can never remember all of them the day after).

Once again we did "the acoustic thing", where each individual member takes the stage with only an acoustic guitar for accompaniment.

There was a rumour that Jubal's absence was due to a last minute trip he took to Thailand for the purpose of replacing a can opener. But I got a call from him late last night after the show, and here's what he said...


"Hey! Man, I am SO sorry I missed the jam tonight. I have a friend who pulled some strings and got me a show doing stand up comedy in McAlester. Lemme tell you, folks down there have absolutely no sense of humour. One good thing that came out of it all, though. I helped put a couple of escaped convicts back behind bars. It was a last minute deal. I had to change my plans, 'cause I was wanting to go to Thailand. You see, I've got this can opener..."

Jubal Blog: Wednesday/Thursday Blowout

Well, we played our second Wednesday/Thursday gig at Dietrichs and all in all it turned out to be a pretty good run. Travis, the club's owner, told us that the night before was the biggest Tuesday they'd ever had, so chances were that it would be rather slow on Wednesday. His words turned out to be prophetic, as the audience was rather slim that whole night.

Thursday, however, was a different story as we watched a small crowd grow big enough to fill the place, and they all seemed to be in a good mood, very supportive. Just in case you don't know, we appreciate that more than you could ever know. There's something about a "live" crowd and their energy that the band feeds off of...there's really nothing else like it.

Next performance is this Sunday, for the 6th Tri-City jam session at, you guessed it, Dietrich's. Then, on Saturday, April 7th we'll be travelling to Lexington for a "one night only" show at the 89er Club (I'm sorry, I don't have an address for that one just yet...keep an eye on the "Upcoming Shows" feature on the main page here and I'm sure one of the guys will list it eventually).

There will be NO jam session on April 8th. We're taking the day off to celebrate the Easter holiday with our families. Far as I know the jam will resume the following Sunday.

Jubal missed the Dietrich's gig, we're sorry to say. He called and told us he had to stay home and nurse his pet dogs back to health. Apparently he had fed them some of that bad dog food, the kind with the rat poison in it, and they had fallen quite ill. Last we heard they were doing better, but still had not recovered. "Looks like it's Gravy Train from now on," he said.

Jubal Blog: 5th Tri-City Jam Session

Well, folks, the 5th weekly Tri-City jam session went off without a hitch Sunday evening. Once again the band was in fine form. Everyone seems to agree that they have hit their stride in the last few performances and all are pleased with how things are going.

Not a lot of "jammers" came out...a friend of Roger's named Isaac brought his keyboard and sat in on several songs. His contribution really lended a fullness to the sound. He's quite a talented player.

Later on in the evening one of Roger & LaHonda's mutual friends, Deborah, got up on stage and sang a couple ("Unchained Melody" was a highlight).

We didn't do the acoustic solo thing this week...James, for one, was uninspired and couldn't think of a song he wanted to do. Jeff, however, did perform a couple of songs just him and the acoustic guitar.

Otherwise we mainly did songs from our regular setlist, and we worked up a couple more to add to it ("Werewolves of London" and a couple of blues songs that Roger is going to sing).

Don't forget, we'll be playing at Dietrich's this Wednesday and Thursday night from 9:00 PM to 1:00-1:30 AM. Looking for a nice-sized crowd who are in the mood to dance and party. Dietrich's is located at 623 Kickapoo Spur in Shawnee, Oklahoma. There is NO cover charge, so don't worry if you're busted. Just come out and support live music by supporting Jubal Modine and the Love Handles.

As for Jubal, he released this statement to the press late last night and he hopes you'll all take it into consideration:


"Yo...Jubal here. It has come to my attention that many people are dissappointed in me after my run-in with the Tulsa Johnny Laws last week. What can I say? I'm only human. However, perhaps this fact may exonerate me in the eyes of a few: there was NO MARIJUANA in the car I was driving. Repeat, there was NO MARIJUANA there. Everyone knows I'm a drug-free ass-kicker (at least I have been for several years). As it turns out, those were bricks of alfalfa hay hidden in every nook and cranny of that car. Don't rightly know WHY those coppers mistook it for loco weed. Unless, of course, THEY WANTED TO, and I wouldn't put that past 'em. They never have liked ole Jubal Modine up that way, and when the day comes that my band winds up playing there I'll have to do something I hate to do: Miss the shows. I'll HAVE to, else those Laws will trump up more charges against me and I'll wind up in the pokey for a few MORE days (and I gotta tell ya, I'd rather spend the night in a cheap, fleabag hotel with a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 for company than go through that again). Anyways, I'm sorry I missed the 5th Tri-City jam session. I hope you all will understand when I say I needed some time with my family...basically I spent the night watching television with my cousins instead of coming out to the show. I'm sure the guys will forgive me. If they don't I'll quit the band, and how will they go on without me?"

Jubal Blog: Jubal at the Hole, 3/16/07

Here's the third installment of my Jubal Modine & the Love Handles MySpace blog, preserved here for the ages.



Last night was our sophomore gig at the Watering Hole in Shawnee, Oklahoma. By all accounts we played better than we did the last time we were down there (I wanna say it was about a month ago but it doesn't seem that long). Acquiescing to several requests, we pulled "Free Bird" out of a hat and surprisingly it sounded very good. Partly that was a result of Roger's awesome soloing at the end. We never really considered "Free Bird" for our sets because I'd just figured you can't properly and respectfully cover that song without at LEAST a couple of lead guitars to fly in that final section. But now I have to reconsider.

Certain other songs wound down into short improvisational jams that were something a little different but also something we'd like to expand upon in the future.

We played a couple of songs for the first time last night. Both were Hank Williams Jr. classics: "Family Tradition" and "Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound". They went off without a hitch.

The crowd, as is so often the case, were thin at the start but eventually swelled to a respectable size, and especially towards the end of the night they became quite supportive. From the stage could be seen several folks who were obviously getting into the music, and that always puts a smile on the face.

All in all a good night, although James did get stopped by a cop on his way home passing through Meeker. The cop had him dead to rights for failure to stop at a 4-way stop sign. Luckily the K-9 Unit was not involved and he got off with just a warning.

Jubal, however, was not quite so lucky. That's right, he missed the show last night because he spent the night in the Tulsa County Jail. Like James he was stopped by a local policeman. Unlike James, his car was full of high quality marijuana. They got him for possession with intent to sell and eluding and evading...oh yeah, I forgot to tell you...he tried to run from the police. The chase went on for several miles and reached speeds in excess of 100 MPH. Just when the cops were about to throw out the "stop-sticks" Jubal slowed down, pulled into a store parking lot and stopped the car. He went peacefully. When asked, 'Why did you run?" Jubal replied, "Why does anybody? My heart's desire was to get away from you, and you'll never know the extent to which my heart is broken now that you've got me, hands cuffed behind my back. We're off to the big house, gonna spend some time in the Pokey. I deserve it. I don't really mind spending time behind bars, but they'll seize all that hooly and burn it! God have mercy"...in case you didn't know, Jubal can be quite verbose at times.

So we've dispatched some dedicated Modine fans out to T-Town and looks like we're gonna bond him out, just in time for next week's show.

And speaking of next week's show, it's gonna be Wednesday & Thursday, 3/21 & 3/22 at Dietrich's Club, 623 Kickapoo Spur, Shawnee, Oklahoma. Don't know if anyone reads these yet other than the band and their wives but if you're out there, try and make it out to the show. There's really nothing like a Jubal Modine and the Love Handles concert.

Jubal Modine Blog: 4th Tri-City Jam Session

Here's my second post from Jubal Modine & the Love Handles' MySpace blog:

Well, the 4th weekly Tri-City Jam Session went down last night and the Love Handles were in fine form, playing tighter than they ever have before. The audience was kind of thin at the start but by the time the night was over it had swelled to a respectable number. More importantly, just about everyone in attendance was extremely supportive, with much applause and compliments when it was all said and done.

For some reason the jammers mostly stayed home (perhaps it was the drizzle outside)...the only one who joined us was a man named Yoda who sang a few songs and exuded a style and confidence that would have made Elvis Presley proud..

Without the jammers we were obliged to play the whole night, so we decided to break it up in the middle and each member of the band played a few solo acoustic guitar numbers, starting with our bass player James, who did an original, "The Ladder", the Beatles' song "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City". Keyboardist Jeff then performed a couple of his originals ("Beat Me With Your Hair Brush" and one I don't recall the name of). Guitarist Roger did "I Don't Want to Talk About It" and Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane". Finally Charles wielded the Ovation and delivered a striking rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Stolen Car". It was something a little different and a lot of fun for the band and the audience alike.

Jubal missed the jam...we got a call halfway into the second set and he told us "I'm in Tijuana drinking beer and chasing lizards. I intend to come home with a new pair of iguana skin boots. Sorry I couldn't make it". I've become privy to some more information concerning Jubal's absence...as it turned out the trip to Tijuana was the grand prize in a contest sponsored by the Macomb County Toad Handlers and Frog Breeders Guild. Jubal had been excited about it for some time and was in the process of working on a green tree frog that was roughly the size and shape of an armadillo. Well, naturally this behemoth amphibian won the contest and next thing you know Jubal's on a plane to old Mexico with a smile on his face and frog goo on his hands. He should be back in the states no later than tomorrow evening and we'll try to set up an interview with him for our little blog here.


Come, check out our MySpace page. Surely you have nothing better to do.

Jubal Modine Blog: Our First Blog Post...Catching Up

Recently my creativity has been fired up somewhat, having been asked by the members of my band to write for the group's MySpace blog. I decided I'd cut-and-paste the posts into this blog, seeing as how I can't seem to muster the inspiration to do anything else with it. And besides, I'm pretty happy with how the MySpace blog is turning out.
The band's name, as you already know if you read the last post here, is Jubal Modine & the Love Handles. Jubal Modine is a fictitious entity, and the running joke is that he's always off somewhere else doing something else when we have a show. When we get t-shirts made they are going to be emblazoned with only two words: "Where's Jubal?"... The fun part is that I, being in charge of the blog, get to make up the particulars of Jubal's whereabouts and shenanigans.
So without further hesitation, here is the first blog post at MySpace from Jubal Modine & the Love Handles:

Welcome to Jubal Modine & the Love Handles MySpace blog. Sorry it's taken us so long to get around to it but there has been a whirlwind of activity ever since we first got together last month. With Jubal's permission (forced from him via the use of some particularly spicy Louisiana Hot Sauce) we've decided to use this first blog post to let you know what's gone on in the first 5 weeks of our existence.

FEB. 3.....Everyone had been called and all agreed that we wanted to play in a band together again, so on the third we congregated for our first rehearsal. Jubal, our guiding light, had stated beforehand that he might not make it, but that he would be deeply offended if we didn't go on with the rehearsal. As it turned out, indeed he did not make it, as he had to officiate the semi-finals of the International Hamster Races in Little Italy, NY. We were not deterred, however, and our first practice session was exceedingly fruitful. We threw together almost 20 songs and our confidence level was high that we were ready to begin performing after we listed at least 20 more that we could do without rehearsing.

FEB. 7/FEB. 8.....Our first gig, a Wednesday/Thursday night affair at Dietrich's Club in Shawnee, Oklahoma (known worldwide as the hottest party spot in the entire Tri-City area). The first night went off very well, we had a great time and the crowd was supportive. The second night we were joined by ex-Barrelhouse singer Eddie Harding, who sat in for the whole show and sang some of his signature songs. It was a lot of fun, and it's just too bad that Jubal didn't make it...he had decided to spend both days revelling at the Tulsa County Nudist Association's 44th Annual Prickly Heat Convention.

FEB. 18.....A few days after the first gig Jubal called us from his hospital bed where he was sorely paying the price for his 2 days at the Prickly Heat Convention. He said he had a "grand idea"..."Why don't you guys talk to the management at Dietrich's and see if you can work out some kind of weekly Sunday afternoon Jam Session? It would be great rehearsal for you and who knows but that their business might experience an upswing as a result?" Well, it seemed like a reasonable idea, so we made it happen, and on the 18th of February a tradition was born. We played a couple of sets and we had a few musicians come up and add their flavour to the brew. By this time Jubal had been discharged from the hospital, but he had taken a fancy for one of the nurses so he cracked his head with a beer bottle just so he could be admitted again. Crazy Jubal. He did, however, get that nurse's phone number. Too bad he missed the jam.

FEB. 25.....The second jam session, practically overrun by the members of EZ Street, a local band, who wound up playing almost two sets worth of their show (new rules: 4-5 song MAXIMUM). A couple of other musicians jammed as well and all in all it wasn't too bad. Jubal missed again, as he and his new nurse girlfriend had hopped on a plane and flown to Miami, covering their bodies with fake tattoos, pretending to be bikers and sticking their tongues out at everyone on the sidewalk.

MARCH 3......We played a one night stand at the Watering Hole, just north of Shawnee on Hwy 18. Jubal had expressed excitement about playing "the Hole", as he had heard that it was a hoppin' lesbian bar. Alas, he was unable to attend once again...in his on words he told us, "I'm goin' to Barlow to pick flowers and eat the wild honeycomb...tell the lesbians I said 'Howdy'"...Well, as it turned out the Watering Hole was NOT a lesbian bar...at least it sure didn't give that impression to us as we played (maybe one or two possibly lesbian couples who stayed for a little while...the rest were yer typical pool-playing beer-swilling heteros). That was the only disappointment, though, as the evening proved to be quite enjoyable for band and audience alike.

MARCH 4.....The third jam session. Our bassist James couldn't make it out because he was still battling some serious congestion, but we made it happen anyway. Mutual friend Lynn brought his bass rig and played a few, and EZ Street showed up again. A little more scaled down than the first couple of jams, but a lot of fun anyhow. Jubal called in and said he couldn't make it because he'd just gotten a part as an extra in a movie about "The Domestication of Sasquatch" and his part was being filmed that day, so surely we'd understand...the man was on his way to Hollywood stardom. "But Jubal", we asked him, "won't that interfere with your role in the band?" "Oh, no", he said, "you know that the band is my first love, my highest priority, the dream I most want to come true...see you next Saturday..."...and of course we have a gig on FRIDAY.

That Jubal.

Jubal Modine & the Love Handles

Most of my blogging the last few weeks has been done on my MySpace blog. Don't ask me why, it just has. Mainly because I know who reads it and therefore can communicate with those people through it. Also because I've wanted to avoid the more "personal" stuff here, and that's what I've felt like blogging lately.
I know that after I left Mad Laugh I said I was retiring, that I did not even want to play in another band. And I truly did feel that way.
But it's been a couple of years and I miss being on the stage, so a friend of mine and I put together a band with my brother (a very talented drummer) and a mutual friend who also happens to be very talented, though his talent is for the guitar.
My brother's band, Barrelhouse, had a meltdown about a week into our existence (this was to be a side project for him) and we had originally hoped that Eddie, Barrelhouse's singer, would join up with us. That seemed like the logical outcome.
But as of yet he has kept his distance and hey, that's fine by me. We have come together so fast and play so well together that I'm more than happy to be a 4-piece.
It all came together, as I think I have already said, very fast...it was less than a week from our first rehearsal and we were playing our first gig (a Wednesday-Thursday slot at Dietrich's Club). Less than 3 weeks later we were sponsoring a jam session at the same establishment. Tonight we're playing at a dive bar known as The Watering Hole (sheesh...no doubt there are 1000's of bars using that name across the country). The rumour has it that this place has morphed into a lesbian bar over the span of it's existence. Wow. It'll be the first lesbian bar I've ever had the privilege of playing.
As for the band's name...it's Jubal Modine and the Love Handles. Jubal is a Biblical character out of Genesis 4 (he's the father of all who play the lute and harp, or something like that). Modine was the CB handle of a local figure from the place where I grew up. As for the Love Handles...it was an entry in a contest we held at Dietrich's to "Name The Band". Apparently a lot of the girls liked it, at least that's what I'm told. So we combined "Jubal Modine" (which was all mine) with "the Love Handles" and it all comes together and seems to make some crazy kind of sense.
I'm not sure if we're doing a 3rd Jam Session. We had planned not to, taking this Saturday night gig, but I got the impression that some people are wanting us to do it and that we just might have to.
I kinda hope not, cuz I'm gonna be worn out after it's all done tonight and tomorrow needs to be for rest and recuperation.