Matthew's Top 10 Reasons to Hire GP3 Instead of Buy Halo 3

10. Because GP3 (George Poe Trio) comes before HALO 3 alphabetically

9. George Poe Trio doesn't have a parental advisory

8. No standing in long lines to get a copy of GP3

7. Master Chief doesn't take musical requests no matter how much you ask

6. Try seeing HALO live

5. Who ever heard of "Put some HALO on it!"?

4. GP3 is rendered more life-like (most of the time)

3. Nobody ever died in an internet cafe wearing an adult diaper while listening to GP3 (although there was that lady that had a heart attack after singing with Matthew and George that one time -true story)

2. No Carpal Tunnel Syndrome


And the number 1 reason to see George Poe Trio instead of buying Halo 3…


1."You had me at HALO."

Have a great and prosperous week,
GP3

George Poe Trio Encourages You to Waste Time at Work!

Announcing the GP3 Games Page. For those of you that are hard-core video gamers, you know that today marks the release of the highly anticipated Halo 3 video game. The GP3 marketing team decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to release some crappy little games of their own. In contrast to the high-tech Halo and other games, our games are very Lo-Fi, Compare Here. But they are still a lot of fun and some are quite challenging. Here’s a listing of they’ve put out there for us:

Tic Tac 'Poe'A hilarious game of Tic Tac Toe against Matthew's Evil Twin who uses upright basses instead of O's

Lee's Picture Scramble Game Unscramble pictures just like the retro hand-held plastic square game
George's Memory Game A timed game of skill and concentration using GP3 images

Lee's Hyper Cube This virtual cube puzzle is like a Rubic's Cube on steroids!

GP3 Collage Memory GameTest your memory by revealing the correct squares of the collage

And our personal favorite:Guess Matthew's Social Security Number Guess Matthew's SSN, assume his identity, and tour with GP3

See them all here: GP3 Games Page

There’s no waiting in line, And the best part is that IT’S ALL FREE!
Enjoy,GP3

If the Shoe Fits

Footsies – The Strand, Galveston, TX

To celebrate the anniversary of the opening of Footsies Shoe store, Joyce and JaRue have hired GP3 to perform outside of their store on Galveston Island. This is the trio’s third visit to this location, but the first time for an afternoon session. Previous engagements here have begun around 6:00 PM. and gone a little past 9:00. Today, the boys will play from 3:00 – 7:00, and it’s a scorcher. Lee and George struggle with the little blue tent that the ladies offer. In these conditions the blue tent = life. The Footsies crew keep the guys loaded up on water (probably to avoid a heat-exhaustion law suit from Matthew or George).

Despite the temperature, the band is pleased to be here celebrating with them. At the end of the street, Lee can see a cruise ship docked and loading. This thing is huge! George says that it must be as tall as a six-story building. The three briefly imagine what the music on the cruise must be like. Maybe they have karaoke, a DJ, or someone singing MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS, or something really special like a husband and wife dressed to the nines in sequins and polyester singing the hits of Captain and Tennille (with a big MUSKRAT LOVE finale). “Those cruises are air-conditioned, right?”

In an unexpected and magnanimous gesture, Lee has brought George a hat for the occasion. George is grateful. This will help to keep the sun out of his eyes, and maybe act as a disguise from…oh, too late...Here comes that woman that IS NOT a groupie or stalker- even though she manages to find them every month. She claims to have just been passing by. But she is not a stalker and definitely not a groupie. Just a coincidence. Serendipity if you will. The guys still do not know this lady’s name, but they have crossed the point of no return to where they can not admit that they don’t know it. So there is a lot of “Oh hey you.” “How are you doing there?” “Hey, now there’s a familiar face”, etc.

It’s 3:00, and the band starts strong. After a few solid faithful songs, George takes the guys ‘off-road’ as he calls it to perform a few outside of the main list. The first is a touching song written by Eric Clapton, TEARS IN HEAVEN. The mark of a good tune is when someone other than the writer can perform it and it stir up similar feelings. That‘s exactly what occurs with this one; even though this is the first time for the trio to play it, the song still carries an emotional impact.

At that moment, an inebriated biker from the biker bar across the street approaches the group and asks about the specials inside. Matthew and George attempt to diplomatically explain that “It’s a shoe store, not a bar.” “They don’t have drinks inside? Is it, like…topless in there or something?” “No,” Matthew replies, “They only have shoes. I mean they only SELL shoes in there-no drinks.” George jumps in “Yeah, fully clothed people selling shoes to other fully clothed people.” The man incredulously looks past the band into the store windows. “Not even Bloody Marys?” “No!” reply the guys in unison. Disappointed, the man wobbles away. They watch as he heads back to the direction of the biker bar (where he was undoubtedly cut off from drinking).

Across the street from Footsies, there is a Segway rental company called Big Hummer.com. Segways are essentially pogo sticks with oversized wheels. They are marketed to people who are either too lazy to walk, or can not afford a seat (making it a moped). This company rents the ‘pogo sticks’ and gives Segway historical guided tours through the streets of Galveston. Today they have many participants eager to explore the area while standing completely stationary.

These ‘Segwaians’ mount their scooters as the trio begins to play the song HOLDING BACK THE YEARS. The riders roll across the street in a perfect line that would please any marching band drum major. But as they whiz by the Footsies’ band stand, a rider falls off, tumbling down at a break neck speed of say 1.6 MPH or so. He crash lands right in front of the band. “Man down! Man down!” yells George into the mic as the song continues to play. “Oooh, not getting the deposit back on that one.” George quickly changes the words of the song from “I’ll keep holding on” to “I can’t Keep holding on” (which is basically all you do on these things). The guys feel that they’re safe from any retribution from this guy since he is either remarkably uncoordinated, or too drunk to stand still on a Segway. Instantly, the entire Segway hive has surrounded the fallen rider, and is attempting to lift him back on to his ‘pogo stick’ without leaving their own sticks. Apparently, these scooters are so valuable that if left unattended even for a few seconds to help a fallen rider, the transport would be in jeopardy of being hi-jacked by a pedestrian looking to upgrade his ‘sidewalk status’ (probably a drunk from the biker bar). As the song ends, the Segway riders buzz away to continue their adventure.

Lee has started to get under the blue tent after every song. This is worth noting because Lee’s occupation (working on roofs in Houston) requires him to be out in the sun quite a bit, but this heat even tests his resolve. During one of his visits under the tent, he notices that the cruise ship is no longer at the dock. It left without a sound, disappearing like some David Copperfield trick. George suggests that maybe it was just a mirage, or a hallucination brought on by the heat.

Speaking of heat, George realizes that due to the left side of his body only being partially covered by the magical blue tent, he now has a sunburn. Now the heat is radiating from outside and within. But his burn is just on the left arm, and on the left side of his face and neck. Good thing he had the hat from Lee or his entire face would be the same color. He wonders if it’s karma for making fun of the uncoordinated Segway rider. Nevertheless, he thinks that he must look like the Two-Face, the villain from the Batman comics. In the end, he chalks it up as an occupational hazard when playing outside.

When GP3 was invited to play this event, Footsies’ owners Joyce and JaRue had asked the trio to perform songs that have a shoe theme. George and Matthew joyously committed to this, before realizing they only knew 3-4 shoe songs. The medley of viable shoe songs that they came up with only included BLUE SUEDE SHOES and THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKIN’. Understanding the basic dynamics of performing, the trio was forced to admit that you can only play these two songs for a limited duration before someone catches on that you’re out of shoe songs.

The solution is song parodies. Matthew and George ‘moonlight’ with a few other guys in a seasonal group known as Camryn Manheim Steamroller. This comedy band performs during the holiday months, and is known for changing classic rock songs into Christmas tunes. George asks Matthew to write some parody songs to accommodate the shoe request. Between the two they come up with ONLY SHOE (Only You by the Platters), YOU WERE ALWAYS ON MY FEET (Always on My Mind-Elvis & Willie Nelson), MY SHOES (My Girl by The Temptations), SHOE SIZE (Blue Skies by Irving Berlin), I LIKE TO WEAR PUMPS (I'll Follow the Sun by The Beatles). And they finish with a special song about Footsies to the tune of TEA FOR TWO. Click here to see the lyrics

As the trio concludes the Footsies tribute, several charter buses arrive across the street and begin unloading passengers. The guys quickly discover that the convention center is hosting a real estate seminar this weekend. The street is filled with salespeople eager to spend their sightseeing money at the strand. George’s mind immediately runs through a mental list of songs that would comically appeal to this new group of listeners. Tunes like PINK HOUSES, OUR HOUSE, HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN, etc. race across his brain. But alas, the boys have done their duty today…he suspects there will be other opportunities. For now the trio settles for ending with the Beatles OH, DARLING dedicated to the ladies of Footsies. The three pound it out with a zeal that would make Sir Paul proud. “Well that certainly was…” Oh wait, that’s not the final song, a lady and friend passing by requests that the guys play “one more little song” so she can dance. Her friend scolds her, and reminds her of how silly she’ll look. “I don’t care!” I want to dance.” Upon hearing this, Matthew and George decide to play one more. Who are they, to deprive this request? The three finish with a swing version of I’M LOOKING THROUGH YOU.

Whew, The guys are tired, but in a good way. They begin break the gear down. Lee and George pause a moment look at the check this time. The bittersweet relationship the two have with the blue tent continues: But being weary from the heat, slippery hands from sweat, and George’s ½ burn, the tent has the advantage. The two struggle to shove it back into the case. They even enlist Matthew’s help this time, to no avail. It’s like trying to shove a polar bear into a file cabinet. “Did the heat make this thing expand? Uugggh!” There it goes!” (Elapsed time: 7 ½ minutes). Lee gratefully returns the tent to the ladies inside. Matthew and George follow. “Hey there’s cake in here!” The three present Joyce and JaRue (and the rest of the crew) an anniversary gift. Pictures are taken, refreshments are offered. Eight to nine cups of lemonade later they say their farewells.

"Thanks for having George Poe Trio, Happy anniversary Footsies".

Handshakes, Ribbons, Warriors, and Cheese

Mall of the Mainland – Texas City, TX

The Texas City/La Marque chamber of commerce has asked the trio to perform at a ribbon-cutting/mixer event. The group is to play inside the Mall of the Mainland in an area that appears to have once been a functioning restaurant. Now the space has been converted for special mall events. Judging by the décor, it looks to have formerly been a Bennigan’s restaurant. All of the signage and artifacts have been removed from the walls and ceiling, but those booths and the bar are unmistakable. George arrives early enough to tour the mall and sets out to learn what he can about the area.

The ‘no-name’ restaurant the guys will be at is directly across from a Tilt arcade game room. The pulsating neon light beckons to him like a siren’s song, and since George has an hour or so to kill, he easily gives in. He meanders around inside a bit, and then he sees it: “Gauntlet Dark Legacy”. It’s a modern version of the Gauntlet video game from the late 80s, in which medieval characters run about in a castle environment hacking up sword wielding skeletons and other undesirables. Not that George was ever really that good at the original game, but much of his courtship to his wife Sabrina took place in front of the game. And in truth, much of their marriage is reflection of how they worked together in the game world. George’s warrior character would unsuspectingly wander into a nest of evil ghouls with glowing red eyes, requiring Sabrina’s elf character to bail him out with her faithful cross-bow. Ah…Good times. The only problem was that the 80s game was programmed to work the players into a frenzy, and then demand more coins to continue or suffer elimination of their fighter, wizard, etc. “Warrior need food badly! Insert more coins NOW for more time!” This version uses the same tactics. Ah…but not today - George smiles as the game pleads with him to shell out more quarters. He ignores it and walks away.

He strolls past the food court, a nail salon, a You-Pick-It You-Paint-It place, a small bookstore. George suspects that one can learn a lot about a community by how much of the magazine rack is devoted to wrestling, tattoo design, or wooden-duck making. After a quick perusal of the periodicals, he determines that the trio is in good company for tonight.

Lee has arrives, and parks beside George’s car. Looking in the vehicle’s windows, he notices that all of piano equipment is still inside, but George is nowhere to be found. Lee has unloaded almost the entire the drum set, when George nearly bumps into him with his Subway sandwich in hand. The two encounter a wonderful man that they’ll be working with named Etienne. He explains that he is the Aesthetic Director of Mall of the Mainland. He is very helpful, though his overuse of the word ‘Fabulous’ secretly has Lee a little uneasy. A flatbed dolly is offered to the two, and they almost finished stacking equipment on it when Matthew appears. The three spend 5 minutes loading the flatbed, only to push it a distance of 45 feet and unload it again because the door is too narrow. (George is already laughing).

The boys set up on the stage – yes, stage (with lights, curtains, etc.) in a Bennigan’s. Their humor is lost on Etienne. He attempts to be accommodating, but it’s a lost cause with these three; Matthew and George inadvertently convince him that there will be a puppet show later, while Lee asks for the hors d'oeuves tables be moved into the band area so they can get started eating before the guests arrive and want some. Bewildered, he brings a white table cloth (for the puppet show) to the guys in time to hear Matthew and George contemplate how much sour cream dip Lee’s small drum tom could hold if turned upside down. GP3 is an A.D.’s albatross. But as odd as these three are, he finds himself endeared to them already, and decides they are, in a word…Fabulous.

As Lee and George continue to set up, Amy, one of the evening’s coordinators arrives to welcome them. She works with Kelly, who saw the trio perform a few weeks before in Galveston. They are excited to have George Poe Trio here, and the trio is excited to play in air-conditioning again.

A few moments after the ladies leave the stage, George gets a call on his cell. “Matthew?” looking around, “Where are you?” “I’m in the bathroom.” “In the bathroom? Is everything alright - are you sick or something?” Matthew replies: “No-no, I’ll tell you later.” “What are you talking about...why are you whispering? Are you sure you’re okay?” “I’m okay, nothing’s wrong…do you know Lee’s cell number?” “Yes, Matthew, I do but…” “Nevermind, nevermind”, . In the time that it takes Matthew to look up Lee’s number and call it, George and Lee discuss what could possibly be going on with Matthew. “Was there a Senator Craig from Idaho in there or something?” “I have no idea what he’s doing, but I’m going to check on him” But before George can make it down the stairs, Lee’s phone rings and the routine begins again. However, Lee finds out a little more than George did. Matthew has found a phone on the lavatory in the men’s room, and is checking to see if it belongs to either of them. Matthew soon discovers that it belongs to one of Etienne’s fabulous workers and the 'crisis' is averted.

It’s almost time to start and the crowd is trickling in now. Matthew has purchased a new mic that is actually designed for the upright bass (see previous blogs). It sounds-Fabulous! Not to be outdone, George has brought a compact keyboard module that allows him to play piano and string sounds (and organs) simultaneously. These modifications to the bass and piano add an entirely new dimension to the group’s sound. Oh, and…uh, Lee’s haircut looks nice too. Though as good as the bass sounds, Matthew is more transfixed on a huge block of cheese that Etienne has placed on a table to the left side of the stage. (Matthew has secretly named the object of his desire ‘Harold’).

The trio quickly launch into the set list. The first tune of the evening is Simply Red’s HOLDING BACK THE YEARS, and with all of the new audio embellishments, it sounds great (or if you prefer, Fabulous). Many compliments are given to the guys, to which they acknowledge with a smile and nod of the head.

The guys burn through the ‘core’ set list. These are the 'primo' songs from George Poe Trio – the cream of the crop. After an hour or so in, a man named Mayer introduces himself to the guys. A very pleasant fellow, who turns out to be the owner of Mall of the Mainland. Matthew quickly picks up on Mayer’s dialect, and the two begin to speak in Farsi to each other. (Dumb looks from George and Lee). Mayer asks if he can use a mic to announce the ribbon cutting. After multiple attempts by Mayer to mobilize the crowd to go outside for the photo-op, Matthew clears the room when he threatens to lead a group prayer with anyone who stays behind.

Once everyone’s out of the main area, the guys descend on the food tables. But all of the plates are gone!!! Where’s Etienne??? Matthew has made contact with Harold, the giant block of cheese and it was worth the wait. George and Lee are feeding on two different types of chocolate cake. The threesome are good to play for a few more hours now; and just in time, as the chamber members are headed back in. George offers up a jazzy rendition of I’M LOOKING THROUGH YOU, followed up by the debut a number of new songs to their repertoire including the HONKY TONK WOMAN, MAGARITTAVILLE, and others.

Then an elderly couple approach Lee and George. They request that the band play a cha-cha for them to dance to. Not having anything that resembles a cha-cha beat song but wanting to please, Lee and George heartily agree to do one. “Just put down a cha-cha beat, and Matthew and I will lay something on it.” says George. So Lee starts it up, a few measures in, George begins singing I’LL FOLLOW THE SUN. And to George's surprise it works! The trio cha-cha these two sweethearts ‘till the couple is worn out. Everyone enjoys it; these two lovebirds steal the show with their charm for each other.

A young man asks if the band can play the Randy Newman song YOU GOT A FRIEND IN ME. George and Matthew are astonished that they actually have a relatively obscure song like this in the songbook. It's a great tune, in fact Newman received an academy award nomination for it back in 1995. It's just a shock that a gen x'er would ask for this. Matthew and George look to see if Lee is pranking them. He's not - and the tune comes off flawlessly. Matthew suggests the trio ‘slow things down a bit’ and play the ‘Men at Work song’. At which the band unloads a stellar version of OVERKILL which is arguably the finest song of the evening, (Matthew’s harmony is second to none).

A few up tempo songs later, Kelly and Amy thank the trio, and the evening closes with a soulful version of Eric Clapton’s song WONDERFUL TONIGHT. As the area empties out, tables are bussed by Etienne’s fabulous crew, mic and speaker cables are wrapped, and the only thing left to say is…”Warriors need food badly.”