What's Your Sign?

Everywhere – Cyberspace

A few months ago we featured George’s creativity and special talent for designing the band’s event posters. Recently the blog highlighted Lee’s map-making skills. Well, as they say in the biz: “We’ve saved the best for last!” – Matthew’s special purpose. No, not that one from the Steve Martin movie, THE JERK… his other special purpose: MAKING SIGN CAPTIONS. For those of you who have seen the guys perform live, you likely saw their portable marquee. This sign was designed and constructed by Lee about a year or so ago, then the GP3 graphic was painted on both sides by George. He also painted an arrow with the words ‘Live Music’ on one side the side. (Many believe this was done for the band’s sake to remind them of what they were supposed to be doing at each gig).

In true Lee Bigelow fashion, the sign was VERY well-made (YES - Put Some Bigelow on It!). It was so well-made in fact that it weighs 4 to 5 times what you would expect a sign of its size should! Rumored to be bullet-proof (and possibly made from lead), this is where the guys hide out anytime there is a hurricane warning (see artist rending). Because of the sign’s weight, size, and all-around unwieldiness, George and Lee immediately voted to have Matthew be in charge of lugging the sign from gig to gig. (The band’s by-laws state that only a two-thirds vote is required to make someone do something they don’t want to do – George frequently enacts this policy when there’s something he doesn’t want to do).

In an act of open defiance (or maybe just boredom), Matthew began to bring the sign with slogans he had written taped to the side. A master of the non-sequitur, Matthew strategically unleashed his cornucopia of inane pop references upon the world! So who has the last laugh now!

Here are just a few of Matthew’s past slogans (in no particular order):

"GP3: Now Celebrating 29 Accident-Free Days"

"GP3 - 'Action Bass' Sold Separately"

"Drummer Carries No More Than $20.00 in Cash"

"GP3: A Subsidiary of PoeCo Industries"

"Your Safe Alternative to Cuddle Parties"

"These ARE the droids you are looking for"

"GP3 - Sanitized for Your Protection"

"Not Affiliated with George Poe Industries, Inc."

"GP3: Formerly, Baby Shaq and the Get Fresh Crew"

"GP3 - Now Steroid-Free"

"GP3: Soon to be a Major Motion Picture"

“Formerly, Three Men and a Bongo”

Want to see if you can match Matthew’s sharp wit and slogan-making skills to earn prizes?

That’s right! Win a GP3 bumper sticker or some other useless GP3 merchandise, artifacts, and tripe by making up your own slogan for the trio. We'll even post the winners on the sign over the course of the next few events.

CONTEST RULES
1.) Enter as often as you’d like.
2.) Prizes are not redeemable in cash or anything else of any real value and must be accepted as awarded.
3.) Decisions of the contest judge (GP5000 Robot) are final - no substitutions will be available.
4.) By claiming the prize(s), the winner authorizes the use, without additional compensation of his or her name and/or likeness for promotion and/or any purposes in any manner and in any medium which the GP5000 Robot may deem appropriate for the expansion of its world domination and future enslavement of mankind.
5.) In accepting the prize, the winner, acknowledges that GP3 may not be held liable for any loss, damages, injury, nausea, dizziness, or social disenfranchisement associated with accepting or using the prize(s).
6.) This contest is subject to all federal, provincial and municipal laws.
7.) Contest open to U.S. residents only. (except in the state of Vermont)
8.) Misspellings will automatically be disqualified. (This means you, Chris and Lee)
9.) Entries must be in English (However, funny 'Pig-Latin' entries will be considered)
10.) And please, no wagering

Click here to participate in the GP3 sign slogan contest
http://www.george-p.com/08_22_08b.html

"Can't Get There from Here"

Maps 'R Us – Somewhere in Texas

George's direction deficiency is a well-known fact within the band. There have even been times that the trio's performance was in jeopardy due to George having difficulties finding the venue location. To combat this inability, Lee began to send him customized maps in early 2008 for venue locations that he was certain that George could not find on his own. Granted Lee is no Lewis & Clark, but we think he did a pretty good job considering what he was working with.

Click here to enter Lee's Map-O-Rama: http://www.george-p.com/gp3maps.html

Or listen in to a private conversation between Lee and Matthew as they discuss George being lost (again)
http://www.george-p.com/Blog/Lee_&_Matt_Discuss_George_Being_Lost.mp3

"Ray's After Dark"

Ray's Gourmet Country – Fulshear, Texas

As many of you are aware, the trio has had the opportunity to play dinner music on Thursdays for the last two months or so out in Fulshear. Some of you have even made it out there to see the boys (and we all appreciate that).

The restaurant is called Ray's Gourmet Country. It's a recently opened hang-out spot for the fine folks west of Katy. The kitchen is open and on display to patrons creating a unique synergy from kitchen-to-dining table. The architecture mimics the food served in an unassuming elegance of taste and style.

Each week as Ray's Executive Chef, Soren Pedersen serves up fresh organically inspired cuisine, the trio offers up their own stew of piano jazz, pop, and blues music. This month's featured music download was inspired by the electric atmosphere of locale as it metamorphosizes over the course of the evening.

George explains: "I wanted to write something to capture this time in the band's development, musically and historically. Each week when we go out to Ray's, we get started around 7:00 PM. The dinner crowd is beginning to settle in, so our playing is very subdued to accommodate the room. As the evening progresses, the cliental coming in begins to change, craving more upbeat music from us. By 11:00 PM the environment has transformed into a much looser, let-your-hair-down version of itself - Still recognizable, but very different at the same time. RAY'S AFTER DARK celebrates the nuances and excitement of both periods. It starts slow and restrained then opens up to a 'rowdier' version of the first section. I feel it is a good representation of the mood of the place going through these stages."

To judge for yourself listen to the piece by clicking here:

http://www.george-p.com/music/Rays_After_Dark.mp3

Then come out any Thursday evening to experience Ray's first hand.

The address is:

RAY'S GOURMET COUNTRY

8502 FM 359

Fulshear, Texas 77441

281-533-0099

Also take a moment to visit their revised website (with an interactive map) at
http://www.raysgrill.com/

See ya there,
GP3 Promotions

King Snake vs. Bunny

University Place Retirement Center – Houston Texas

The guys are in rare form tonight, an extra silliness likely brought on by their sleep depravation from playing late in Fulshear last night. This evening’s venue is to be a concert given by the trio at University Place . It’s an independent living community named by Money magazine as one of the top retirement centers in America. With nearly 200 decked out units, a ballroom-style dinning room, heated pool, gardens for tenants’ patios, it’s more of a resort than a convalescent home. Matthew and George are excited to be performing again at a retirement community since this type of venue is where the two first started out years ago performing together as the duo ‘nothing special’. George admits that it feels a little like a home-coming for the trio. He has picked songs specifically from the 1930s through the 1950s for the evening’s performance.

As George enters the auditorium with his equipment, he notices a small elderly woman in the corner of the room questioning Lee. Lee is relieved as George moves across the room to meet her “Hi. I’m George.” “And what do you do?” “Well, tonight I’m going to play that piano over there.” “Well, I helped secure the funds for that piano. It’s a piano valued between $20,000.00 - $30,000.00 dollars so be careful! And I know this because headed the committee to get it here.” George is at first surprised by the woman’s abrasive introduction, but quickly writes it off as some form of dementia. “Well, thank you for allowing me to perform on it tonight. All of my mistakes will sound better than ever coming from such a fine instrument.” The lady doesn’t respond. George attributes this to a faulty hearing–aid battery, not a lack of humor. He quickly sets his microphone and cables down to retreat back to his car to unload more gear.

On the way, he encounters Matthew with his bass in tow. “Hey, watch out for the little lady in there…she seems annoyed that we playing here tonight.” Matthew questions, “You mean Norma? That’s our host.” George strokes his forehead “Aww crap. What’s with her?” “I don’t know, she used to be some big-time organ-player. Her name is Norma Louder. Don’t let her rough exterior fool you.” “You’re kidding, right? Norma LOUDER…and she plays the organ? But she invited us out here though, right?” Matthew nods “Yes. She’s a resident in charge of community events, and we’re her guests tonight.” “Hmmph, guests like the condemned at a lynching.” grumbles George as he heads back down the corridor to the parking lot.

George returns to find Norma gone (whew). The three finish setting up, but before they can play for a sound check, one of the staff enters to commandeer the trio. “Norma says you three are to join her in the dining room.” George and Lee look to Matthew for a sign that they can get out of it. He shakes his head. “We can eat, then come back for sound check.” George protests “You know I never eat before we play.” Always the 'team player', Lee offers to eat George’s portion as they head down the hall.

On the way Matthew introduces George to a spritely lady coming down the hall towards them. “George, this is ‘Granny’. She is over 100 years old.” She lends a gracious smile to the boys. “She doesn’t take any medications, none at all.” George folds her delicate hand in his. “I think you’re probably in better shape than I am. No meds at all, huh? I am privileged to meet you.” Granny blushes at the two as she continues on her way.

To their surprise, the guys are quickly ushered past the on-looking residents in the dinning hall to a private room in the back. The decor is elegantly adorned, fit for a dignitary. A bit too exclusive for Lee's and George's tastes. The three sit down at the table as if they’re awaiting sentencing from Norma. George wonders what to use his second and third forks for. "Man, I thought we would get to eat with the residents. This is like…like eating with the principal.” “Shhh! Here she comes"

Norma hobbles in and plops down in the seat at the head of the table. She begins to question Lee, and then George. She quickly discovers that George does not in fact read music, but plays by ear. A fact that George's ego has never allowed him to be embarrassed by or ashamed of. He reminds her that composer Irving Berlin never learned how to play a piano or read music beyond a rudimentary level. He goes on to tell her that Berlin owned a special piano that mechanically transposed keys and an assistant wrote out the music scores. "Irving Berlin wrote over a thousand songs including many hit Broadway musicals. We'll be playing one of his most played songs tonight: BLUE SKIES."

Just as Norma begins her rebuttal, Bill enters the dinning room. He introduces himself as one of the University Place volunteers. After brief introductions of the trio, Norma and Bill resume some ongoing argument about the facilities hierarchy, and who's really in charge here. The food quickly arrives, and the guys dig in - even George (despite earlier protests). Bill acquiesces to Norma, and tells her that she of course, was in charge all along so he can talk to the guys. Matthew consumes his body weight in iced tea and makes known that if he could pick a GP3 sponsor for the group, it would be Lipton Iced Tea. (For the remainder of the dinner, George will request iced tea from the servers only to forward the glasses to Matthew when they're not looking. The count at the moment is 5 glasses of tea.)

The inquest continues, shifting to Matthew. While Norma focuses her assault on Matthew, Lee asks Bill a very peculiar question: "Have you ever seen the movie 'HARVEY'?" George speaks softly (almost inaudible) "Uh oh...this is going to be interesting." Lee pushes his plate forward out of the way, grabs his napkin and begins twisting. George isn't exactly sure what's about to take place, but he sees a gleam in Lee's eye. Bill responds curiously "Yeah, 'HARVEY' - the Jimmy Stewart movie with the imaginary rabbit?" Lee asserts "Ah, but Harvey wasn't imaginary, and he's with us here today." George slides another glass of iced tea Matthew's direction "Oh boy, here it goes." Even Norma stops short in her questions of Matthew to look down the table at Lee's napkin rustling. "What is he doing?"

Note: One of the interesting things about the trio is that is that they will always find the 'humor equilibrium' of the environment they're in. If the mood of a room is fun and playful, they will passively participate. If the situation is more intense, they will lighten the mood with humor. They can't help themselves. The more unnecessarily serious the room, the sillier they become. It's not that they 're disrespectful, it's just what happens when you pair three class clowns together. This overwhelming instinct kicks in and like geese answering the urge to fly south, the threesome can not resist the lure of cutting up to lighten the mood. To make matters worse, Matthew and George have a very juvenile sense of humor. They have known each other since grade school and while they both have developed into semi-responsible, contributing members of society, their humor has not advanced much from when they were in the 4th grade. Anything for a laugh is often the mandate between them (often at the expense of Lee's good nature). But tonight it's Lee's turn as the ringleader.

He has finished his 'napkin puppet' and it's a... a small, white...rabbit. http://www.george-p.com/Blog/BlogArt/rabbitmaking.jpg Lee cradles it in the crook of his arm, and leans forward for 'Harvey' to drink from his water glass. Bill and Norma look on in disbelief, Matthew finishes off a tea that George has supplied him with (the count is now 6 glasses). It's remarkable how life-like this puppet is. Some would argue that Harvey is more life-like than Lee (and better mannered). Not to be outdone, George quickly fashions his napkin into the shape of...well, it kinda looks like a...well, (he's not as good at this napkin origami as Lee) George decides to settle on a snake since it's the only animal form that he seems capable of sustaining. http://www.george-p.com/Blog/BlogArt/Snake.jpg (Norma is not amused.) And of course, the snake being a natural predator of the bunny begins to attack from under the table! George and Lee's puppets scuffle raucously to the surprise of the others. It looks as if Lee and George are involved in some weird puppet therapy that no one dares to interrupt. Matthew looks down at the tablecloth in front of him, partially to avoid eye-contact with their host, Norma, but also to fantasize about how he could make a huge puppet out of this thing! He starts another glass of tea instead. As the battle rages on, Bill's wife Susan arrives to see the spectacle 'King Cobra Rabbit Hour'. Lee's playful bunny has overcome the king snake by laying down, then striking as George's snake moves in for the kill. "Ha!" exclaims Lee, "Just because Harvey's fluffy and playful, doesn't mean he's not able to defend himself against your snake's vicious attacks!"

The waitress enters as Lee makes his proclamation. George considers offering an explanation, but decides to leave her with her puzzled expression. Norma has begun talking to her about the check anyway. They decide to take the argument outside into the foyer. While Norma is away, Bill mentions to the guys that he used to have a pony-tail, "...that is until I hurt my knee in the shower." George is intrigued by such an odd statement and curiously ponders the connection between his mobility and the length of his hair. Lee decides it's more fun not to know the answer to such a strange statement. But George asks for explanation. None is ever given. George attributes this to karma of not clarifying Lee's statement to the waitress.

Norma reenters the room victorious over the waitress. There is no more small talk - what's the point. The battle lines have been drawn. Norma is serious about being serious and the trio is serious about being silly. This is a volatile mix. Ying and Yang. While the guys take the music very seriously, they have no pretense of being serious about themselves. In her day she was a world-class organist, the thought of musicians not learning the craft as she would say is distasteful and she feels her community patrons deserve more than this. The room is cold.

Matthew finishes his final glass of iced tea (8 glasses in all) as Lee and George head back to the auditorium. They find that the room is already filled with eager residents who have arrived early to get a good seat. "Well, there goes the sound check." George smiles. Taking it all in stride, George takes his place behind the piano and flicks the microphone on. "Welcome to my mid-life crisis everyone. We're going to warm up now if that's okay on a couple of original compositions. They're instrumentals, so you can make up your own words, and sing whatever you like." Lee guesses that except for the trio no one in the room is under 75 years old. He makes adjustments to the sound board as the three cheerfully pluck strings, strike piano keys, and tap drums. The three finish to polite applause.

It's 7:00PM - Time to officially get started. Norma approaches the front of the room like a commandant as she wields a microphone that she's brought to the concert. She begins to 'introduce' the band to the audience, but it feels more as if she's exposing them. It quickly becomes apparent that her integration of the guys 20 minutes before was not polite conversation but rather a means to extract information to use against them at this precise moment. She proudly reveals to the captive onlookers that "The piano player can't actually read any music at all! So this should be interesting for us tonight." (George is strangely relieved to hear this knowing that he has an excuse if his playing is below standard tonight. He thinks 'I'll just tell them sorry for messing up the tunes tonight, but after all I am musically illiterate" he also contemplates if he should play along with her insults and act the part of an idiot savant). At first the Matthew and Lee are a little caught off guard by this strange metopmorphis - she's become something of a cross between Ed Sullivan and that Where's the beef lady? The three are amused at how easily they were 'tricked' into spilling the beans about each other by this master interrogator. Once she is finished serving up George she aims her sights on Lee. (Lee remembers how the napkin king snake hid under the table to attack the bunny at the most opportune moment.)

As Norma begins her assault on Lee, the other two join in. George and Matthew decide to get in on the act not necessarily to defend their partner, but to poke at him too - these three have become quiet skilled at playfully ribbing each other. Norma openly questions the comment lee made at dinner about being a semi-retired roofer, George interjects "That means that if you hire him to do your roof he'll quit before the job is done." Lee shrugs it off and laughs. Matthew laughs. Some in the audience laugh - but Norma does not! The fact that George gets a bigger laugh than anything she's said so far is even worse than playing without reading music! "Oh whatever!" scowls Norma and tosses her mic and sits down. George becomes so tickled by the absurdity of Norma's actions it takes a few moments of laughter for him to regroup and begin the first song. Matthew doesn't even get an introduction!

George dedicates their first song to her, BYE BYE BLUES. Not so much as a peace offering as much as a statement to lighten up and have some fun. The guys are off and running. George and Lee are still smiling ear-to-ear by the third song, overcome with laughter about Norma's repulsion of their joy. A bit of an antagonist, George sings the Irving Berlin song directly to Norma sitting on the first row. The crowd is warming, as if a spell has been lifted from over them.

Right before the start of the song DON'T GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE, Matthew leans over to George to alert him that he 'will not be playing the special bass part' - This a mistake. Though George is oblivious to many things in 'real life' he has a keen ninja-idiot savant-like sense of awareness on stage. He instantly feels a hundred or so curious eyes of the audience wondering what Matthew just said - So George tells them. "Matthew would like me to announce that the 'Special Bass' part of this song will not be performed tonight. So if any of you were attending in hopes of hearing this solo, you may be dismissed now and offered a full refund." Chuckles bounce around the auditorium - (but not from Norma) Matthew is trying to become invisible. Matthew instantly realizes that he should have never given such ammunition to a clown like George on stage.

The song starts "Missed the Saturday dance...Heard they crowded the floor..." George pauses the song in the middle, and after several moments of silence he announces "Had there been a Special Bass Part' this is the point in the song where it would have been played." Matthew looks straight a head. Norma's grip on her cane constricts as the blood leaves her hand rushing to her head. The audience responds again with laughter, having never seen this type of improvised behavior from performers. They're watching these guys have a good time which each other, and the feeling becomes contagious. The guys have earned this right due to the musical competence they've displayed, despite Norma's of stance about their musical illiteracy. The audience knows their involved in unique display - something real and not 'canned'. Matthew redeems himself with a stellar rendition of the Bobby Darin classic 'MAC THE KNIFE' No thanks to George's morbid introduction of the tune: " We'd like to play for you now, a song about a serial killer." (read the lyrics here) The song becomes the high point of the evening for everyone.

By the end of the concert, these three have even managed to put a smile on Norma's face and a song in everyone's heart. Just like Lee and George's dinner puppet show, a venomous attitude has been overcome by joy. Maybe these three jesters have even helped Norma to have a bit of fun tonight. She does finally introduce Matthew. And it's not as mean-spirited as what she said about Lee and George. She even thanks the band for coming out, and it seems genuinely sincere.

The guys stand at the door of the auditorium as the residents file back to their units down the corridor. Many hands are shaken, hugs and smiles are offered to the guys. After the last walker has made its way out of the room, the guys begin breaking the equipment down. Lee looks at the wrinkled napkin on the floor that once took the form of 'Harvey'. He has an epiphany of how we all are made from the same fabric. But each of us decide if we will allow this life to fold us into the form of a hateful snake or a playful rabbit. George approaches him, "Hey, what are you thinking? Are you alright? " Lee responds warmly, slowly bobbing his head "Yeah, I am doing fine... I'm really fine."

Only 152 Days Left (and counting)

Christmas in July

Greetings GP3 subjects/supporters.

The time has come to activate the GP3 sleeper cells strategically positioned around the country. With only 152 days left until Christmas, we're depending on each of you to help the band secure holiday gigs and spread Christmas cheer throughout the land. You may think to yourself "Bah Humbug! December is too far away to be planning for a holiday party." Ah...but that's where you'd be wrong - Many corporations are already hard at work spending the shareholder's money in preparation of 4th quarter events.

In a rare display of generosity form the guys (no doubt the result of being on the verge of summer heat stroke), the trio is offering to compensate those who assist in referrals: For any Christmas parties that the band plays as a result of your referral(s), you will receive a check from George Poe Trio for 15% of the total amount compensation for the event. Obviously, there's an incentive to deploy the band to higher paying gigs so you get paid more. For example, if the guys play a party in the Heights for $800.00 you would receive a check for $120.00 American. On the other hand, say you secure a gig at the home of Bill and Melinda Gates for the holidays, and they pay the band $750,000.00 for the evening, you'd be paid $112,500.00 (almost enough to buy the latest PlayStation system and a couple of games for Christmas).

Disclaimer: The amount received does not include tips from the tip jar, and any eggnog or cookies the George, Matthew, or Lee may consume onsite at the venue.

In order to help you 'sell' the trio's services, we have developed a special website geared towards the GP3 holiday package (music that is, not socks again). This seasonal web address is www.george-p.com/Holidays Simply instruct the interested prospects to visit the holiday site to read client reviews from last year, or check out a sample song list. They can even check the band's availability for December in real time at www.george-p.com/Holiday/Calendar.htm. Potential clients can even request a no-obligation bid from the site by clicking on the BOOKING link at the top of each page.

So get into the Christmas spirit by dusting off that favorite Christmas sweater, putting another Yule log on the fire, and help our jolly threesome beat last year's record of 10 holiday themed events, and pocket the cash. Hurry because bookings are first-come first-serve, and at this moment there is there is only 151 days : 7 hours : 12 minutes remaining until December 25th.

"Happy Holidays!" from GP3 Promotions

Baby, You Can Drive My Car

Bayway Lincoln Mercury – Houston Texas

Tonight is the unveiling of the new Lincoln MKS. More than just Ford's latest concept car, this vehicle is intended to be the flagship of Lincoln Mercury. The Bayway dealership in Houston was chosen by Ford to debut the MKS, and they've chosen the trio to provide ambiance for the evening's launch. The theme of the presentation is "Great Premiers". The Bayway team has transformed the entire showroom into a classical movie theater. The entire place is decorated with everything you'd expect to find in a movie house minus the sticky floor. Nostalgic movie posters are plastered about the walls, a complimentary concession bar filled with favorite movie treats.They've even hired look-a-likes of actors from cinema's golden age. The impersonators range from Groucho Marx to Marilyn Monroe. Matthew and George wonder to each other if the online booking site has hired the trio by mistake in attempting to book the Three Stooges.

The guys finish setting up as event's hostess, Rachel comes over to meet them. Matthew compliments the decor and use of 'celebrities' to add to the theme. Rachel concedes that "We wanted to hire the Jack Nicholson look-a-like but the agency charged $2000.00 per hour to send him over!" Upon hearing this, the three look at each other and immediately begin to offer up Nicholson impersonations from Jack's different periods.[ Lee Matthew then George ].The impersonations are terrible, each one worse than the one before. These are so bad that Rachel is a little embarrassed for the guys. Rolling her eyes, she secretly hopes they play better than they do impersonations - gratefully they do.

George starts the night off with a smokin' re-worked jazz arrangement of WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER. A pleased Rachel smiles as she reaches into the oversized popcorn bucket on the table beside the bandstand. She pauses for a moment, then disappears back into the crowd for some intensive PR for the dealership. The set progresses nicely, offering compulsory car related titles along the way like KING OF THE ROAD, ROUTE 66, and others.

George has never considered himself a germaphobe but watching everyone eat from the community popcorn box has him a little distressed. One by one they stroll by the table next to him and reach in and shove a handful into their mouths as if they're partaking of communion à la Saint Orville Redenbacher, then move on to some other area of the showroom. They are completely unaware of the all of the fingers that have been thrust into the buttery bottomless bucket that they are grazing from - but George does. He sees big veiny hands, small delicate hands, feeble quivering hands, strong hands, soft clean hands, grimy oily hands, dainty hands, light hands, dark hands, boney hands, smooth as silk hands, weathered hands, hook hands (well... maybe not hook hands, but you get the point). Gross.

Gratefully he becomes distracted by a new and welcome sight. An elderly couple has taken to the showroom floor and begun to dance about. With all of their 'ballroom dance moves' Lee begins to wonder if Rachel may have hired them too to liven the place up. He mentions this to the other two, but Matthew doesn't think so. George shrugs. These two dancers glide around the showroom floor back and forth in between the spectators with the ease of a summer breeze through a field of dandelions. They effortlessly weave through the strategically placed tables as if were a slalom course. Their timing and grace could not be more elegant if they were birthed from Terpsichore herself. At the end of each song there is applause now - not for the band, but for these two.

When the band takes a break and George approaches the dancers. They introduce themselves as Frank and Connie. George winces as Frank reaches into the bucket beside the piano. Connie mentions that the two of them attend a weekly dance jamboree in Galena Park, and the trio should play there. "There's about 50 couples or so that dance there every Monday night." George is intrigued and says he'll check into it. Frank joins the conversation (between the intake of questionable popcorn). He tells George about the time he met Lena Horne and Cab Calloway at the Cotton Club in NYC. Connie chimes in about how they also used to dance to Tommy Dorsey's orchestra in the 40s. Frank begins to sing lines from Dorsey's I'M GETTING SENTIMENTAL OVER YOU. Connie's eyes light up as she fastens herself to Frank's left arm. It's subtle, but George catches it.

Meanwhile across the room, Lee and Matthew are chatting it up with the caterers. "Always make friends with the people who bring the food." jokes Matthew. She introduces herself as Dawn "from the Last Concert Cafe". Matthew and Lee are impressed. The LCC has been a premier original music hang-out since the 50s. It's an eclectic Tex-Mex cafe in the warehouse district downtown where live music is hosted nightly. "You guys sound pretty good over there." "Thanks. That means a lot from you." Dawn pauses at Lee's response, then focuses on him intently: "Do you know Beans?" "Yeah, Beans Barton?" "You used to play in his group-right?" Lee is shocked that Dawn recognizes him. "Yeah I played the drums and percussion in Beans Barton & The Bi-Peds, but, whoa...that was a long, long time ago." Matthew listens patiently as Lee and Dawn laughingly relay the favorite Beans Barton war stories.

Eventually Matthew dismisses himself from the talk of the Bi-Peds and returns to the band stand. George enthusiastically introduces Frank and Connie to him. Matthew reaches for the popcorn and quickly shoves a fistful in his mouth "Hey wait a minute Matthew... you might wanna... oh... uh..." Matthew smiling, goes for another handful of popcorn "Huh? What???" "Oh...nevermind." After a few minutes, Lee returns to the drum set. Filled with a refreshed sense of purpose and pride. The three launch into BLUE SKIES and dedicate to the tune to their new friends, Connie and Frank. George makes the announcement three times, but they don't hear it as they spin and dip into the evening.

The final set goes smoothly. Rachel approaches the group content with how the evening has gone. She asks for a 'special favor' for herself. She'd like the guys to play any of George Strait songs. George quickly offers up and instrumental version of ACE IN THE HOLE. Rachel is pleased. With most of the showroom cleared out now, the impersonators have no one to 'act' for. So they congregate near the band. Groucho takes a picture with the band . Matthew learns that the Groucho impersonator is a full-time Robin Williams impersonator named David Born (http://www.robinwilliamsimpersonator.com). The guys are amazed to learn that David has won the Best Comedy Award in Vegas in 2007. He's also been on Last Comic Standing, Family Feud (celebrity week), and even had a supporting role in a Mickey Rooney movie called BAMBOO SHARK. David gives Matthew and George a little taste of the 'Robin'. It's amazing. "Whoa, that's freaky. You're really good, but can you do a Jack Nicholson?" A puzzled David, slowly scratches the outside of his pith helmet, but gives no response.

The Marilyn Monroe look-a-like approaches the band and asks in a breathy voice "May I sing a song with you boys?" The impersonation is dead on. George contemplates whether he should ask her if she can do a Jack Nicholson. He decides not to ask (looking over at a still bewildered David). Instead, Matthew asks her if she'd like to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY . "Oh, you're funny as you are cute." She replies (still in character) messing up his hair. "I'd like to sing a slow, sultry version of I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU. Can you boys handle that?" The three nod in unison as George produces the chord chart. The song envelopes the room like a sable mink coat. Marilyn is definitely in control and knows how to work the room (or what's left of it). By the end of the song, every eye in the place is on her (and she knows it). She turns to the band and blows a kiss and leaves the bandstand. "Much better than a Nicholson impersonation." "Yeah, much better." "Jack is way overrated."

The trio closes with their standard WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD, and begin to pack up. As the last of the equipment is loaded in the van, Matthew heads into the men's room. George having loaded in all of his gear, decides to follow Matthew to play a prank. He sneaks into the men's room, and seeing Matthew's back to the door, he kills the lights. Matthew being well aware of George's puckish nature, continues about his business, stating "Very nice...Yeah George, very nice." But before the echo of these words have dissipated, George and Matthew are joined by a third. The general manager of the dealership has come into a darkened men's room with Matthew yelling "Very Nice". He clicks the light back on and demands "What the hell are you two doing in here???" George begins to reply "Uh uh...we were...I was..." Upon realizing that there is no self-respecting reasonable answer to this question, he just turns around and walks out the door - abandoning Matthew (who's still at the urinal) to explain. They both are instantly aware that this pretty much solidifies that the trio will never play for Bayway ever again.

On the way out to the van, George grabs one of the few remaining wrapped bags of popcorn from the concession tables and offers it to Lee. Matthew returns shaking his head even though he's already forgiven George's prank. Lee and George tell him how they will miss him this weekend at the Conroe Country club gig. "Is your nephew still getting hitched?" "Yeah" "And there's no way out of it?" Matthew shrugs "No...I'm the minister performing the wedding -They would kinda notice if I wasn't there. But it's in Cleveland, so maybe I can stop over at the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame." "Send us a postcard if you do." Matthew nods as George's window rolls up, and Lee's van heads out of the parking lot. Matthew watches their taillights fade into the distance. His gaze shifts to the sky. "Wow" He thinks to himself "It's so clear tonight...Every star shinning. He shuts the car door as he starts the engine. The radio comes to life playing the final verse of a familiar Beatles' song "Baby you can drive my car - And maybe I'll love you - - - Beep beep'm beep beep yeah..." Matthew sings along.

"Ah...Yes, I Remember It Well"

The Year in Review

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of the first GP3 performance. And not even Harry Seldon could have predicted the early success of this budding trio. Even though the guys played at the Lakewood Yacht Club this past weekend, the decision was made to postpone that blog for this special posting instead.

Without getting too sentimental, we at GP3 headquarters invite you to take a trip with us down 'memory lane' by way of the band's flier artwork. The band's promotional posters are designed weeks in advance for every performance for regardless of size of the venue, then also posted online. Sometimes the artwork reflects the theme of a particular event (for example the trio flying jet fighters for an event at the flight museum or when the guys played the grand opening of a dental facility in Katy), but mostly the fliers are just random images that the GP3 graphics team thought were cool at the time.

Beneath the thumbnail pics of many of the online posters are links to the corresponding blogs (obviously written after the event). Click on these links to read of past adventures (and misadventures) of our illustrious three.

Some highlights to look for are:

The time George could not find the gig (12/20)

The red tie fiasco at Crowne Plaza Hotel (01/31)

Why do the guys mock the staff at Landry's? (02/12)

What are the police doing at M.O.T.M. and why are they looking in George's car? (11/29)

What's with Sheila, the 'evil' accordion player? (07/14)

What's the deal with the ice sculptures?Why did George buy a mic from Lee for $2 and then stomp it into pieces? (07/14)

How did the trio get busted playing at a different coffee house (10/13)

What is Matthew's SSN? (04/29)

What makes George so choked-up that he can't sing? (04/22)

What two things do the the trio persuade the Denny's staff to do? (11/16)

What was wrong with George's throat during the wine tasting? (11/09)

Why is the band wandering around on an abandoned runway at midnight? (03/04)

What led to George's ridiculous (and ineffective) boycott of Mall of the Mainland? (02/16)

How does Matthew's G-String snap? (01/12)

Who is the notorious Mr. Hand? (02/16)

How did only half of George's body become sunburned at a Galveston venue? (09/09)

Why is Lee obsessed over the construction of the GP5000 sound robot? (02/12)

What drove George to nearly throw a monitor speaker into a nearby pond? (05/23)

How close does Matthew come to falling off the George R. Brown balcony during a performance? (02/02)

And many other entries which will later be used as evidence in the band's indictment hearing.

Click here to activate the GP3 'Time Machine' to relive the past:

http://www.george-p.com/gp3posters.html