[Dixielandjazz] re. noise?

[Pat Mierkey]

Hello list,
I play with the Yosemite Jazz Band at Danny's Pizza Factory in Oakhurst
CA.,just south of Yosemite National Park.  We have had a long playing gig on
Thursday nights (about 14 years) on the patio of the pizza joint.  A year,
or so, ago a few young men drove up to the Mc Donalds across the drive way
and thought it "cute" to offer a little of their music via their "boomer
megawatt" sound system in their car as a competition to our musical
offering.  Our music ground down to a halt, unable to compete with the din.
I looked out and recognized the young men as students at the local High
School. I put down my trombone and sauntered out to their car to have a
little conversation with them.  They recognized me as a sometimes substitute
teacher in their Auto Shop Class.  High Fives erupted.  I then suggested to
them that they might be a little careful about the battle of the bands
competition they decided to set up because there were about a hundred
devotees of OKOM sitting on the patio and not very happy with their musical
offerings.  I noticed the young men looking past me and not completely
listening to what I was saying so I turned around and saw about about a
dozen very large men following behind me slapping one fist into their other
palm and a not too happy expression on their faces.  The music magically
stopped from the car, three doors slammed and two strips of black rubber
appeared on the driveway with the disappearance of our competition fast
fading from the scene.  We went back to finish Bourbon Street Parade ,  as I
remember,  and all was happy on the home front.  We  have  never had a
problem of that kind since.  There have been a couple of "Rolling Thunder "
incidents (Harleys en-mass) but we weathered those storms.
Pat "Chops" Mierkey, yosemiteejazzband.com