Musical Chairs

by Bill Shivelbine (sitting in, Melissa Riddell)

Last week I went out to Rock's, the new nightclub out on Kingshighway, to take a few pictures and see the new band Rock had put together. The band is named "A Work In Progress" but I couldn't imagine what they needed improvement on. Consisting of Bruce and Anita Zimmerman, Mike McElrath, James Barnes on drums, Rock himself and Ralph "Blue Mac" McDonald on saxophone, the band was anything but an unfinished project. I listened to them play and if I hadn't known different, I would have thought they had been together for years.

Their music was high energy and tightly playedÉthe rifs running down the spine as you listened. The sounds from the sax began as a whisper and then increased to the cry played only by a born bluesman. When drummer James turned his voice to the mike, the patrons sat dumb-struck by the clarity and range; only coming out of their silence by thunderous applause when he finished.

Eager to talk to the members of the band I wasn't familiar with; I asked Rock to set up a meeting with the "Sax Maniac."

"Mac" is a homegrown talent, born here in Cape 41 years ago. His family moved to Las Vegas when he was young and it was there he got his first taste of music. In the fifth grade they offered band class to kids and he was supplied a saxophone. He never put it down; he was hooked on the sound.

He had his first paying club gig at the age of 15, underage and in the wrong part of town. He played for three years this way and then at 18 he got his first casino job, but 18 is still underage for the casinos. His first job was at the Union Plaza Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. The band was called "Total Unity" created by an all black band from Los Angeles who added a horn section of Vegas talent.

He spent many many years playing Vegas casinos, only leaving there when the casino industry grew to the point where the casinos were closing their lounges in order to put in more slot machines. They moved to the regular club scene and then toured Nevada.

Just before heading "home" he was touring with James Quill Smith, a guitarist known for his years spent playing with Dr. John, Billy Joel, John Mayall and Three Dog Night.

"Baddest guitar player I ever played with in my whole life," Mac told me. When I asked him what made him decide to come back to Cape, he told me he "decided it was time to get back to my roots and walk barefoot again in the Mississippi mud. Give me time to get to know the family I missed out on when I was young."

He told me he noticed Mike McElrath was playing in town from an ad in the Ad Sheet (made my day hearing that I can tell you). He went to see him and Mike said to come on down and sit in sometime.

Mac took him at his word and came over with sax in hand. The rest, as they sayÉ. is history. Played at Port Cape with Bruce a few timesÉ.did some stuff with MikeÉ.and then put it all together.

I asked him to just talk to me for a while about whatever and that was all the invite he needed.

"There is a GREAT little music scene here, and I was so happy to find out about it. The first thing when I got into town was head to Shivelbine's for some reeds and to ask around about the music around here. The first person I talked to said it was all country music around here, which would have been bad for a Sax playin' Bluesman. I can play country but it isn't what the sax was made to do. Rock and blues are the saxophone's places. I consider myself a blues man. You know, to qualify as a blues musician, you have to have had your instrument in the pawnshop at least 50 times. Then you are a journeyman blues player. I've only had to hock mine once since I moved back to Missouri, so I must be livin' better.

Blues is a great music style. It crosses every barrier. Rich guys get the blues, little Lisa Simpson gets the blues, and cowboys get the blues. Heyyyyyy! A couple of weeks ago a genuine cowboy from Montana was in here. He came up to us and said he needed to hear Johnny Cash. We played some Johnny for him and then he stayed the rest of the night just to hear the rock and the blues. He told me that he loved the blues but needed that little bit of country too. I understood that because the first blues singer I ever saw was Hank Williams. Now, I know that people will say he was a country singer; but the truth is, he started out as a blues singer."

As we wrapped up and were getting ready to part company, I asked him a little about his personal life. Mac is married to a small woman with a big stick. An ex Marine, she is a fun loving woman who keeps Mac in line. He said he has nothing but respect for her and knows better than to get on her bad side. He also told me that she makes him want to be good, and now he is so good he makes himself sick. He said he gave up drinkin' and the left-handed cigarettes for her.

All I can tell you is he is a charming, funny man; and a brilliant sax player. A Work in Progress plays Thursdays thru Saturdays at Rock's.

Welcome home Ralph.