I should be putting new strings on my guitar right now, but I’m in more of a cherry pie and coffee mood, so the strings will have to wait. One of the more glamorous aspects of playing in a semi-working band, right up there with hauling heavy stuff all over the place, is watching what you eat before a gig.

I generally sing lead on 12-15 songs a night, and perform vocal harmonies on 20 or so more. By the end of the second night of a two-nighter, my throat is pretty raw. There are things I can do to help keep my voice going, however. Drinking copious amounts of water (and appallingly little alcohol) before and during a gig is always good. So is avoiding certain foods. No dairy 48 hours before a show, no caffeine or spicy foods 24 hours prior. Have to keep an eye on the sugar intake.

Consequently, I tend to eat a lot of “forbidden” foods leading up to the cutoff points. And this is why I am having cherry pie and coffee right now rather than putting new strings on my guitar.

Did I say all that out loud?

In other news, congratulations to Mark Loretta on winning his first Silver Slugger award. Have I mentioned lately how glad I am the Padres didn’t throw a bunch of money at Edgardo Alfonzo?

Pie and coffee are done, which means I am done. The exciting world of free agent relievers will have to wait…