Waitin’ for the Buzzer live at the River City Palace . . .

Waitin’ for the Buzzer live at the River City Palace

River City Palace was a saloon located in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

It was a down-home place with pool tables, darts, and pickles and sausages in 2 gallon jars sitting on the bar. It was across the Mississippi River from Winona, Minnesota where every day, factory workers were “Waitin’ for the Buzzer” to punch out of work.

After work in the early ’70s, people came to the River City Palace to drink beer and let loose.

John was paid $15 to entertain them for 5 hours. In the early ’70s, $3 per hour was pretty good pay for a songwriter in a bar. But that barely covered gas, guitar strings, and equipment.

As is the case with many people today who post music and videos on the internet — or sing at open mics –or play in small bars — it was done for the experience, and not so much for the love of money.

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The Live Performance at the River City Palace Saloon – – LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

You can hear the struggle of a sometimes frustrated, sometimes obnouious young songwriter trying to introduce and play his original music in competition with the sounds of the saloon, and requests for familiar tunes.

John played 5 hour gigs, from 9pm until 2am. The sounds of pool balls breaking, loud talking and customer interruptions made playing music a challenge.

As a young songwriter/performer, John strived to connect with his audience, sometimes resulting in customers singing along quietly, occasionally customers booing, and other times resulting in dancing and boisterous singing and noise making.

The River City Palace Saloon performance that follows was captured on a small panasonic cassette recorder with Kmart tapes. These tapes document occcurences during the long gone era of the 60’s and 70’s.

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The hour long saloon performance tape includes popular music – Talkin World War III Blues, Like a Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) -The Weight (Robbie Robertson) – Tuesday’s Dead, Moonshadow (Yusuf/Cat Stevens) – Don’t Bogart That Joint My Friend (Little Feat) – Games People Play (Joe South) – with originals -Goats in the Road, Crazy Casey, and Cricket – mixed in.

Playing soft “mellow” music requests in a loud bar was especially challenging. Originals such as Nathan, were mixed with popular songs such as Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Simon & Garfunkel) and Our House (David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Stephen Stills).

Goats in the Road Lyrics

“River City Palace, are you just another test?
Do ya wanna hear number 3 on the charts
Or do ya wanna hear my best?”

Live Performance at the River City Palace Saloon – 1970’s- LaCrosse, Wisconsin – above

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Nathan – live at the River City Palace

Song – “Nathan” live at the River City Palace – 1970’s – above

Guitar and vocal written, arranged and performed by John E. Martin. Performed and recorded at the River City Palace Saloon, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

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Lyrics for original songs in the River City Palace Saloon Performance are included in The Bad Axe River Valley Song Book.

Download – The Bad Axe River Valley Song Book Lyrics

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Waitin’ for the Buzzer
by John E Martin
Lyrics

Rudy Miller died last night
They laid him in his grave
He was a factory ownin’ man
And I’m his factory slave

Got drunk on Sunday evenin’
And I looked out from my bed
Twas a Monday mornin’
Wish I coud cut off my head

Back into the prison
That they call the factory
Well, I’m supposed to work there five days
But I get by on three

Chorus

Waitin’ for the buzzer
I hope the time is near
Waitin’ ‘the buzzer
The air outside is clear