The 12-bar blues was enough to get Jackson Square moving -- delivered with authority by Kay and the Maytags.
Two songs later, they slowed things down for the Eagle's anthemic country-rock ballad "Desperado."
"It's going great, couldn't be better," said an upbeat McDonald as the band Sierra prepared to take the stage. "It's a labor of love."
Minutes later, he was playing again.
Just one snapshot from Ramble #3, the annual concert and reunion of Batavia-area bands and musicians. It started in 2006 with 29 musicians from far away as Philadelphia, California and Florida.
Safe to say its popularity is growing. This year's Ramble Music and Arts Fest attracted more than 100 musicians, and featured 23 bands playing everything from bluegrass to alternative metal.
Sierra had just started into the Georgia Satellites' "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" as "Mild Bill" Pitcher approached the square. He and McDonald are part of the posse that organized the gathering.
"It's just interested people, who want to make it possible for any musician or artist who calls Batavia their hometown, to come home and display their talent," said Pitcher, who himself plays bass for the Ghost Riders.
The talent struck those listening from lawn chairs, or dancing in the square and beyond. A teenage girl grooved to Clayton's Korn Tribute on School Street -- relentless and thundering nu-metal, led by Pitcher's 13-year-old grandson Clayton on guitar.
Watching and reminiscing was a group including Mike Houseknecht, Jim Tydelski, and Joe Furst. Tydelski plays with Red Creek, while Furst's part of the Buffalo Road Show.
"This whole area, right back in the '50s and '60s ... " Tydelski said, looking toward Jackson Street. "There was like a theater in this corner called the Tryst. The Family Theatre -- that was all buildings right there on Jackson."
The Family Theatre closed, he said, and the new cinema opened afterward on Main Street. It was an era when Batavia was reputed to have about 30 bars, and the accompanying nightlife to boot.
"There used to be all kinds of activity going on in the 1960s, but urban renewal knocked it away, and all the culture went with it," he said.
The Ramble let the musicians, their friends and family rekindle the earlier days. Some met up on the street, others played on stage, and a few guested with their friends and former compatriots.
Rick and Kim Flowers attended with their 11-month-old granddaughter Riley. Mr. Flowers plays guitar and keyboards in the group Monster Johnson.
"It's to check out everybody else, because when we're playing out, we're normally all playing different places," he said. "We don't get a chance to see each other. This is a good event for everybody to get together.
"Everybody's in the same place at the same time, and we all get to shoot the breeze and talk, you know? These events are probably the only time all the bands are in the same spot at one time, and we get the chance to talk to each other."
Monster Johnson plays everything from Buddy Holly to the Allman Brothers and Rob Zombie, depending on the audience's overall "feel," he said. The latter started somewhat off-the-cuff, but proved popular a few times.
The band was sitting out Ramble #3, as one bandmate was on vacation out of state. Mr. Flowers had already seen members of hard-boiled rock 'n' roll band The Trolls earlier that afternoon.
So was he enjoying himself?
"Immensely," he said.
The acts continued throughout the day on both the Jackson Square and School Street stages. As did the meetings, reminiscing, and tributes.
"It's from the heart," Pitcher said.