A Monthly Gig?

What a weekend! The show went pretty good. I was a little surprised that the brewery itself didn't have more of a crowd. I knew every single person there. We had about twenty people show up. There were moments when I felt slightly disappointed that there weren't more people there. I don't know why I expected the brewery to have their own crowd. It was also a weird feeling for me because up to the gig, I found I didn't have the nervousness I usually do about how many people will be there. Playing in our usual settings, they're expecting you to bring the people. If you don't bring a good amount of people, then they don't really need you to play there anymore. But, for some reason, this time I didn't really even think about it. However, as I was there, I kept wondering where everyone was. I expected a little better turnout. I never tell anyone that I'm going to do something, if I'm not going to do it. I have no problem telling people no. It's a little unnerving when people are constantly bugging you about your next show, then make no effort. Or when people talk to you about the show for the weeks leading up to it, then don't bother to show up. And it's always the same thing, excuses and apologies. Since the show ended early, we all went to our usual bar, and lo and behold, there were a third of the people who said they'd “for sure” be there. I got a little sick of everyone apologizing. After all, they were the ones who missed out, I got to have fun and be apart. It makes me nauseous.

Anyway, back to my point. As I was saying, at first I wished there were more people. But, as things moseyed on, I started to think about it differently. To me, one of the major points of the whole gig, was to have our friends there to see us. The gig was in a warehouse, almost exactly like the one we practice in. Except empty. Part of the whole thing, for me, was to be throwing a party, and having our friends come, see us, and try some good beer. As I began to notice that we had the attention of the people who were there. And as I began to notice how into it they were. I realized that I was glad it wasn't a bunch of strangers I had to “try and impress.” It was people who already knew what to expect, and came anyway! They were there to see us! I got to just be myself, and not think too much about the showmanship, because it was like they were at our house. When I finally turned that mental corner, it was relieving. I had fun, we played great. All in all, it was a really good night. Plus, the part that blew me away was we got paid! Not only did we get paid, but they asked us if we wanted to play there every month! I'm not sure we'll take them up on that, but it was so nice to be asked. The drummer seems down, the guitar player seems hesitant, and I'm on the fence about it. So we'll have to see how it plays out. Although today the drummer did bring it up again. And, he asked me to talk to the guitar player about it. So he seems pretty serious. That is a good sign. It has the potential to be a lot of fun.

Last week, the guitar player was sick, and could not practice. I was a little bummed, I felt like I needed another practice to be, truly, “ready.” I thought about calling the drummer, and just us practicing, but I wasn't sure if he'd be into it, so I decided to see if he'd call me. Around 4 pm I decided I really wanted to go, so I picked up my phone to call him. That is when I noticed I had a missed call and a message. Apparently someone called while I was driving to pick up Stella Mae from school. I don't generally check my phone. It was my drummer, asking if I wanted to go up to practice! I couldn't believe it. I wanted to see if he'd call, and he did. But I didn't know until I decided to call him. It seemed so serendipitous. We decided to go up and practice, just bass and drums, like it was in the old days. It really forced us to focus. Back in the day, when we were learning the songs, it was all about counting out the parts, while we waited for the guitar player to figure out what he wanted to do. To have to go back to counting out the parts was eye opening. I think we really impressed each other. We even played the songs that I don't sing, as instrumentals, for the first time ever, which went off without a hitch. The drummer even mentioned his admiration for what happened after we were done. We are really tight. And I think that we just hit a whole new level of playing and mutual respect. We are at a whole new edifice, and perhaps gigging every month is a good way for us to grow some new friends.

Daughn