Entertaining A Whole New Group of People

      Starting early again, I like this trend. I’m not nearly as distracted today. The rain is pouring, and that’s a little distracting, but I can handle it. I think. It sounds like someone is cleaning my house with a power washer. I usually have the TV on for background noise, and I can barely hear it. Wow. So, last week I kind of got caught up in my topic, and feel like I kind of glossed over the show we had. And I feel I should mention that it was a lot of fun. We played very well, and the place was packed. It was a little hard to believe, because looking out into the crowd, it was like a small sea of people. I didn’t recognize anybody. Well, that’s not exactly true. We probably brought about 7-10 people. So, I recognized them. There were the guys from the other bands there, so I recognized them. That alone deserves its own mention: The headliners were there, the band from Oceanside was there, the band from Long Beach was there! It was unbelievable. A lot of times people just kind of show up just before they play, so they can miss the shitty bands that open. That was not the case in this situation. And I don’t know if it was just this particular group of bands, or if we had some buzz, but it felt good. Even if it wasn’t us, and they really do just show up for each other, I thought it was great. That is the kind of community that I would hope we’d want to be a part of. No band sucked, they were all good! That is rare. However, getting back to my point, there were a lot more people there that I didn’t recognize. A lot more. And the super trip was, there were people singing along. People we don’t know! Some guy came up to me afterwards and said I was the one helping him be able to sing along. I don’t even know what that means!

     Everyone had a good time, my daughter got off work early, and was able to check it out. It was a blast. And, as I may have mentioned last week, we got another gig out of it. The production company that books for the band from Long Beach, hit us up the very next day for a show in Long Beach in August! And, come to find out, they also invited the band from Oceanside that we played with! I can’t believe it. I know Long Beach is far, and we probably aren’t bringing anyone with us, other than significant others, but it’s awesome to be asked. My dream gig gets to happen again, on the road! This is so rad. They must have seen something in us. Or maybe “heard” is the right word? Anyway, it was awesome. And, to finish up, by the time the headliners went on, the venue was almost half as full as it was when we were playing. I kind of felt bad for them. They were awesome too, but the crowd was not there. I wondered if it was the time spot, or if we’re somehow getting the word out. Either way, it was awesome, and it seems like there’s more awesome on the horizon. We’ve agreed to play only about once a month, so we’re actually turning down gigs now! I’m not about turning down gigs, but I do respect, and understand, the other’s desire to do so. It just feels funny sometimes because the main “reason” that keeps getting thrown around for passing on gigs is that we need time to “work on new material.” We are working on new material, so I get it. But our set is half an hour long! It doesn’t take up so much time at practice that we don’t have time to write “new material.” Alas, I am a support character, and if people want to wait for “good” gigs, then we shall. It’s just weird to be in 2 bands that don’t really want to play live that much.

     I guess I get it. People don’t want to be out late, and it almost always costs us money to play. But still, it’s still fun to have something to do, something to look forward to. I’m at home a lot. The other guys have a much more active social life. When I get a gig, it’s like: “Finally, something to do.” I like having things to look forward to. I like to perform. I just still can’t get over that people are coming to see us that we don’t know. For a long time, we didn’t want to play that often because we thought our friends would get burn out and not come. Now, we usually play to a room full of strangers. Nothing wrong with that. It’s way better than playing to a room full of no one. I’m going this weekend to see a show with a few bands I know. Trying to keep this community feeling alive. I figure if they support us, we should reciprocate. Plus, I like going, and seeing live music. But a lot of times I feel kind of schmoozy, because I’m going just to go. I want to keep in people’s minds. I realize this is how it gets done, but I often feel like I’m being inauthentic. However, there are 3 bands playing this weekend that I really do want to see, and support. Plus, it’s an afternoon show, so that’s a plus. A chance to network without being out late, with bands I actually want to see, good stuff. Hopefully good will come out of it. I’m sure it will. It’s another group of active bands that’s good to be “in” with. On a side note, mentioning groups to be “in” with, I signed up for another comedy show in a couple of weeks. I was apprehensive, because I thought they were trying to shun me, but I decided “I want to perform,” and if they’re putting on shows I want to be a part. It’s in the North County, so hopefully I’ll be able to entertain a whole new group of people.