Mission Accomplished!

      One week until Thanksgiving! I’m not sure how I’m going to handle this next week, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. The show last Friday was a huge success! There were a lot of generous people there. We got $870 from the door, and I heard at some point they stopped charging entry. It was cold and a little rainy, I get it, no one wants to stand outside waiting for people that might not come. So, I’m guessing we had at least 90 people! That’s huge! The booking agent said that was the most lucrative show they’ve had all year! Sorry for all the exclamation points, but it’s exciting! The raffle raised another $836! We couldn’t believe it. Some people just donated, and didn’t even want to join the raffle. Her Go Fund Me is now up to almost $6,000! All combined we raised almost $8,000! I can’t believe it. This was amazing. She went into the hospital yesterday to get the chemo started. She’ll be in the hospital all week, until she gets the bone marrow transplant next Wednesday. The day before Thanksgiving! I hope she’ll feel like eating. I don’t know how these things go. I just know I hope she tolerates the procedure well, and that she’ll have plenty of Thanksgivings to come. It’s hard to think about. She’s so young, and I’ve known her so long, it’s hard to believe this is all really happening. But it is. I can’t understand what her mom must be going through. I’m practically a wreck, and I’m on the outside. Her mom was at the show. She showed up early to help us decorate. She was stunned by what we put together. She claimed to be unsocial, and would never have been able to put it together. She was very grateful. She could not believe how many people were there. Us either. Of course there were also noticeable absences, but I tried not to think about that too much.

     Josie did show up! She looked drained. But she was still smiling. At least it looked like it. She was wearing a mask, so you couldn’t really see, but you could tell. Our daughter was there. They’ve been friends for a long time. For the most part Josie just posted up in the back with her mom, near the raffle baskets. I know she was grateful for everyone being there, but she was exhausted, having just had her ovaries removed the day prior. What a champ! Champion del Mundo! As her father would have said. He wasn’t Mexican, but he used to use that phrase a lot. I can hear him now. Whoa, I choked myself up a little. I’ve got to keep it together. Okay, I’m back. The Calvins did great! It was a good way to kick off the show. Although, it did seem that we were a bit aggressive for some of the people there. But, we’re like a firecracker, so it’s good to start with a bang! At least from what I’ve read. Josie came up front and “moshed” a little. There were a few people out there, taking it easy. I think it’s better that way. No one wants to get hurt at a fundraiser. There was one dude who looked like he was going to take it a little too serious, but he turned out to be a nice guy. He introduced himself to me later, he had seen us before. It was nice to see Josie out there having fun. Later on, I saw her in the back sleeping on her mom’s shoulder, it was touching. As old as our children get, we still tend to see them as “children.” And usually by the time they’re in their 20’s, they’ve stopped sleeping on our shoulders. It was touching. Her mom did not seem to mind. Josie made it until after the 2^nd band, which was a lot longer than the hour she thought she’d be able to stay.

     Something kind of cool happened. Most of the people got there in the beginning. And, the set times were getting pushed back more and more. The turnaround between bands was taking way too long. Maybe we should have just had three bands. I’ll remember that for next time. The Eruption was supposed to start at 11, but we didn’t start until after 11:30! But, getting back to the “cool” thing, people stayed! Not everyone, but quite a few. I was impressed. I really had the feeling the people wanted to see us. Plus, and this really filled me up, there was a late-night rally. Around 10, more people started showing up! I was overjoyed. It really felt like people were coming to see us, I felt so proud. The singer from the Hustlers showed up! She had been at another show, and came to see us! That’s dedication! We played for an hour. I asked the guys if they wanted to shorten it, but they said “no.” I was proud of them. We didn’t finish until about 12:40. A lot of people had left by then. It was a little strange watching the room dissipate while you’re playing. I know it was the time. But, it’s still weird. I was getting a little discouraged. Plus, something started going funky with my mic. It was all I could do to keep it together. I’ve seen the videos, we sounded great, so I have to just focus on the feeling I was having before we started. Before we started, I couldn’t believe how many people were still there, and that’s what I choose to remember. The booking agent had never heard us before. My wife said the lady actually sat down and watched our whole show. Afterwards she came up to me and said she really liked us and wants to book us again! Us specifically! Exactly what I hoped would happen! All around, it was a great event, and we did exactly what we wanted to achieve. That feels good!

Eve Of The Realy Big Show

      This is it, the eve of the big show! I’m excited, and a little bit nervous. I really hope people show up. Everyone keeps saying “people are going to show up.” But sometimes people say they will, and then won’t. It’s a fundraiser, and I hope that’s enough. I wish I had as much feeling that people were looking forward to the show. The Eruption hasn’t had a gig in over a year, I would hope that would bring people out. But we go on last. That seems to bum people out. Everyone we know is old, they don’t want to be out that late. I get it, but you can stay out late once! There are still plenty of 9 o’clock bedtimes in your future. Plus, I want the venue to know that we bring people. Yes, it’s a fundraiser, but it’s also a show, and I want the venue to see that we put on a show that people want to see. Supposedly our friend is about to take ownership of the venue, so we may already have an in. But if that’s just a rumor, this is our in. I don’t think it’s a rumor. It seems like a done deal, people have seen the paperwork. We still won’t play there that often, but it will be nice to have a venue sewn up. I’m hoping people I don’t know that well will show up. I know a lot more people now, and most of them have never heard the Eruption, this could be the chance to show what I really do. It could be an opportunity to get new ears, and hopefully, more gigs. So, like I started with, I’m going through a lot of different emotions. Also, Josie, the person the benefit is for, is having her eggs removed today. She said the doctor gave her the okay to attend tomorrow, I hope she’ll feel up to it. It’s hard not to think about her, when this is all going on to help her, and she keeps getting more upsetting news.

     Not only does she need a bone marrow transplant, but they also have to fry her with chemo before she can get the transplant. And apparently, with the amount of chemo that she’s going to receive, all her eggs would be killed. So, at 29, she had to decide whether she may ever want kids. Because, if she does, the eggs need harvested before the chemo. Ouch! It just so happened that today was the day they could do it. We have no idea how she’ll feel tomorrow, but just can’t help but hope she’s doing okay today. We got to see her last Saturday. It was her birthday. She is in great spirits. It was relieving. I would like to hope I would be the same, but I don’t know man, she’s going through some stuff. I know it doesn't help to get down in the dumps, but this is a lot, and she’s plowing through like a champ. She normally has long curly hair, and now, she’s just barely starting to grow hair back from her last round of chemo. She’s doing it all with a smile. It’s uplifting, and sad at the same time. Like I said earlier, a lot of different emotions. We found out on her birthday that the relationship she’s been in is not stable, and the guy is about to try to move to Oregon! Selling the house they live in, and moving! When she gets out of the hospital, she’s going to be staying with her uncle! Which, is not that bad. He lives in a penthouse, with a maid and a chef. She will be taken care of. She actually seems excited to live with him for a while. She has got the right attitude. After talking to her for a while, it seems she is grateful for the change. I’m telling you, she is a trooper. The GoFundMe is already over $5,000! Plus, we hope to make another $1,000 tomorrow. That should help a little.

     Okay, that’s enough of that. The show last Saturday went well. It wasn’t that well attended, but I thought we played well. Then, when I got to see all the videos taken, it was confirmed. We sounded really good. And we looked cool too. This is the first band I’ve been in where we’re going for a “look.” I think we’ve got it. People were dancing, it was cool. The singer had another gig to go to that night, so she left pretty soon after our set. Pretty much the whole band did, except for Susan and I. We stayed for the rest of the show. The crowd we had was the biggest of the night. I kind of felt bad, because it was pretty empty after we played. I was a little surprised that the other bands didn’t have that much of a draw. But, I think, like the Calvins, they may play too much. When you play all the time, people don’t have to come see you as often. Hopefully everybody is saving it up for tomorrow! One of the bands that night is playing with us tomorrow. I hope their fans show up. The whole point is that we’re playing with friends of ours, we all have friends in common, friends we met through knowing Josie’s dad, and hope they’ll show up to support. Okay, sorry, I said that was enough. The Hustlers also have a show on Saturday, this is a busy weekend. I said I wanted to play more, and I got it! Every band I’m in is playing this weekend! Rock n’ Roll! Hustlers are planning on playing a new song on Saturday! One that we just wrote last night! I like the enthusiasm and willingness to try things. They are motivated! This’ll be fun. Although, the Calvins haven’t practiced in two weeks! For some reason the guitar player decided to take a road trip this week! I think we’ll be fine, sometimes, when you haven’t played in a while, when you get back at it, there’s a bit of ferociousness there. Let’s hope!

Sick Melodrama

      My, my, my, what a wonderful world we live in. Confusing at times, but wonderful, nonetheless. Where should I start? I guess I’ll fill you in on last week, so as not to “leave you hanging.” Friday, I felt a little better, Thursday was definitely the worst of it. I was half tempted to ask if the Hustlers were feeling alright, but I didn’t. Then, the texts started. Being in a band with 6 people, the texts are often and multiple. Plus, every time, they “like,” or “laugh” at something, I get the text again. It’s kind of annoying. I’ve had to turn off the notifications. It’s that bad. But, that’s not really the point here. All of a sudden, it turns out, we’re all sick! Nobody can practice, and we have a show the next day! I was a little miffed at patient zero, but I get it, he may not have known initially. So, practice was cancelled. I was glad. I couldn’t have really sang anyway. I thought it was best for us to rest. I think we were all a little nervous about the show the next day. I know I was. I had 2 bands playing. I was nervous about just being there. I didn’t want to be someone else’s patient zero. I was feeling a lot better. I was able to sleep the night before. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to sing, but I took the risk. When we got there, with all of our scratchy voices, it felt like we were creating a super spreader event. Multiple people were not feeling the best. It was a little spooky. The show got pushed back a bit, which kind of sucked for everyone, but there were so many moving parts, I guess you’d kind of have to expect it. We were there for a wedding reception. It would have been lame to start without the guests of honor. The Calvins were 2^nd, and were only half an hour “late,” so all-in-all, we got off to a good start.

     I really wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to sing. It wasn’t too bad. Plus, on the first song, towards the end, we have a screaming part, and luckily enough, it forced the phlegm off my vocal cords, and helped a little. I’m not sure that anyone else noticed that I wasn’t 100%, but I certainly knew. I’ve seen some of the video footage, and it sounded alright, I think were safe. I was a little bummed because a friend of ours was there, that I wasn’t expecting to see. She’s in another band, and we’ve seen her, but she’s never seen us, and it seemed like this would be the first time. I was kind of stoked, because she’s connected, and it would’ve been cool to get her feedback. The whole time we were playing, I was looking for her in the crowd, but never saw her. The venue is pretty big, and the food and stuff were in a different area, so I assume they were back there. Afterwards, I didn’t see her again. I guess they were only staying for a little bit. I assume if they had heard us, she would’ve said something. We only play for 30 minutes! Maybe they had other plans. I’ll go with that. It was also interesting that we incited a fight! I didn’t notice at the time, but apparently in the pit (I know, a pit at a wedding reception!) some dude was getting way too serious. Come to find out he’s related to the bride. He was all dressed up running around, and supposedly tried to throw a punch at someone. That someone did not appreciate it, and evidently punched the guy in the face 5 times in rapid succession. And then that was it, people broke it up. Maybe that’s why people stayed in the other room, I don’t know. I just can’t believe I missed it. Too much time thinking about something I shouldn’t have been.

     Time slowly got away from all of us. The Hustlers were originally going on around 5:30, but we didn’t actually go on until 7:30! Ouch. The place was pretty much vacated by the time we went on. The nice part was: all the people there to see us, were there to see us. We had about 15 or 20 people, so not too bad. We got a very good reaction. People really seemed to like it! Luckily, the amount of vocals I do for them is minimal compared to my other bands, so it went well. I was glad I made it. That made for a long day though. I was there for over 5 hours! Most of it just sitting and waiting, trying not to get too drunk. The other bands were alright, but not “great.” Plus, I felt I needed to isolate myself, to protect my voice and other people. So, I didn’t socialize as much as I probably should have. We did have a good turnout, and people were having fun. I just wasn’t feeling it. I saw one picture online, someone took a photo of me sitting there by myself. I thought that was an odd thing to photograph. But hey, I looked interested! The Hustlers have another gig this Saturday. It should be a little better. Except we cancelled practice this week, because the drummer doesn’t feel good. Oh brother! This is starting to feel like some kind of sick melodrama! I’m sure we’ll be fine. Even as sick as I was, I could still play, I just couldn’t sing. Although, breathing is important, especially for a drummer! He’ll be fine by then. Now, I’m almost out of time. I had thought I was going to get into this whole election thing that just happened. But, now, I’m running out of words. I guess there’s not much to say. What happened, happened. It can’t be undone. I can’t explain it anyway. There’s no explanation. I have to just sit here in awe that we are surrounded by a bunch of stupid fuckers. This is a wake-up call. At least it should be.