Tag: music

it’s about the music

jamieLeave a comment

Sorry so long since my last post. The Open Mic the other night was a great time. Plenty of good musicians showed up to sit in, and it became more of a jam-fest than open mic. At our peak, we had a full band…two guitars, drums, bass, and even harmonica/vocals.

Some of the neighborhood kids joined in as well, including one kid on the violin and my own 8 year old on the drum kit. We tried in vain to get some of the girls to sing, but they were more interested in dancing. Oh well…can’t complain about that.

Even more impressive though was how equipment just seemed to show up. Some plywood for the stage, and easy-up to give us some shelter from the sun. We were without a PA for the beginning of the evening, but then even that arrived miraculously.

Most importantly, great fun was had by all…so it looks as if we’ll have to do it again soon! I’ll be sure to post a notice here as soon as the next date is determined. Thanks to everyone for all of the help and efforts to put it all together.

jammin’ on the beach

jamie1 Comment

Tonight I’m hosting an open mic session on the beach. We’re lucky to live on a small lake with it’s own private beach, and even luckier that many of the neighbors are excellent musicians. This is to be the first, (and hopefully not the last) open mic, so everybody has their fingers crossed.

I can remember when I first started playing out. I hit every open mic session I could find. There were some I could never go back to, having thoroughly embarrassed myself. But after awhile, some of those nights actually led to real gigs. Some others were introductions to other musicians. All of them were learning experiences.

These days, I see open mic as a bridge, a way to get back in the habit of playing out. I’ve been playing, and writing and occasionally sitting in here or playing at a party there. But, I haven’t played any real gigs in awhile, and the discipline of practicing everyday because you have upcoming shows…that can’t be simulated.

But also, and more importantly, it’s a chance to play with some new musicians. New faces. New sounds. New experiences. New is good. Inspiration comes from New. Motivation comes from New. All good things come from New.

With luck, New will become a regular thing and it won’t get Old. Old is when it becomes tiresome…more a chore than an adventure. Good things come from Old as well, because nothing New can exist without Old to compare it with…to build from. As long as it isn’t the Same Old.

So, here’s to Old and New. A little bit of Blues. A little bit of Folk. Country. Jazz. Rock & Roll.

It’s all good, ain’t it?