February - 2016

One note sounds like a light ray

One note sounds like a new day

One note holds all the others, millions of colors

So one note is best

Pete Townsend

“Why am I doing this?  I don’t need to .”   For me, Light House by Pete Townsend emphasizes that we are all part of one note and we need to share it.  Our voices are unique but I have been holding onto mine rather than taking the risk to share it.  I feel like this is my chance to contribute my voice to the opera of small town Saturday night.

On the last Saturday night of February, I had convinced myself not to go to open mic.  I had however in passing told one colleague that is interested in music that I was planning to head out.  As I relaxed into the couch to settle in to my habitual Saturday night routine, involving chippers and movies, I received a text.

“Are you playing tonight.”

I convinced myself of all the reasons not to go.  I’m too tired, I’ll just do another one when I am feeling more in the mood, I haven’t really practiced, everyone else is better than me … and began to text back that I was pulling the pin on the idea.  Then I realized, this must be calling...
 

“Stand up and be counted, for what you are about to receive.”  I had been given the salute and needed to make the charge.  

The guitar, my weapon and my voice the cannon.  

“Pick up your balls and load up your cannon.”  

Bon Scott must have felt this way too.   Anxiety rushed through me as I decided to commit.  I think facing risk and dealing with this feeling is one reason that I have set the goal of playing open mics.  Rationally, I can’t think of why this puts me into such a state of stress.  At the moment of the decision however, foolish ramblings flooded my head.  I’ll get laughed off the stage.  Tonight will be the night that our towns answer to Jack White decides to drop into to the open mic.  There will be someone so good that I’ll disappoint the crowd as I move on as the next act.  

In order to free myself of anxiety I’ve created a routine.  I go for a jog after dinner, both to get myself alert and bring down my nerves.  Not only does it work, but it’s pretty good getting out in evening running beneath the stars.  Typically I would be halfway to sleep, so even this is a huge upside of choosing to go sing. Then I follow up the run with a couple of stiff drinks.  One step forward, one step back.

Again, over the month, I have practice a set of five songs that I planned on playing.  This month included

Ophelia - The Band - It would be fun to jam to because it has a ragtime feel and the dominant chord progressions forces you to think if you’re improvising ove it.

Don’t Look Far - this is an original that I wrote. I actually stuck to playing it.  This will become the first original that I’ve played in public.

Sugaree - The Grateful Dead - I like the chugging feel of this song.  Again, because of the simple changes it is a great song to jam to.

If they let me stay on stage beyond three songs, i was also hoping to throw in a couple of originals.

As I approached the stage, I noticed a cellist sitting at the bar that  played at the previous open mike. I instinctively saw her as my proverbial life jacket.  Her solid playing would drown out me.  I guess that’s not really a life jacket, more of a plug to pull on a drowning ship.  Anyway, she came to join me and I did a full mission abort on my plan.  I instead played “you can’t always get what you want,” and the cellist joined in.  The booming drone of the cellist sounded awesome as it threaded through the simple Stone’s chord progressions.  I put the song on auto pilot and I think it sounded great.  

It’s tough when you start off with a bang and fade to a fizzle. I created an M. Nght Shalyan movie that started strong and ended with almost unwatchable twist.  Because a Djembe player wanted to get up and play, I completely abandoned my plan and ended up playing a song that I thought would go with it.  I did however, play my first original, Don't Look Far, posted above.

I was also invited to play with another guy and that was pretty fun, but it took away from my initial goals. 
 To plan, rehearse and perform authentically in front of a crowd of open mic enthusiasts.