Collaboration...

Yesterday was all about music, listening to it, thinking about it, playing it. I am sort of loner, I easily get lost inside my own head, run down my own private rabbits down their own private rabbit-holes. I am easily distracted and I can get obsessed with things that seemingly no one else is obsessed with. My world is distinctly mine. I am cool with that, but I find that the most rewarding things I have done in my life come out of collaboration with others. I was sort of slow to that reality. I spent so much time in my own room, with my own thoughts, listening to my own music, playing my guitar for the four walls.

Having another musician to play with, and to play off of, having another voice in the room opens the door to a whole new world. Fill a room with 7 other musicians all working together on song that you made up in your head is thrilling, amazing, super-fun and totally rewarding. It's a bit of a challenge too. How to corral all that energy? How to keep other folks engaged and inspired to spend the time chasing the butterfly?

Seems to me the trick is to allow everyone to bring their own creativity to the room. To cultivate a group energy, where everyone has a place in the sonic spectrum, folks who respect & listen to each other and make contributions to a greater thing. It's anti-ego thing, where you actually drop your ego and submit yourself to the collaborative. Everyone has something to offer, everyone has the total power to be themselves, but the group energy works best when everyone gives their gifts freely.

My partner and I lead a killer-band of fabulously talented musicians. It still amazes both of us that these incredibly creative and beautiful folks take the time to learn our songs, gladly run down those rabbit-holes with us. Of course, we all know that our time in the rehearsal room is preparation for playing in front of an audience. We have been lucky to slowly build an audience for our very singular, quirky vision. It has been slow-going, and a crooked road, and I suppose it could all vanish in an instant.

That's life. A full-bore collaboration. An uncommonly beautiful thing. Not to be taken for granted. You want to let it shine like a burning star in the fabric of the Universe. Damn the torpedos.