A Powerful Thing...

Our band played a r&r show last night in a small bar. We were reminded again that we are a gnarly beast of a musical outfit. My partner and I write all the songs. They are raw, homemade, missives, totally, uniquely us. Over the years, we both have found our voices, and the songs, and the band are vehicles to put our "truth" across. Amazing, to us, we have attracted a group of fabulously talented musicians to totally commit to the vision. But we are so ambitious, with such a big sound. It's always a challenge to get up on a small stage and have all the players locked in. Funny, we create such a big noise, we are always a challenge for the sound-tech, and for us too. I was playing guitar on the far right of the stage and all I could hear was my own guitar, the drummer and our two vocals. Bass, double bass, percussion, electric guitar? All a noisy blur. Plus lots of feedback early in the set. Funny how a little feedback can color the night. It took about three songs into the set before the episodes of feedback were tamed. We did "get there." It doesn't take much for my partner and I to totally get lost in the vibes, and to reach some kind of transcendence. Performing is such a uniquely satisfying kick. Afterwards a few strangers came up to us raving about the show. That is always the best kind of feedback, folks we don't know, folks who have never seen us before, responding in a totally enthusiastic way. We are connecting. It is always a bit surprising, and rewarding to find out that our gnarly beast is being seen and heard. It's a powerful thing.