THE WINE COUNTRY GIG

Photo by Casey Habich, Edit by Me

Last week I had the privilege of sitting in with some friends for their gig at Wine Country on Wednesday night! It's the first time I've played my original music out in public in way too long, and I'm deeply grateful for the chance to do it. And for the chance to do it with Joel and Kyle, 2 very talented and generous guys I met through a church gig about a year ago. I couldn't ask for more encouraging friends or more capable players then those 2. They play all over town with their band What the Funk and also do some smaller acoustic sets like the one at Wine Country.

I learn so much every time I get to play for people. Music trains me like nothing else to be totally present and aware of the current moment, my mind having to be focused on exactly what my hands, voice, and expressions are doing in each second rather than fretting about a past mistake, worrying about an upcoming part that may be difficult, or being concerned about whether or not people are enjoying or understanding what I'm offering. There's no room for any of that, and inevitably if I go down any one of those roads my performance gets thrown off course. I always remember how true that is in recording scenarios, but I'd forgotten how true it is of the live show as well. This is valuable training for a person like me who needs some help staying present in each moment rather than introspectively traveling backward or forward in my thinking.

Joel (left) & Kyle (right)

*Note the skill of playing guitar with cigarette in hand that Joel is exemplifying here. Obviously a professional;)

I also did a bit of an experiment last Wednesday since it was a casual, safe spot for that kind of thing. I played all new tunes. About 10 songs, only one of which had ever been played out in public before. They sure weren't perfect, but they definitely didn't bomb either, and I consider that a victory! It feels kind of like bringing your infants  out in public for the first time...you've had some time with them yourself, but they haven't really met anybody else yet, and you don't know how they'll behave, how others will react, or exactly what you'll do to manage their interaction. I'm glad to say the first outing went just fine. And I, of course, have to thank my gig partners for that outcome. Also, my crew of friends that came out and supported. And that sweet, old, hippie-cowboy man in the bar who hollered out, "You sound like Joni Mitchell!" *Swoon* 

I'll be trying to book some more shows here very soon, and will certainly let you all know when & where they'll be! Thanks for reading. I hope to get to share some music together in the very near future.

Subscribe to my newsletter list to be the first to hear about upcoming gigs and recordings...

Thanks,

sd.