A New Venture Begins Tomorrow

It's been forever and a day since I have posted an update, and this time it's been due to a lack of time, not energy. Last week pushed the limits at what I had to accomplish in a set amount of time, and this week is not going to be any different, but perhaps more enjoyable.

Tomorrow marks my return to the stage since June. It will be my first gig with the Savoy Blues Band, 9:30pm, at the Silver Buckle. I have some good vibes that it will be a successful show, though I think there are going to be times where I am going to be so lost, that I'll be praying for a miracle. Making music is that way sometimes; it's all part of the magic of performing. I love that ESP feeling, that all the players are mentally talking to one another and that the songs start and stop of their own accord, the chords and keys change like magic, as if the music we make is an entirely new entity in itself.

Don't get me wrong; I crave the attention too. We feed off the applause, and the scores of beautiful women throwing their sexy bodies at us. Yes, it's a big boost to the ego.

Since my attention has been dedicated towards blues and Broadway showtunes, I have been spending considerable time analyzing the genres. I will be frank, I used to hate the blues. I found it too predictable; even boring at times. But there were times when I would see a blues band and say to myself: "These guys are really fantastic!"

I said that whenever I saw the House of Payne (not to be confused with the House of Pain); I also said that the first time I saw the Savoy Blues Band.

The best way to really understand a genre of music is to play it. Once I began doing this with the Savoys, I began to hear the subtleties of the music; the groove, the lyrics, and the orchestration. Things really started to click when I began to learn how to predict the music.

Then I got what the blues was about... and I liked it. Yes, like all other genres of music, there is good blues and bad blues -- just like there is good punk and bad (commercialized) punk. It really doesn't matter, since it applies to all genres, but what generally separates the good from the bad is emotion. We, as listeners, must believe that the singer believes every word he or she sings, like it came down from the Heavens itself.

And there is a whole lot of emotion in blues.

I can't wait until tomorrow.