Here’s the entry you don’t want to read.
Or maybe you do? There’s been a bit of life popping up lately, and with every day a new event, a new bit of news, and my mind is flying in more directions than normal. I’ll try and sort all this out on paper (or LCD screen) as best I can and still try and keep you interested.
The music.
This is where my soul is happy. Not happiest, because that spot is reserved for my family. Whether being created by my hands or being soaked by my ears, music hits me in a way that I have a hard time describing. It really is its own reward, and a few stolen moments on a guitar can turn a day into magic like (cue finger snap) *that. But you know this about me. I’m always working on somethingmusical, so as my social media posts don’t track my every move, assume that almost daily I am at my desk writing, tracking, or collaborating. It’s what we do.
My love for music started early, then has hit many places in my life where it has taken turns for the better. A violin was in my hands at age 8, a bass at 13, then getting my ass handed to me at jazz lab in college, meeting my future band mates at college. The milestones keep piling up. They get bigger and better as the days pass pushing me to get better and be better. Maybe one day I’ll keep driving on, and then just fall off that tall cliff, landing in a soft bed of a hammock in the Caribbean. That’s the goal at least.
Let’s back up. A band. That’s the magic. It’s a gang, a brotherhood, a bunch of feels like no other when you partner with other players to make music and ease that childhood fantasy into reality. You laugh a lot, cry a lot, sometimes bleed, sometimes sleep, and take care of each other when things get low. Whether a weekend hobby or a life of musical service, being in a band gives one the feeling of being limitless.
My old band, King Konga, made some waves back in the day, and now we are almost two decades past the band’s heyday. The band stays in touch and we relive the glory days via lengthy text threads. Our singer Dan has been battling cancer for a couple of years, and recently he had a procedure to remove most of his vocal chords, and the finality of the band set in. We all realized that we can’t make any new music as a vocal band, and deeper than that selfish notion, our brother has to relearn how to eat and swallow and whisper. And then there’s the medical bills. It seems like it doesn’t stop.
There’s a beautiful light in this world when people rally together for a common cause. Dan’s cause is real, and he has touched so many people, it was easy to get a small army together to help. The ‘main event’ was a concert held in a great venue outside of Atlanta, and we (the old band and others surrounding the band) came together and played a short 7-song set of some of the band favorites. The way it came together was amazing, and right before we went on, we all hugged and smiled. It had been 10 years since we were all in the same room together.
Surreal. Dreamlike. So many tears were shed from our boys and others that night, and we all laughed so much backstage, as we always did. We asked Dan if he were up for playing the whole set with us. He was down. It wasn’t supposed to happen, and I am so glad it did. We raised some money, were able to play with the boys again, and it made us all feel really, really good.
Now I have to ask the ‘why’s’. Why did we feel good in the middle of this bad turn? Well, because we all rallied around the good. That can move a mountain. Why were we so happy as a band? Because Tony fooled us all and showed up unannounced. That made us complete. Why did we wait until cancer hit to make this happen?
Ouch.
Here is why some of you don’t want to read this. (Don’t worry I am guilty as sin as well…) Weddings, funerals, and benefits. That’s when we get together. Seriously. We bust a gut to get somewhere for a funeral. Why? Of course we pay respect, but why not work that hard to see someone while they are here? It’s sad that we can’t just tell our bosses ‘Hey, I need a day off to see a friend’. ‘HUH? BACK TO WORK!’ ‘Umm, my Aunt passed…’ ‘Oh, take as much time as you need…’ I don’t have a good answer. I really don’t.
So let’s fix that. I don’t know how. I leave it up to you to offer suggestions. Maybe a yearly hang at some group of cabins? I dunno. Let’s figure it out.
I say all this because water continues to flow over the rocks to the ocean, and one day we will be gone, but the water will still flow. Maybe someone in your life needs a phone call? As in, stop reading this and be the bigger person and call? Careful – I’m not talking about ex-lovers that are supposed to stay in your past. No no – the people that you haven’t talked to because of disagreement. The petty stuff is just that. Don’t let it go to the grave.
In happier news, the feelings of love surrounding Dan’s event has been inspiring. The lifelong support of some people for our music has made me appreciate more of what we have and more of what we can do. Now it’s time to walk the walk. Typing is one thing, action speaks much louder. Let’s join hands and sing…no no…but maybe a ‘Hi’ text to someone? Baby steps lead to giant steps.
I don’t really need to remind you how much time we waste. There’s a whole world out there waiting for you, so go out and have fun today. And if there’s something you need to do, get on it. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.
See you on the road!
