Groove

Friday night I went to a Chuck's Junk show. The guys played really tight all night long. Joe's playing was just right there in the pocket.

When you're a musician, you see other great players and either get inspired or discouraged. I'm sure it's the same with athletes or painters or whatever. Most musicians hear phenomenal players - guys with chops beyond belief - and leave with that senes of awe and a renewed desire to better themselves. I'm no different.

Hearing playing like that, not always the most technically difficult, but just so right... that's a hundred times more inspiration to me. There was a moment in the show when I was just diggin' the music more intensely than usual and when I looked up, the whole band was visibly diggin' into it, too.

Making great music, creating those grooves, that's where I want to be musically.

The Music Network

Tonight I received an email from the Music Director of the church I play at occassionally. He asked if I could join the praise band this week. I didn't give him my email address, have never emailed him, and I'm pretty sure he never really knew what my name was until this past February, the first time I played in praise band for him - which I was asked to do as I was leaving rehersal that week. (I started playing holiday shows there Christmas of 1995 - but there are a lot of changing musicians every month).

I'm sure the orchestra director passed along my email address to him. I'm happy that after only 2 live performances there on bass they are that confident in my playing that they feel I can show up Sunday morning an hour before service and pull off 2 or 3 songs.

Some of the other members of the orchestra and/or praise band at the church are involved in other community music groups. Talking to them and playing with them is not only fun, it's a good exercise in networking.