Rain and Light
What is this crazy thing that is happening? What is that dark cloud outside? What is that stuff falling from the sky? Rain! Rain! I tell ya! We may have lassoed it and brought it back from New Mexico. We may have summoned the gods in the Sangra De Christo mountains and begged them to follow us home. (they must have followed the van with the Mystiqueros or Walt in the Mazda..I lucked out and flew home) One benefit of being the sole (not soul) chick singer in the band.
It has been 100 consistently here in Austin for about 2 months it seems. I like the heat. I'll take heat over cold any day...but holyhell..it needs to rain about 40 days and 40 nights, just to lightly moisten our lawn. (I hate that word..but thought it would be the best for descriptive purposes)
We also brought back some great energy from the Southwest. The gigs were exciting and life affirming.
First night, Walt played with Kevin Welch in the Americana Festival at The Sheridan Theatre in Telluride, CO. A Beautiful old opera house, built in the 1920's. The crowd was lovely. They gathered to listen and be moved. It was a sweet show..a but more mellow than usual (thin air perhaps?) but still meaningful just the same. We were treated like royalty by Steve Stagner, the host of the festival, and his beautiful family and friends.
Next day we drove to Taos, NM to meet The Mystiqueros for a gig at The Old Blinking Light. This venue is just how one would imagine a place to be in Northern New Mexico. Adobe, Colourful and full of character. It has a bar, a restaurant, several patios and get this..a wine shop right in the middle of it all. It's like Disneyland. Well for me at least.
The special mysiti-guest on this adventure was Jimmy Davis, from Memphis TN. Jimmy and I got to stand next to each other and share a mic. His voice is so powerful, that I could not hear myself in the monitor. He is as big as they come..in spirit, talent and kindness. Positive energy flows though this guy..and we got to swim in it for 3 great nights.
I waited tables for 18 years. Sure, I could have used my degree to do something else. I chose restaurants because they worked around my singing habit. I loved the jobs most of the time..but there were days..that I will never forget..that when I sing, I am grateful for every note that reminds me that I am not serving a baked potato at that moment. When The Mystiqueros and Jimmy Davis were standing next to me, singing and playing, I was reminded that I was the luckiest human alive...and I was not bartending ..or serving..or cleaning up..or bussing..or taking an order..or counting my bank..or doing side work..or sweeping my station..or greeting people..or seating people..or waiting for an order that was backed up to come up so I could take it out to the table to be yelled at for the late, cold meal..or listening to the story of some lost soul at the bar..or bitter, bitter that I was waiting on a person who was less talented and less grateful than any of my friends..being wined and dined for a record deal by some record guy. No, I was singing. Singing with a great group. A part of the tribe that I have forever dreamed of being a part of. I am a musician. A traveling musician. At this moment. People are slow to listen. Who are these hippies from Texas and Tennessee? Why should I look up from my beautiful chili relleno and pay attention? Because you can not deny it. You must look. You must turn your head and listen to Jimmy singing "Lonely" or Walt singing "Poetry" or Bill singing "Diamonds" or Johnny singing "Red River Blues" or Ray playing djembe and smiling. You can't help it..you have to stop what conversation you are having and you have to turn your head and take in the aliveness of the guys in the front of the room.
I saw it happen. The people started putting down their forks and started elbowing each other and saying .."Hey, they are good."
It happened in Red River the next night. It happened in Santa Fe the day after that. People were listening. It was full of light, love and gypsy dancing. And I was a part of it all.
Mike drove the van and set up sound. He sat among the people and conducted the swirling beauty of the elements around us. The rain clouds, the mild winds, the personalities, the tiredness, the hunger of wanting to be loved (hell..we are all artists). It was a great celebration of what can work when we do what we love, gather together for a common good and believe that all will be right with the world. If only for a moment in time.
Our Southwest trip was a great success. We all came home with about enough money to buy a good meal for the family. That didn't matter. What did matter was that we were invited back. Perhaps we will come home with enough money next time to pay rent...I don't know...but we will go back. Perhaps you will come with us. Where 2 or more are gathered....Where two or three or more have gathered together in My name, I am there among them. Yeah..we felt it.
www.mystiquero.com
www.jimmydavis.com
come join us for a trip across West Texas in September~
It has been 100 consistently here in Austin for about 2 months it seems. I like the heat. I'll take heat over cold any day...but holyhell..it needs to rain about 40 days and 40 nights, just to lightly moisten our lawn. (I hate that word..but thought it would be the best for descriptive purposes)
We also brought back some great energy from the Southwest. The gigs were exciting and life affirming.
First night, Walt played with Kevin Welch in the Americana Festival at The Sheridan Theatre in Telluride, CO. A Beautiful old opera house, built in the 1920's. The crowd was lovely. They gathered to listen and be moved. It was a sweet show..a but more mellow than usual (thin air perhaps?) but still meaningful just the same. We were treated like royalty by Steve Stagner, the host of the festival, and his beautiful family and friends.
Next day we drove to Taos, NM to meet The Mystiqueros for a gig at The Old Blinking Light. This venue is just how one would imagine a place to be in Northern New Mexico. Adobe, Colourful and full of character. It has a bar, a restaurant, several patios and get this..a wine shop right in the middle of it all. It's like Disneyland. Well for me at least.
The special mysiti-guest on this adventure was Jimmy Davis, from Memphis TN. Jimmy and I got to stand next to each other and share a mic. His voice is so powerful, that I could not hear myself in the monitor. He is as big as they come..in spirit, talent and kindness. Positive energy flows though this guy..and we got to swim in it for 3 great nights.
I waited tables for 18 years. Sure, I could have used my degree to do something else. I chose restaurants because they worked around my singing habit. I loved the jobs most of the time..but there were days..that I will never forget..that when I sing, I am grateful for every note that reminds me that I am not serving a baked potato at that moment. When The Mystiqueros and Jimmy Davis were standing next to me, singing and playing, I was reminded that I was the luckiest human alive...and I was not bartending ..or serving..or cleaning up..or bussing..or taking an order..or counting my bank..or doing side work..or sweeping my station..or greeting people..or seating people..or waiting for an order that was backed up to come up so I could take it out to the table to be yelled at for the late, cold meal..or listening to the story of some lost soul at the bar..or bitter, bitter that I was waiting on a person who was less talented and less grateful than any of my friends..being wined and dined for a record deal by some record guy. No, I was singing. Singing with a great group. A part of the tribe that I have forever dreamed of being a part of. I am a musician. A traveling musician. At this moment. People are slow to listen. Who are these hippies from Texas and Tennessee? Why should I look up from my beautiful chili relleno and pay attention? Because you can not deny it. You must look. You must turn your head and listen to Jimmy singing "Lonely" or Walt singing "Poetry" or Bill singing "Diamonds" or Johnny singing "Red River Blues" or Ray playing djembe and smiling. You can't help it..you have to stop what conversation you are having and you have to turn your head and take in the aliveness of the guys in the front of the room.
I saw it happen. The people started putting down their forks and started elbowing each other and saying .."Hey, they are good."
It happened in Red River the next night. It happened in Santa Fe the day after that. People were listening. It was full of light, love and gypsy dancing. And I was a part of it all.
Mike drove the van and set up sound. He sat among the people and conducted the swirling beauty of the elements around us. The rain clouds, the mild winds, the personalities, the tiredness, the hunger of wanting to be loved (hell..we are all artists). It was a great celebration of what can work when we do what we love, gather together for a common good and believe that all will be right with the world. If only for a moment in time.
Our Southwest trip was a great success. We all came home with about enough money to buy a good meal for the family. That didn't matter. What did matter was that we were invited back. Perhaps we will come home with enough money next time to pay rent...I don't know...but we will go back. Perhaps you will come with us. Where 2 or more are gathered....Where two or three or more have gathered together in My name, I am there among them. Yeah..we felt it.
www.mystiquero.com
www.jimmydavis.com
come join us for a trip across West Texas in September~
Wow!! You made me feel like I was on the trip with ya'll!!
ReplyDeleteKarin and I saw Walt and John in Tomball last night...Great show, as always!
Ryan proposed to me at a waterfall in Taos Ski Valley. We'll go back with you anyday! -Dayna
ReplyDeleteI never understood how people could go to a concert & talk the whole time, only half paying attention to the music! Even if it is during a dinner, I'm still totally tuned into the music! But you know me, I'm the "front-row girl" :p I hate to be anywhere else. Granted, part of my reasoning for that is because I couldn't see a thing. But there's just something so magical about the front row. It feels so much more intimate! You not only get the music, you get to see the expressions on the faces of the musicians, you get to see the "Damn, that was an awesome solo" face, the "Oh crap, I totally botched that lick" face, and if you're lucky enough (and you're a good enough lipreader), you get in on a few inside jokes as well :)
ReplyDeleteNow if only I could convince someone to pay me to be a front-row girl :p