Yesterday when I started writing the Irish song, I was facing the first hit of loneliness, 'what am I doing here' angst. It wasn't a bad thing, just a real thing, and I decided to see if I could create my way out of it... So I strolled over to the internet place, stared at a blank screen for a moment, then remembered the little Irish musical ditty I had messed around with on the guitar the night before... Simple three chord thing, but with that lilting 6/8 rhythm that I love (and don't use enough). So with that in mind, I put some words down and came up with something that wasn't bad, something that could work. And when I went back to the guitar and tried it out, yeah, that's pretty good for a first crack. And voila, loneliness gone, on to the next thing.
And the next thing happened to be showing up at CU Corner with my guitar, ready to make something happen. There were just a few regulars present when I started, but little by little folks started drifting in and I stayed at the mic. Ended up playing for a couple of hours, through several incarnations, some with Mad Mike on harmonica and self-aggrandizing harmony vocals... Some with David Ball's family in the house... his mom was singing some stellar Andrews Sisters type harmony... that was really fun. Played for some drunks who wandered in, just kept it rolling and got a ton of positive feedback. Thaew even dropped a little cash on me as a way of saying thank you. It's all on the sly, of course, a 'handshake' with a few bills hidden inside. It felt nice. Mostly what's nice is just being there, using my skills to connect with the people, give them a good time, make musical fun. (like I've been doing for decades and then some) It's pretty much 'what I do'
And I think I get to do a little more of it this evening, thanks to a chance encounter this morning. I had my guitar with me, for whatever reason... Just felt like keeping it going, maybe working on the Irish thing, maybe playing for a coffee at Noi's shop. This black British guy pulls up and stops as I'm walking down Soi 1. 'Excuse me, I notice the guitar, can I ask what kind of music you play?' 'Good music', I replied. And then I said something about swing, originals, fun stuff. Turns out he owns a little bar on Soi 2 and was looking for a musician to help celebrate the birthday of one of his clients. When he told me the guy was a 63 year old Aussie, I said, yes I can do that. So in 15 minutes I'll head over there and see what I can come up with. He's gonna pay me something, not sure what, and I'll have the chance to 'do what I do'. It's so cool the way it is just kinda happening without a lot of effort on my part. It's as if it is just in the cards. Show up, be open, have a guitar at hand and off we go. It's like 'country fair magic' in Chiang Mai.
Today I skipped yoga, cuz I felt like it... had a great skype with Julie (who I adore), and then walked cross town for that cuppa coffee with Noi. Nice to see the gang over there, some of my Thai connections, then I walked to the one park within the old city of Chiang Mai, rented one of those woven mats and did my yoga and stretches in the sun. Fantastic, worked on my tan, chatted with a couple Brits who I knew, then back to the guest house for a nap. Dinner was that $1 bowl of noodle soup with wontons and roast pork, and I'm ready to make some music. And off we go....
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