Yup, that sucked last night, but there was a bright spot nonetheless. The sucky part was the fact that I was totally pumped to make music last night... follow up the Christmas Eve fun with even more. Oh yes, the dreaded 'expectations' got me again. I was all ready, had thought it through, but it wasn't to be. These three fine musicians have been rehearsing and they have come up with an insular band that isn't really looking to do anything except hog the stage and make their music. Last night, one of them, Pavel wasn't available so I filled in and got to do the thing I do... involve the audience, help orchestrate the show. This time, no way. They were doing their thing, and even though there were a bunch of players who wanted to contribute, they just kept playing and playing as if no one else mattered. Bang... I got out of there with a bit of a bad vibe.
And I had a dream that I went to talk to them about it, give some feedback about how they hogged the show and didn't give anyone else a chance. And my feedback was met with total rejection, I was totally wrong, totally dismissed, it was so real. I was kind of amazed that they couldn't even begin to see what I was talking about, but it was such a strong slap down that I received. I ended up skulking out of the bar, feeling totally misunderstood and victimized. And when I woke up in bed and realized that it was just a dream, that I hadn't called them on it, it was such a relief.
It's all about ego. I was so bummed that I didn't get to do my thing, and I couldn't really enjoy what was happening... a room full of nice people having a Christmas party. Nope, it was all about me not getting what I wanted and that totally colored, even destroyed the experience. I mean there is some legitimacy to what I was feeling... I know there were other players there who wanted to contribute as well, but the strong feeling I got was that I was being mistreated... or rather my ego was being mistreated. And I guess I'm not at the evolutionary point where I can just let it ride and dig what is. But at least I didn't compound it by calling them on it... The dream says... 'Don't do that'. (much as I fucking want to...) So instead of it being a big fuckin' deal, I guess it's just a case of 'well that sucked'. Let's move on. Yes let's.
Have a Namaste Christmas
I'm glad yoga class happened this morning, wasn't sure since the teacher is from Holland and maybe he wanted to take a day off for Christmas, but there he was, with a full house (10 or so is all that can fit in the studio). Great class, and much needed after not enough sleep (again) and some moderate alcohol consumption last night. And why was I drinking, Mr Healthier than Thou.... because I was having a freaking great time playing late night at the CU Corner.
The timing was perfect, I went to Noi's 60th birthday party, had a great meal of ham and pineapple, fried rice, scalloped potatoes, caesar salad, hung out with the folks, played a few songs after dinner for a couple of small groups... fun stuff. The best thing I did at that party was to wrangle everybody together for 5 minutes so that we could focus on Noi, say some words, light the candles and have a 'moment'. The party was outside, her house is on the site of the reastaurant, and it was busy out there with a full house of customers. We could hear a lot of background noise including the sounds from the guy playing music. And we just hadn't gathered. So I took it upon myself to encourage (OK insist) that we adjourn to the inside of the house for a little focus. A couple of folks said 'let's just do it here', but no, that wasn't the spot... too noisy, so I did that thing I do. Take over and push the envelope a bit. It was the right thing to do. A few people spoke, we sang happy birthday.. .had 'the moment'. I don't mind the resistance... it's my job (self appointed)
I got to CU around 10:45 just as Pavel was called to another gig. He's the guy who usually fronts the ensemble, sings and plays great, but when he was called away, Daniel saw me and asked if I would play. Absolutely! and what a great group, Daniel playing his gypsy jazz (with charts so I could accompany), Cristofe on bass, like Daniel, and Frenchman, and an American dude, Drew on bongos and percussion. I sang and played rhythm guitar (with a few leads too). A perfect scene, the music was cooking, I pulled out some of my tunes that these jazz cats could follow and the audience was way into it. Lots of applause, some hollering and merriment. A Ukranian dude was pouring shots of his special Ukranian whiskey that he brought for the occasion and Thaew bought me a Sangsom (rum) and soda, so I was buzzing pretty good, and jamming hard. And we were dynamic, leaving room for each other, getting quiet, getting loud, having a total blast. Thaew had us quit at 12:30 to keep the neighbors from complaining, but tonight is Christmas and anything goes. We're gonna rip it up. First a barbecue which she invited me to, then music all night. among friends and fans, what is better?
As I was lying in bed last night I started thinking about all the stuff we could play that doesn't need rehearsal, and came up with plenty. Feliz Navidad should be fun, also this naughty one I wrote to the Alice's Restaurant progression... it's called 'Who grabbed your ass?'. Also this one called 'American Song' which is written to the Shine on Harvest Moon progression. That's the thing about jazz guys, it the music runs along a familiar pattern, they can just step in after hearing it once, and off we go. This 'American Song' is actually about that very thing. Here's the lyric... can't wait to share it tonight
D7 G7
There's a kind of music that everybody knows
C7 F
Can't say where it started but I sure know where it goes
D7 G7
Right around a circle, come on and get aboard
Bb Bdim F D7 G7 C7 F
Like a freight train line to a simpler time you'll find an American song
Beethoven used this harmony, ain't nothing new under the sun
V1 chord goes to the 11chord, V goes to the 1
And if you play it ragtime all your friends can swing along
That's what I do anytime I'm blue I play an American song
Up a lazy river with Sweet Georgia Brown
Shine on harvest moon, lighting up the whole darn town
Paul McCartney took a crack at it when he wrote Rocky Raccoon
Not bad, Paul, but still and all it's just an American tune
The timing was perfect, I went to Noi's 60th birthday party, had a great meal of ham and pineapple, fried rice, scalloped potatoes, caesar salad, hung out with the folks, played a few songs after dinner for a couple of small groups... fun stuff. The best thing I did at that party was to wrangle everybody together for 5 minutes so that we could focus on Noi, say some words, light the candles and have a 'moment'. The party was outside, her house is on the site of the reastaurant, and it was busy out there with a full house of customers. We could hear a lot of background noise including the sounds from the guy playing music. And we just hadn't gathered. So I took it upon myself to encourage (OK insist) that we adjourn to the inside of the house for a little focus. A couple of folks said 'let's just do it here', but no, that wasn't the spot... too noisy, so I did that thing I do. Take over and push the envelope a bit. It was the right thing to do. A few people spoke, we sang happy birthday.. .had 'the moment'. I don't mind the resistance... it's my job (self appointed)
I got to CU around 10:45 just as Pavel was called to another gig. He's the guy who usually fronts the ensemble, sings and plays great, but when he was called away, Daniel saw me and asked if I would play. Absolutely! and what a great group, Daniel playing his gypsy jazz (with charts so I could accompany), Cristofe on bass, like Daniel, and Frenchman, and an American dude, Drew on bongos and percussion. I sang and played rhythm guitar (with a few leads too). A perfect scene, the music was cooking, I pulled out some of my tunes that these jazz cats could follow and the audience was way into it. Lots of applause, some hollering and merriment. A Ukranian dude was pouring shots of his special Ukranian whiskey that he brought for the occasion and Thaew bought me a Sangsom (rum) and soda, so I was buzzing pretty good, and jamming hard. And we were dynamic, leaving room for each other, getting quiet, getting loud, having a total blast. Thaew had us quit at 12:30 to keep the neighbors from complaining, but tonight is Christmas and anything goes. We're gonna rip it up. First a barbecue which she invited me to, then music all night. among friends and fans, what is better?
As I was lying in bed last night I started thinking about all the stuff we could play that doesn't need rehearsal, and came up with plenty. Feliz Navidad should be fun, also this naughty one I wrote to the Alice's Restaurant progression... it's called 'Who grabbed your ass?'. Also this one called 'American Song' which is written to the Shine on Harvest Moon progression. That's the thing about jazz guys, it the music runs along a familiar pattern, they can just step in after hearing it once, and off we go. This 'American Song' is actually about that very thing. Here's the lyric... can't wait to share it tonight
D7 G7
There's a kind of music that everybody knows
C7 F
Can't say where it started but I sure know where it goes
D7 G7
Right around a circle, come on and get aboard
Bb Bdim F D7 G7 C7 F
Like a freight train line to a simpler time you'll find an American song
Beethoven used this harmony, ain't nothing new under the sun
V1 chord goes to the 11chord, V goes to the 1
And if you play it ragtime all your friends can swing along
That's what I do anytime I'm blue I play an American song
Up a lazy river with Sweet Georgia Brown
Shine on harvest moon, lighting up the whole darn town
Paul McCartney took a crack at it when he wrote Rocky Raccoon
Not bad, Paul, but still and all it's just an American tune
Meetings with interesting people...
Well
wasn't I a jerk today... I was at the dentist and the new crown just
back from the lab didn't quite fit, there was a little gap, so it needed
to be recalibrated. The dentist is a perfectionist... I get the
feeling that a different dentist might have said, 'It's good enough',
but this woman was looking into the future and she wanted it to be
perfect. But this entailed some picking and poking
and remeasuring and even though she had offered an injection, I said,
no it's OK. (I didn't need one for the other tooth, right?). But it
was taking a long time and at one point the pain kept building and
building and I made a noise, threw up my hands, she pulled back and I
sat up and cursed a little, expressed some anger and frustration, not
at her of course, but how was she to know that. I sat back, looked at
her, said I was sorry and she started to cry, had to leave the room for a
minute or two. I felt like such a moron, ugly american child. When
she came back, I apologized profusely as did she. But more importantly,
I think that I got to the end of the period where I'll allow myself to
let off steam like that. It's too self indulgent, and I've had enough
of it. Lesson learned... let's not have to learn it again. We left on
fine terms, but I'm chagrined.
In other news, I played 2 and 1/2 hours without a break at the restaurant last night, I love it so much. The most interesting encounter was with a table in front of me, where I overheard something about winning a race. Since there was a marathon in town this past weekend, I asked if that's what they were talking about, and sure enough, one of the women had won the half marathon. Her name is Brooke Wells, she used to run for Cal in the early 2000s, then switched to the marathon and is right up there as an Olympic Trials qualifier. Hey, i'm a track groupie, so it was interesting to talk with her. And naturally I had to sing my song, 'Track Town USA' for her party. And I also embarrassed her by announcing into the mic that we have the half marathon winner here, Brooke Wells from the USA. Meetings with semi famous people...
Tweaked my shoulder a bit between the yoga class and the working out in the swimming pool... gonna skip a day and relax. Not a bad idea since I hardly slept last night, got just a few hours for some reason... so maybe just give myself a day to chill out, get a massage and not accomplish anything. (but I do want to work on some music, so I will). And this evening there is a birthday party for Noi, who owns Dash Restaurant and I think I'm invited to play for the party. I'm gonna offer to play for free and happily so, I owe her. (and of course if she insists on paying me, I'll refuse.. (once). Ah yes the subtleties. Sure there is a part of me that wants to keep getting paid. In the past week I have actually earned all of my keep on the road. That's quite a good feeling to be here without having to go to the bank and extract money. Some kind of accomplishment. (and Dash is the reason why this is so, by and large).
And in the category of 'interesting people', I'm pretty intrigued with this 42 year old guitarist named Pavel. For one, he's a great player, plays a stratocaster, can rock, can swing great soloist, is funny at the microphone etc, but what's interesting is his history, which I know only the outline of. Born in Chile in 1972, parents were communists, and on the wrong side of history, as the Allende regime was overthrown by the CIA backed Pinochet thugs in 1973, and the communists were the ones who got 'disappeared'. There was something about them hiding out in the French Embassy and eventually making their way to Moscow. Pavel grew up in Sweden after that, so here's this Chileno musician with a Russian name who speaks Spanish, Swedish and English. And he's nice. He's been jamming with a dour French bassist, Cristof, who is apparently leaving town soon, and I think I might want to make some music with him when he's freed up. He would kill on my tunes. We've played some already, and it's a good fit.
OK, I hung out writing long enough to definitely miss the yoga class... yay, feels like the right choice. Back to the dentist at 2:30 and yes, I'll take the injection thank you, and I apologize again for my immaturity. And on we go...
In other news, I played 2 and 1/2 hours without a break at the restaurant last night, I love it so much. The most interesting encounter was with a table in front of me, where I overheard something about winning a race. Since there was a marathon in town this past weekend, I asked if that's what they were talking about, and sure enough, one of the women had won the half marathon. Her name is Brooke Wells, she used to run for Cal in the early 2000s, then switched to the marathon and is right up there as an Olympic Trials qualifier. Hey, i'm a track groupie, so it was interesting to talk with her. And naturally I had to sing my song, 'Track Town USA' for her party. And I also embarrassed her by announcing into the mic that we have the half marathon winner here, Brooke Wells from the USA. Meetings with semi famous people...
Tweaked my shoulder a bit between the yoga class and the working out in the swimming pool... gonna skip a day and relax. Not a bad idea since I hardly slept last night, got just a few hours for some reason... so maybe just give myself a day to chill out, get a massage and not accomplish anything. (but I do want to work on some music, so I will). And this evening there is a birthday party for Noi, who owns Dash Restaurant and I think I'm invited to play for the party. I'm gonna offer to play for free and happily so, I owe her. (and of course if she insists on paying me, I'll refuse.. (once). Ah yes the subtleties. Sure there is a part of me that wants to keep getting paid. In the past week I have actually earned all of my keep on the road. That's quite a good feeling to be here without having to go to the bank and extract money. Some kind of accomplishment. (and Dash is the reason why this is so, by and large).
And in the category of 'interesting people', I'm pretty intrigued with this 42 year old guitarist named Pavel. For one, he's a great player, plays a stratocaster, can rock, can swing great soloist, is funny at the microphone etc, but what's interesting is his history, which I know only the outline of. Born in Chile in 1972, parents were communists, and on the wrong side of history, as the Allende regime was overthrown by the CIA backed Pinochet thugs in 1973, and the communists were the ones who got 'disappeared'. There was something about them hiding out in the French Embassy and eventually making their way to Moscow. Pavel grew up in Sweden after that, so here's this Chileno musician with a Russian name who speaks Spanish, Swedish and English. And he's nice. He's been jamming with a dour French bassist, Cristof, who is apparently leaving town soon, and I think I might want to make some music with him when he's freed up. He would kill on my tunes. We've played some already, and it's a good fit.
OK, I hung out writing long enough to definitely miss the yoga class... yay, feels like the right choice. Back to the dentist at 2:30 and yes, I'll take the injection thank you, and I apologize again for my immaturity. And on we go...
I play therefore I am?
It's kinda starting to feel that way, 'I play therefore I am'. It feels like making music is my truest self, and why wouldn't it be? It encompasses pretty much everything I've learned in my sixty spins around the sun. There's the craft of it... how many thousands of hours strumming a guitar, playing piano, accordion, trumpet, cowbell whatever which have trained my muscles to do what needs doing. There's the breathing and the singing and the heart opening and the intention to raise the spirit... mine and my listeners. There's all those songs, all that poetry, mine and not mine that have been the poetry track of my life. There's the lessons I took from others, the lessons I taught to others, The ideas, good and bad that have shaped the repertoire, the thinking about it, the puzzling out how to make the words fit together in an appealing way, to have them mean something.
There is something in that quest that brings the divine energy into my life. Those are the exciting times, when I'm working on something and I get a tingle up my spine as if the universe is saying...'Yes, you're on the right track, keep going'. It's happened enough times that I trust it and know it to be true. It is a spirit path, and it's the one I travel. What else would I do?
And the beauty of it is that every little gig I play, every library show, senior gig, school assembly, restaurant appearance is an opportunity to use it all, share the love, make a joyful noise. It's never been about the money, though of course it's great (and necessary) to get paid. It's about 'here we are, let's love'. So these gigs I've been doing here, sitting at the mic, doing my absolute best, walking the path... it's the path of love. And people paying me to do it? Buying me drinks and food? Saying nice things? There is some kind of holiness in it all, and yes, I'm truly blessed.
Yesterday at 2pm I was having coffee with the old timers when my phone rang and Noi (from the restaurant) asked if I could play that night. There were a bunch of reservations and even though no music was scheduled, she thought it would be good if I could do my two hours. 'Yes Definitely, Thank You', so suddenly another chance to dial it up and let it flow, another 1000 baht (including the tips), another chance to connect with music and with the public, another delicious dinner and a drink and that cheesecake, oh Lord! Why am I being treated so well? It's kind of blowing me away.
So I did my set and it was another pleasure, then I strolled over to CU Corner and Thaew (owner) wants to buy me a drink because she appreciates what I've been providing there, but instead Noel buys me a drink and I listen for awhile, then accompany the Australian gent Billy as he plays a set. I sing some harmony, do my best, take a few solos, get in his groove, try to support as well as I can. All the good things... the stuff I believe in happens in the musical exchange... trying your best, following someone else, spreading the love, going for the specialness... I play therefore I am indeed.
And I've been getting a little flak from a 'friend' of mine who thinks I'm all about ego. He was telling me that someone else read my posts and commented, 'there are three on earth that are visible from space... the pyramids, the Great Wall and Glauber's ego'. I said, 'Have him delete me, by all means... and you can delete me too'. That kind of criticism is so 'family of origin' that it cuts deep. But I guess I can just consider the source... someone who is unhappy and in a bad situation... it's so easy to put people down, cast aspersions on their motives, accuse them of whatever... troll through life. Even though it stung at the moment, I really don't care at this point... I know what I'm doing...Gonna keep doing it... And those that want to judge or be offended... your choice, I wish you the best...
There is something in that quest that brings the divine energy into my life. Those are the exciting times, when I'm working on something and I get a tingle up my spine as if the universe is saying...'Yes, you're on the right track, keep going'. It's happened enough times that I trust it and know it to be true. It is a spirit path, and it's the one I travel. What else would I do?
And the beauty of it is that every little gig I play, every library show, senior gig, school assembly, restaurant appearance is an opportunity to use it all, share the love, make a joyful noise. It's never been about the money, though of course it's great (and necessary) to get paid. It's about 'here we are, let's love'. So these gigs I've been doing here, sitting at the mic, doing my absolute best, walking the path... it's the path of love. And people paying me to do it? Buying me drinks and food? Saying nice things? There is some kind of holiness in it all, and yes, I'm truly blessed.
Yesterday at 2pm I was having coffee with the old timers when my phone rang and Noi (from the restaurant) asked if I could play that night. There were a bunch of reservations and even though no music was scheduled, she thought it would be good if I could do my two hours. 'Yes Definitely, Thank You', so suddenly another chance to dial it up and let it flow, another 1000 baht (including the tips), another chance to connect with music and with the public, another delicious dinner and a drink and that cheesecake, oh Lord! Why am I being treated so well? It's kind of blowing me away.
So I did my set and it was another pleasure, then I strolled over to CU Corner and Thaew (owner) wants to buy me a drink because she appreciates what I've been providing there, but instead Noel buys me a drink and I listen for awhile, then accompany the Australian gent Billy as he plays a set. I sing some harmony, do my best, take a few solos, get in his groove, try to support as well as I can. All the good things... the stuff I believe in happens in the musical exchange... trying your best, following someone else, spreading the love, going for the specialness... I play therefore I am indeed.
And I've been getting a little flak from a 'friend' of mine who thinks I'm all about ego. He was telling me that someone else read my posts and commented, 'there are three on earth that are visible from space... the pyramids, the Great Wall and Glauber's ego'. I said, 'Have him delete me, by all means... and you can delete me too'. That kind of criticism is so 'family of origin' that it cuts deep. But I guess I can just consider the source... someone who is unhappy and in a bad situation... it's so easy to put people down, cast aspersions on their motives, accuse them of whatever... troll through life. Even though it stung at the moment, I really don't care at this point... I know what I'm doing...Gonna keep doing it... And those that want to judge or be offended... your choice, I wish you the best...
The creativity cure
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....
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....
Homage to Jelly (first draft)
Of all the many characters
Whose lives we intertwine
The butcher and the baker
The gal who paints the sign
The chimney sweep the chambermaid
The man who lays the tile
Sure none can hold a candle
To the one who brings a smile
Down at the tavern
There's laughter and a shout
Voices raised in merriment
The joy is all about
And at the very heart of it
With unmistakeable style
Oh the stories and the singing
Of the one who brings a smile
There's music everywhere he goes
In the city and the town
A penny whistle calls the tune
Of the man from County Down
Some say he's just a gad about
Innocent as a child
But sure we need the offering
Of the one who brings a smile
Whose lives we intertwine
The butcher and the baker
The gal who paints the sign
The chimney sweep the chambermaid
The man who lays the tile
Sure none can hold a candle
To the one who brings a smile
Down at the tavern
There's laughter and a shout
Voices raised in merriment
The joy is all about
And at the very heart of it
With unmistakeable style
Oh the stories and the singing
Of the one who brings a smile
There's music everywhere he goes
In the city and the town
A penny whistle calls the tune
Of the man from County Down
Some say he's just a gad about
Innocent as a child
But sure we need the offering
Of the one who brings a smile
Music and more music
Let's see, maybe I can invent some difficulties so this writing has a little more grit, but sadly (happily) it's just smooth sailing as I approach the end of my third week in Chiang Mai. I had a fantastic night making music yesterday, a two hour gig at Dash Restaurant that everyone seemed to enjoy, especially the owner, which after all is the main person who needs to be pleased. And the fact that I got $12 in tips on top of the $23 in wages makes it a thousand baht night, which is just great. And there's the free food and the camaraderie and the booze if I want it (I don't). But I think the best part is playing for two hours straight, getting my voice really loosened up, working on some musical things, just getting that experience of being a singer and entertainer who gets to do the music I do, and gets to burnish it, try new things, be in the moment etc. It's a nice little PA over there and I sound good. Happy.
And then I walked round the corner to play bass for my friend Apple at CU Corner. Another 90 minutes of friendship, music, camaraderie, respect... it's almost too good to be true. Apple is Thai, a few years younger than me, has some kind of a disability that makes his legs short and crooked so when he leaves and goes to get on his scooter, it's not easy for him to traverse the uneven ground. You wouldn't know it watching him perform, he's got a perpetual smile, he's generous with people wanting to jam along, leaves space, encourages folks, and he sings a plays great. Apple has notebooks filled with English language songs that he has transcribed in the Thai alphabet. He speaks very little English but plays a thousand songs. He transcribed his main book twenty years ago and it's quite a document... not that I can read one letter of it... but he can. And as I've mentioned in the past... even though we don't communicate except in the most rudimentary conversation, we know each other well. Total musical affinity, many laughs and smiles along the way, lots of harmony too as I get to work on my harmony skills when we play together.
Went home around midnight, got a decent night's sleep, up at 7 for a cappuccino then a yoga class. Definitely enjoying the daily (almost) practice, I'm feeling pretty grounded and strong. The only thing missing is that I haven't created but one new song. Maybe today is a day to dig in and see if I can find one... Sounds like a plan.
And then I walked round the corner to play bass for my friend Apple at CU Corner. Another 90 minutes of friendship, music, camaraderie, respect... it's almost too good to be true. Apple is Thai, a few years younger than me, has some kind of a disability that makes his legs short and crooked so when he leaves and goes to get on his scooter, it's not easy for him to traverse the uneven ground. You wouldn't know it watching him perform, he's got a perpetual smile, he's generous with people wanting to jam along, leaves space, encourages folks, and he sings a plays great. Apple has notebooks filled with English language songs that he has transcribed in the Thai alphabet. He speaks very little English but plays a thousand songs. He transcribed his main book twenty years ago and it's quite a document... not that I can read one letter of it... but he can. And as I've mentioned in the past... even though we don't communicate except in the most rudimentary conversation, we know each other well. Total musical affinity, many laughs and smiles along the way, lots of harmony too as I get to work on my harmony skills when we play together.
Went home around midnight, got a decent night's sleep, up at 7 for a cappuccino then a yoga class. Definitely enjoying the daily (almost) practice, I'm feeling pretty grounded and strong. The only thing missing is that I haven't created but one new song. Maybe today is a day to dig in and see if I can find one... Sounds like a plan.
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