Sunday, September 25, 2005
Gig Journal
On Saturday 24 September,we played at what is perhaps our favorite of favorite places, the Metropolitan in Hutchinson, Kansas. Not to take away anything from the many great venues and people who open their doors and ears to us, but at the Metro there is a something. We began playing there about the time lovely Gretchen opened to the public, and both followings have grown together. The band is always very well recieved there, especially by a cadre of loyal fans, who are also good friends. As a measure of their appreciation and friendship, some of the Hutch people followed us to Colorado this summer, in addition to other gigs closer to home. That's something.
There were many new faces there as well, including a large contingent of first-year college students. Again, not to take anything away from our more mature fans and friends, but I think that any musical legitimacy we have comes from the younger generation. They are, of course, the final arbiters of cool. Among the youth was a drummer from the college, who introduced himself as I finished my set up. He took off before we finished the night, so I didn't get his ruling.
Without question, the Most Devoted Audience Member of the Night Award goes to the beautiful and exceedingly pregnant Angie (she's of that cadre, whom we call Number One Fans). Despite being under doctor's orders for bed rest, she was there for the whole gig. It really is gratifying and even touching that someone would be so dedicated to our little cause, but this was a bit above and beyond. In any case, we reserved a large couch for her, upon which she reclined in a most languid fashion. Much is made of the Mozart effect; could there be a 5 Man Trio effect? And if so, is it treatable?
Afterwards, Gary said it was perhaps our best performance at the Metro, and Dave commented to me that he felt particularly in the groove these last two gigs. More thoughts on "the flow:" While I did not have the altered state experience, I was certainly very limber and relaxed, and took some big rhythmic chances that really paid off. What external factors play into "the groove?" It is the relaxed, "home" feeling of the place? During load-in and set up, we were joking and conversing with familiar friends and new audience members. They were certainly convivial and expectant, and that must surely influence us. As I've said before, if the audience is into the experience, that elevates my playing all the more. The Metro audience is definitly into us (see above). Don't know...perhaps this is too ephemeral a thing to quantify or qualify. Or perhaps there is a book in it!
Conversely, but not in contradiction, I blew the form twice that night, each time in a big way. And on one occasion, I felt it more natural to reverse my usual "handing" (like sticking, but referring to the use of hand-held perc), for no reason clear at the time, or now as I write about it. I say conversely, in that you would think such major mistakes would undo a good performance. I say not in contradition, because it just isn't the case. Indeed, the contradiction is that often the "mistakes" are the most genuine, or most inspired, certainly most musical moments in performance. Certainly I am not the first to comment on this, but it seems clear to me that too often those who seek a rigid "note-perfect" performance, and use rigid methods to obtain such a thing, do nothing that can be remotely called musical.
Years ago, in my very first "real" band, playing my very first "real" gigs, the leader of that group told me something that has guided me since. Holding up a page of manuscript, he said "This (meaning notes on paper) is not music." It was a profound revelation: the lines and dots and Italian adjectives are merely a device to transmit the intention from one musican to another. The performance is when the musician communicates that intent to the audience, and shares the experience with them. At the Metro, that shared communicative experience is always a good one. It is something.
