Performing Live

Jodi and I have declared this the year of "Yes". Each week we seek out to do something new, challenging, and out of our comfort zone. It has gone well and provided a new and more colorful texture to the daily grind.

I've had something I've wanted to do for a long while....perform some of my music to a live audience, or at least one that wasn't a reflection of myself in the mirror. I've written several songs and even made an attempt to record some of the simpler ones. But I have never really performed them in front of a group of living and breathing people. This past Thursday I mustered up the guts to do just that at the Fiddlers Dream.

A few things about the selection of the Fiddlers Dream for the performance:

• It is affiliated with the Quakers so I figured that this would be a very tolerant and accepting place.
• It's main patrons are ex-Hippies in their middle ages. Once again a very open, accepting, and "mellow" group.
• It is basically a big wooden shack behind the Quaker compound....making it a far cooler venue then some random Coffee House or Book Store.

It's a pretty straight forward affair. Every Thursday night they have an open mic type of thing. The first 20 people put their names in a hat and the order is randomly selected. You have 8 minutes or two songs and the whole thing lasts a couple of hours. As expected I was one of the very last people in the rotation. That gave me ample time to second guess myself and for my nerves to turn soft and gooey.

Most performing and in attendance were veterans of the scene. This is their little club and they all had their following and routine down. About half of the performers also do this semi-professionally by doing festivals or concerts throughout the valley and region. There was one dude, think Caucasian Tommy Chong, who broke up the performances with a bit of stand up.

Eventually my time came. The crowd, knowing that I was a 'first-timer' was especially supportive. I took my place on the stage, introduced myself, and tried to focus on the songs and not the crowd. Strangely enough it worked. I sang "Peace Comes in the Morning" and "What I'd Say". My biggest concern was my voice and the high notes of the song. Fortunately I was able to get that down without killing the key. The only thing I wish I could have changed was the tempo. My nerves were still gangly and the pace of the songs sped up to match the thunderous beat of my heart.

I got the two songs done in the allotted amount of time and received a great response. I'm sure most of it was a courtesy response but I'd like to think that a couple of people enjoyed what I had to play. I left the stage satisfied that I finally did something that I had wanted to do for a long time.

I'm realistic and realize that my music will probably never be played by anyone other then myself. But that's not really the point. This music means something to me and I have felt a sort of obligation to write it and record it. It would just suck to have all of those songs sit there on the tip of my tongue without trying to record and bring them to life. The performance was an icing on the cake to prove to myself that I have the fortitude to do it.

I don't know if I will try many more live performances but I'm glad I said "yes" to the challenge and stepped on to the stage. If anything I learned that the greatest stuff in life comes by stepping beyond your normal self.