9.09.09 single drops

Blog Vol.II "Acoustic"

a·cous·tic (-kstk) adj.

1. Of or relating to sound, the sense of hearing, or the science of sound.

I've never really had problems performing intimate songs in intimate settings. IMO, I have a special knack for it. However, when I put myself out there in a way that's "all on the table" it can still be a bit scary. Especially for 45 minutes solid... publicly.

I'm not gonna front, I felt plenty of fear. Yet, the bottom line is, I did it anyways. And I've found that it's good for my soul.

I'm learning in my life that the only way I can grow is to go through the "difficult" or the painful. And the only "enemy" that can prevent me from growing is myself. Sounds pretty straight forward, right? It's just that the more and more people I meet and grow closer to, the more and more I find that it's a rare thing to find other people that truly live that way. For me, it felt like each and every person that shared Wednesday night with me walk or have walked that lonesome road.

The connection I felt from the audience was electric. Almost even therapeutic. It was nice. It affirmed that I am not alone. After all, isn't soul music about the soul? R&B about the "blues" within rhythm?

I don't know if there will be another night quite like that one, but it's going down in the books as a good one.

Blog Vol.I "Friday, June 20"

The evening was, in a word, serendipitous. ...from beginning to end.

You have to understand. It has been 5 years since I'd done a show of my own. So on the drive into downtown LA, I didn't want to listen to any of the selections from the show. Instead, I remember an imported album I had in the player just kicked on. It was as if it was perfectly planned just to get me out of my element. I was inspired and feeling good.

When I arrived to the venue, a car pulled right out to give me parking space just across the street from the venue. I didn't even have to parallel park... just pulled right in. Upon getting out of the car, I spotted the bassist, the drummer and the promoter hanging at the venues entrance. Seconds later, the guitarist and my executive producer popped up. It was like clock work. 6:00p on time.

I knew the evening was going to be a special one, so I wanted to take the band out to dinner. Time was of the essence. A number of bands were going to play before us, so it was concerning me if I was going to have enough time to grab a bite with the band. Just then we received word that sound check was at 8. It was perfect.

After dinner, we came back and checked the sound. Of course with sound check, there are kinks that get worked out. Sound check was done in under 20 mins.. unbelievable! With all this goodness going on, it seemed to good to be true and I thought, "there has to be at least one snag." So, I helped to make the sign of the bands playing on the bill in the front of the club just to get my mind settled. I felt a fearful countenance upon my face and some friends who showed up early made me aware of my expression.

As more and more friends, family, acquaintances and professionals showed up, it occurred to me that there was nothing to be afraid of.

10:00pm. The place was at standing room only and the crowd was handsome and beautiful. I was up and we were ready. As soon as I heard the drummer play the first few bars and the percussionist getting into the groove, I came in with the piano. As soon as the bassist and the guitarist dropped in the pocket, I began to sing. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. The first line: "I took a little time recently / And here's another look inside me / Still fighting insecurity..."

The rest of the set was built on simple core human emotions. Anger. Sadness. Fear. Joy. The band did a wonderful job helping me carry out each message. It was beautiful. The close of the set was the high point for me. Latin Jazz Pianist, and a very dear friend to me, Donald Vega [www.donaldvega.com]was in the audience. Straight out from NYC and out in LA to promote his debut album, he graciously shared the stage with me and the band. The audience went nuts. And all I could remember was what a fantastically incredible sound was coming from the stage.

The crowd gave so much love after the set was finished, they wanted an encore. My time was up, but I gave 'em a very special song anyways. ....and that I'll save for my personal memories.