Here a gig, there gig

I've never gotten a $50 gig...

When I think back across the various places and types of venues I've played at, it's interesting to note that you get just as excited to play all sorts of places.  Over the course of my time playing music I have played: from pubs to churches, and nursing homes to music festivals.  There is always something unique about each location, whether it's the odd reverb of the room or the wacky style switches (an example is a set that went: soca, reggae, jazz, hard rock, baroque, and finished out on Mario Bros.).

One thing that remains the same, is there is always an excitement to play, to get to do what you practice and love.  The best part is when you don't play a worship set, or even a "Christian" set, and when people ask you were you learned to play.  That's the moment you wait for after the music, the point when you get to blow someone's mind, "I learned by playing at church."  This usually confuses more people in bars than coffee shops, but the conversation has begun, and you get to share why music and faith intertwine in your life, how God is your primary reason for playing and music is secondary.

It's always exciting to go play, whether its on rehearsal that you convinced your director to do outside, or a weekend-long music festival that gets crowds swaying and screaming.  Music is just an exciting time, and then if you get to turn around and talk to someone about God, church and faith after they've heard you throw down some "Folsom Prison Blues", it gets better.

P.S. when a Christian band says "We have lots of influences" it means they don't want to be judged for listening to Metalica

Always Groove Responsibly

Tick, Tick, Tick, AHHHHH!

Sometimes time moves incredibly slow, like when you're waiting for someone to get ready or for cookies to come out of the oven.  Sometimes it moves really fast, like the 5 minutes between the time hit snooze and when the alarm goes off again, or when you are running late (which is my time zone).

Recently I was thinking about how to structure my bill paying (no I'm not kidding), and it occurred to me how soon it is until August 9th, that is, the day of arrival at CTI. When I got to my office I quick looked at my desk calendar and then my sponsorship amount, and I realized it was time to quick it in gear.

So being the systematic list person I am I started setting up a few things in my head: 1. Get the big church announcements out and my partnership letters set out.  2. Talk to the adult commission about the standard missions funding that I can request and 3. Clean my house.

I sat down about a two weeks ago and folded, stuffed, and sealed all my letters (by the way self-sealing envelopes are worth the extra $3 for 100).  The majority of envelopes are destined for a table in the church basement for people to pick up, others are going to be mailed out to family.  Either way it occurred a little late how much farther I should be with them.

As far as cleaning my house, I live alone in a 3 bedroom house owned by the church, this means that like a gas expands to fill its container, so do I.  So long story short I've been trying to clean one room at a time, because then its not so scary to think about.

To end on a more pleasant thought, I do get the chance to play a few shows here and there which awesome, especially when there is permission to rock out.

Always Groove Responsibly