Being a Rawk Star

I've been a poo-poo head all week about performing...but I think that I'm calming down. The key, as with so many things in life, I think, is to not get too tightly wound. Being tightly wound is my specialty.

I was thinking today about what a relatively short strange trip it has been in the rock star world for me. From the one-off rehearsal of a Pogues tribute band in 1992 all the way to being in 5 performing rock bands today. Most of the true performing part of that journey has been stuffed into the time between now and fall 2006...a little over 6 years.

Much to my shock, I am now in bands with people who have less performing experience than I do...at least in the rock ensemble realm. And so things come up like people not realizing that rock shows pretty much happen after 10pm at night. Or people not thinking that getting "off book" is important. Or people being shocked at the conditions that grunt rock bands endure. Or people saying "hey we ought to play this show...there's 20 other bands and if we sell 100 tickets than we might get our big break!" Or people asking me how to put their drums together or how to use guitar pedals or how to book a gig.

When did I become the veteran?

I guess it shouldn't surprise me. I went from average bike commuter to running one of the largest bicycle advocacy groups in country after just two years experience at a flunky desk job in bicycle arm-pit of the world Indiana. How do you become the expert? You just do the work and pretend like you know what you are doing.

And then, at the other end of the spectrum, folks who I admire greatly and who have 20 years head start on me and who have credits on one of the most influential albums in history...well they are playing the same clubs I am and sleeping on my couch these days (in between mega tours in support of reunions of said influential album anyway).

It's all just SO WEIRD.

I think I gotta just dial back to basics. Spend time with nice people playing music that you like. Work hard on it...but not TOO hard. Challenge yourself but don't over-reach. Show it off to other people but don't get bent out of shape if you don't have the "perfect" performance every night. Don't hang your self-worth on whether or not you hit every note to your best possible ability. Conditions change...brains and feet and hands do unexpected things. All you can do is try to be prepared. In the end it is unlikely that anyone but you will notice if it is good, bad, or indifferent. Be nice to those people that you're showing off to cause they are wasting thier night hanging out listening. Sure moving the crap around is a pain...but at least hauling stuff around is good exercise. Sure equipment is expensive and breaks...but it is the tools that let you do the stuff. You aren't doing any of this to be famous or to make a living. You're doing it cause it is supposed to be fun and fulfilling. Take a deep breath. It is, after all, called "playing."

So play.