Four weeks ago, I walked into a jam session on a Sunday afternoon to join approximately 20 ridiculously talented musicians.
Four weeks ago, I signed up for one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life.
Four weeks ago, I made one of the best decisions ever. I committed to becoming an official band member of the ‘Take the Stage’ workshop.
The beginning
A few months back, my dad and I were engaged in one of our late-night talks accompanied by a glass (or three) of Zinfandel as he strolled down memory lane with tales of his acoustic music days. A true kid of the ‘60s in every sense, my dad had grown up with and was an active participant in the hippie folk scene of Southern California, playing with the likes of Jackson Browne and Kate Taylor. As we got deeper into our conversation, I asked him how the local talent was able to rise through the ranks from amateur to professional, from jammer to main act, seeing as the transition to the stage is -- in my opinion -- well, terrifying.
“I’ll never forget my first open mic night,” he said. “I downed a couple shots, played my heart out, and then hoped for the best.”
Yikes.
A relative newcomer to the acoustic music scene as a player (studying fiddle for a year and a half after classical clarinet for 10), I keep telling myself that learning takes time, patience, and self-love.
However, that hasn’t stopped me from my workday daydreams of rocking out on stage with the combined grace of Alison Krauss, confidence of Martie Maguire, and technical prowess of Mark O’Connor.
So imagine my surprise when -- while perusing the Freight and Salvage Web site for details on the next great show -- I came across details of a workshop claiming to teach folks how to perform. With a band. On stage. With, like, a real audience and everything!
After chatting with Hilary, one of the (super cool) co-creators of TTS, and doing lots and lots (and lots) of thinking, I decided to take the plunge.
First jam
The fun commenced at the TTS welcome jam in which roughly 20 musicians gathered to play some well-known acoustic favorites. Intimidated but enthusiastic, I soon discovered there were others just like me. While some had performed on stage multiple times before, others had never even jammed. While some possessed extensive musical experience on one instrument, they wanted to try their hand at a new instrument. It was truly a melting pot of a wide range of musical backgrounds, and the best part was how supportive everyone was (and still is) of each other.
A couple weeks later, we were split into smaller bands that would hold weekly rehearsals and sort out a song set in the first few sessions.
Meeting the band
After the first jam, I would soon learn that I was to become a proud member of the 7:30 East Bay (holler!) Band.
We’re still working on the name.
The first session focused primarily on getting acquainted and bringing a few songs to share with the group to gauge interest in performance pieces. The other three folks present on the first day (Kristina, Addy, and Daniel) are all acoustic guitarists with great voices and songwriting ability. I’m excited to say that we’ll be performing one each of their originals in the show! Brace yourselves for some great tunes and serious earworms.
We were lucky to round out our band a bit more the second session, adding Molly on bass and Trent on mandolin to the previous week’s band-in-progress entitled ‘Three Guitars and a Fiddle.’ Having two more folks join the ranks – particularly with the instruments they bring – has allowed us to play around more with arrangements and throw a greater amount of musical ideas into the mix.
Of course, none of this teamwork would be possible without the guidance and veteran knowledge of Dave, our superstar band coach. Since day one, Dave has encouraged us to make our individual marks on each song while still being attentive to the band’s overall sound, and you know what? It’s going pretty well!
This past week marked our third session, in which we saw an almost-final, if not final, decision on our set list. We’ve made a solid effort at arrangements, and dare I say that we kind-of-sort-of know what we’re doing!
Curious what we picked? Come to the show on May 2 to find out!
Looking ahead
I’m not gonna lie, I’m nervous. In fact, I’ve already had two ‘dreams’ in which I’ve dropped my bow and forgotten the lyrics. Needless to say, I’m always very happy to awaken.
As a beginner in this band/performance scenario, I’ve repeatedly asked myself if I made the right decision, if I should have waited until I was more experienced and proficient on my instrument before throwing myself into something so intense.
But after meeting my band mates and coaches, I’ve come to realize it’s impossible not to succeed with all the support and musical knowledge in our group. I joined this endeavor to learn and improve (and make some friends while doing it), and I’ve experienced nothing but that since day one.
I know we all have challenges ahead of us, but everyone is so dedicated that I can’t fathom the possibility of having a less-than-stellar show.
And, if my bow happens to fling from my fingers into the audience on performance day, just know that it’s all part of the act.
