‘Out of control’ and ‘out of my control’ are two very different things…and one usually gets mistaken for the other.
When we say something is out of control what we really mean is that it’s out of OUR control.
And something being out of our control can be a really great thing…especially when we can trust the people whose control it is in.
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When you get validation for your vision/compass/intuition being expertly calibrated it means it’s been that way for a while.
Your expert-ness is true long before the validation you’re hoping for shows up.
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What’s the biggest show you’ve ever seen?
That’s easy. You just think of the biggest venue you’ve seen live music at and say the name of the band you saw.
What’s the best show you’ve ever seen?
Way harder. Best is nuanced. Best has to do with the vibe, the people, the connection, the way the singer moved, the flow of the show, surprises, the excitement.
We know that biggest and best don’t necessarily go together.
Biggest is quantifiable so it’s easy to chase.
Best comes from getting better and better, no rules, no numbers, no map. No numbers to point to.
So with no easy definition we revert to bigger and best being the same thing.
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At first it was hard to get gigs.
Then it was easy to get gigs but hard to get better gigs…and equally hard to say no to the gigs that weren’t the better gigs.
And that’s the crossroads.
There will come a time (if you want to grow) when it’s important to say no to the gig, not because you don’t have the time, but because it doesn’t fit with where you want to go.
»» A little shortcut for bands and artists: Play two hundred shows as soon as possible. Say yes to everything (unless the casino in Baraga, Michigan calls…say no to that one).
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I was walking around my neighborhood and saw a guy on his front porch, walkin around lookin around…one hand with the phone to his ear and the other hand his forehead, pacing back and forth.
Clearly it was a stressful phone call.
But just I couldn’t help thinking about the forehead hand. Does it relieve the stress?
When we’re stressed we instinctually do weird things that probably don’t actually help (put a hand on our forehead, loosen the tie, unbutton the top button, sigh, one click buying).
It would be more helpful to learn what will actually help us.
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It’s all mood music.
Sometimes it’s to change our mood.
Sometimes it’s to reflect our mood.
But it’s a mood. It’s emotional connection.
When that singer sings that note over that chord, something happens.
When that groove is underneath those piano hits, something happens.
When those voices all join together on the chorus, something happens.
That ‘something’, that mood, that connected emotion, that’s what we’re all here. Whether we’re listening or creating.
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Drop me an email: gabe@gabethebassplayer.com