I jammed with some fellas last Thursday at Circle Rehearsal Studios in Largo, Florida. It went pretty well. We were way too loud to begin with, and could hardly tell what we sounded like as a band. But after we took a break and came back in, we turned down and could tell that we didn’t entirely suck. We sounded good enough that we started considering that we could be ready to play live in a few weeks.
I liked the guys I played with. I think two of the guys had a problem with the third’s drinking, but I’m not one to render a final judgment on anybody based upon one encounter. I enjoyed the way the two guitar players fed off of one another. And once I could actually hear him, I fell into a fairly comfortable groove with the drummer. We both listened to what the other was doing, and that’s the essentially component for a powerful rhythm section.
All in all, I’d be more than happy to keep playing with these guys. Some of them might come out to Market On 7th next week for some jamming, but thus far there’s been no concrete plans about how to proceed, or any discussion about whether we even want to. On one hand I think it’s a given, and on the other I’m very aware that nothing’s been said to that effect.
I also try to keep in mind that I seem to have a knack for scaring people off. Not because I’m an asshole or because I’m so damned creative that I intimidate people or anything. I think, if anything, some people just realize that I’m wired differently and it makes them back off. I don’t know why, or even if that’s remotely correct. But when Doug, the drummer I jammed with last Thursday, called me, he was the sixth or seventh musician to contact me during the last month through BandMix. Each time I’ve talked to someone on the phone, had a nice conversation and thought things went well, and each time I’ve never heard from them again. Obviously, there’s something in my tone or personality that doesn’t quite fit.
Hopefully, this band will be different. I enjoyed playing with them, and I’d like to see where we could go with it. Although the first practice was a bit shaky, there seems to be some good potential there. Whether the other guys agree or not is entirely out of my hands. But if they’re game, I’m game. And if not… well, I’m working on that CD, writing a novel, and gigging with the Just In Time Band. If nothing comes out of these recent contacts, it’s not like my creative life will be lacking.
Sometimes I wonder if that’s the thing that causes me problems where other musicians are concerned. I’ll jam with just about anybody, but I never try to hide the fact that it’s no big deal to me if things don’t work out. Hopefully it doesn’t come across as disrespectful. All I know is that I’ve literally played with hundreds of different musicians in my time, as a member of bands or just as a freelance problem solver. Those experiences have taught me that playing with other musicians is like dating. It’s going to be a pleasant evening no matter what, even if it’s apparent that you’re just not clicking. But if one doesn’t work out, you move on to the next one, hoping that sooner or later you’ll find the person (or people in this case) that really knocks your socks off.
Well, we’ll see. I wrote the guys on Friday and got sort of a courteous response. No one seemed particularly excited about what happened on Thursday. But if they want to do it again, I’m definitely “all in”. Unlike some other experiences, I’d like to see where this one goes. That says enough about my commitment to the project.
