Jacksonville

I had the opportunity to perform in Jacksonville, FL this weekend. So I drove down Saturday morning, arrived at my hotel in the afternoon, and performed at AJ’s Bar & Grill that night. I came back on Sunday, so it was a very quick trip, but a very enjoyable one…

I mapped out the trip beforehand in Yahoo, and it said that it would take me a little over 7 hours to drive 358 miles each way. I was pleasantly surprised that it only took a little over 5 hours (I kept the speed at 75 mph pretty much the whole way), so I had some time to kill at the hotel before sound check.

The trip in the car was really pleasant. The weather on the way down was bright and sunny — it was just a great day for traveling. I listened to several CD’s, one in particular was Natasha Bedingfield’s CD “Unwritten”, which had been loaned to me by a friend. It is one of the best CD’s I’ve heard in a long time. Girl can sing. Girl can write some great songs. Girl’s CD is both fun and meaningful – a terrific combination. Girl impressed me much!

I also spent time listening to Keb Mo, who is a blues musician my guitar teacher, Peter, told me about. Our recent lessons have been focused on learning the blues. I recently wrote a blues tune that is pretty much done except for a few lines of lyric that I need to rewrite. I’ve been stuck on the lyrics so I put in the CD hoping for some inspiration. I think it helped. I’ll find out tomorrow in my lessons.

I got to AJ’s yesterday evening, did a sound check, and then hung out until show time. The crowd was kind of hard to read. Some listened attentively. Some talked to each other. Sometimes they responded more to things I didn’t expect them to, or didn’t respond as well to what I thought they would. A few times when I thought I’d lost them, I sang a line or told a story that made them laugh. And I knew that they were listening.

But what I have learned, and what I continue to learn, is that no matter the size or responsiveness of the audience, it is my job to do the very best that I can do. To be a better guitar player and singer, to try to form a connection with them through this universal gift of music. I’m also learning to see what works and what doesn’t, to continually change my show and make it better. I owe the audience that. I owe myself that.

Most of all, I simply love music. I love it when I write a song that moves me. I love it when I FINALLY find the perfect re-write for a lyric that isn’t working. I love hearing the various incarnations of a song. I love singing them a little bit differently every time. I love the opportunity to sing in front of an audience. And trust me, I view every time that I sing as an opportunity.

So thanks to the folks at AJ’s for a good time last night. I hope to see you again soon. Special shout out to Erik, Jacque, Steve, Lance & Craig, and Michelle the birthday girl.

And special thanks to Jimmy Ray, www.jimmyrayentertainment.org, for booking me.