Happy Friday, and hello to the fresh month of September!
A young crescent moon hung cool in the sky last night. The lighting rig squeaked against the folding table, and some Clif bar wrappers rustled in the side door pocket as I glanced out and up, through a road-grimed windshield towards it. "Now that just looks September.” Luna smiled back. The little red car was packed to the gills with DJ gear, snacks, and eccentric T-shirts. I’d be hard-pressed to define exactly what “Septemberish” is, but this little mini-tour I’ve been on seems a nice way to welcome the month.
Wednesday saw a Hawaiian party at the retirement community I used to work at (what a joyous reunion), meeting old co-workers, bumping into a former guitar student turned collaborator, staying with my brothers (and losing, again, in Mario Kart as Donkey Kong. “ARRRGH!”)
Hanging with a Buddy
Thursday was - well, wait, what was I just telling a guitar student?
Nobody cares.
(It was less harsh in context.)
Postcards from the Road
Three things to brighten your day, minus the excruciating detail of a chronological telling:
While DJing at the Catholic school picnic yesterday, the tiniest little girl walked up without fear. Her larger friends had song requests. She just wanted to talk. “My name is _____” she said, in a mosquito pitch. She told me about her new school room, the nickname her mom gave her, and a variety of other things I didn’t catch over the din of Taylor Swift songs. (You gotta give the people what the people want. You might call me a sell out, but you tell a mob of ten year old girls no.) I’d be mixing the tunes, and suddenly there she was again. I’d lean wayyyy down, bent double.
“Yes?”
“I like this TV show with animals.”
It was nice to hear from someone who was happy to just spend time and talk. I need to remember to put the networking goals down sometimes. She was a good reminder.
Silence is Golden. I keep talking about Andrew Huberman’s work on dopamine, the molecule of drive and motivation. Have you seen him yet?
The question of the hour is - how to keep going and brighten the days of the audiences?
Spinning a few records for friends might not seem taxing…but hey man, I was wearing those little fake grass skirts for my ankles, a Hawaiian Clydesdale or something, and prancing around so much, even the grumpy guys had to chuckle. I leave it all on the field. Previously, I’d supplement with Mountain Dew before hitting the next gig. Apparently, that’s not only dumb (and painful), but a bad strategy. Recharging between things with some silence is working well. A return to center takes a moment. (I knew I was drained when the violins in a Vivaldi concerto sounded grating yesterday.) Huberman’s the man! Give him a listen and see what you think.
The medium world is good to see! It’s been a mad focus on either the Big: the cosmic depths, or the Small: a quiet country routine. It’s been a room full of mirrors lately. As Hendrix sang: I used to live in a room full of mirrors - all I could see was me. Then I took my spirit and smashed the mirrors, now the whole world is there for me to see.
There’s a lot of cars and miles of pavement that have been good to say hello to in this Medium look. An elderly friend of mine needed an extra hand getting out of bed the other day. She wanted to come hear the music. The point was almost missed, but thankfully, she’s from New York, and brought it to my attention. A simple “heave!” and her day was dramatically better. So was mine. Gosh it’s nice to remember these things.
Dad’s Desk
Speaking of people to see, I’m typing this from Dad’s writing desk in Alexandria, VA. We’ve been talking mad theology and Grant’s leadership during the Civil War…good ol’ Friday topics, if you ask me. I just twisted his arm for a nugget:
(Here’s a real-life pic of waiting for the advice)
He said (on theological front, not Grant): The more we surrender, the freer we become.
Right on! And now, to wrap up with our new tradition of cultural showpieces on a Friday, the Urban men are proud to present Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Why this one? Well, typing this from Dad’s desk brings back the memories of the dawn of childhood, listening to this on a tape. It’s a good one to grow up on, for sure. As a salute to the past, and an offering to a bright September Friday, we hope you enjoy Herbert Von Karajan leading the Berlin Philharmonic with this gem.
Now, it’s time to visit a bit more before the afternoon shows in Woodbridge. See you Monday!
The fellas