Rehearsals

Haven’t forgotten the words yet!

Heading into the second day of rehearsals with my lovely and incredible band. One of the hardest parts of playing music with this crew is not listening to everything they do. I have to be able to love whatever they’re doing from a safe distance in my mind, while insuring that I’m not so thoroughly swept away by them that I forget to sing when I’m supposed to.

Here’s the feeling of rehearsal: ice fishing.

For anyone not lucky enough to try this cold-weather stay-cation, let me describe. Get a bunch of friends together and drag them all someplace quiet and secluded. If you’re ice fishing, this is best accomplished by luring your friends out onto the biggest piece of frozen water that you can. If this doesn’t work at first, offer to pay them.

(Before you go, make sure that you have your equipment.)

Once on the ice, find your little shack and oil inside, then close the door. This is your time with your friends together make your music, so try to look on the bright side. It’s very difficult to align schedules and other personal responsibilities for four or five adults, so the chance to do this at all is a gift. It is very easy to negative, out of the very real possibility that you haven’t prepared enough, haven’t prepared correctly, or just haven’t prepared.

Have no fear, though. Your fishing compatriots are no slouches. These are good musicians/fisherfolk. Anything about the music that you forget, they will remember. Anything they forget you will remember.

Once you’re in the fishing shack, way out there on the ice, you can relax. Inside, it’s the perfect temperature. You have snacks and beverages. Someone starts by putting in a line of music and the rest join in. Then, new song or old song, it’s all just fishing with your friends. Shooting the breeze, catching up on families and hearing the news. We used to do this once a week, once a day, but now this joy has to be mediated with other joys and responsibilities. So this isn’t just a practice session anymore, it’s a communion.

Alright, the rehearsal studio is about to open, so I’m heading inside. I know that this world is bonkers and I’m grateful for this opportunity, made possible by all of you, to check in with my friends and spend some time fishing the waters that we love best.

Rock on!