I may not have been writing here, but I have been writing...and researching for a master's thesis. It was official turned in at 10pm on Thursday (5/5). I look back at the 2 and 1/2 years it took to complete this degree, and I only feel partially accomplished. I feel some regret for time lost, but mostly I feel empty. The many events and projects I put aside in order to do school work, the people that I might have disappointed, my young son upset that "Daddy has to do homework", and a family that saw me constantly busy and on the go-- I let many people down. I spent the past 2 years without more than a 2 week break from classes (taking classes during the summer to help fulfill the requirements). I am drained, and these past few weeks have seen a mix of emotions in me. I have repressed much of it with exercise (more on that later), but it is still there waiting.
For what? I don't know really. In a week I have to wear an expensive cap and gown (as they get more elaborate with more advanced degrees), and attend a crowded ceremony in Portland. Do I technically put initials after my name following that day? Will my LinkedIn account explode with job offers? I doubt things will change with these credentials-- it will still be my persistence and personality that helps me work up the financial ladder. I have met many great thinkers along this academic journey, but they also are fellow wolves hungry for a piece of the pie. I need to set my sights and chart a path, but until then, I need to play catch-up on things I have ignored.
This blog is one.
Music is another.
This blog is about my life as a musician. To be truthful, although I have played gigs this year, my mind was elsewhere. This did not diminish the performance (autopilot is easy), but it was hard to enjoy the experience. Anyways, here is a list of some of the things I have done "performance/music-wise" in 2016 so far:
I was hired to teach a ballroom class in Lewiston Adult Ed in March. There were literally no takers. I am set for November to do the same, so I will see what happens.
Every Other Sunday (http://www.eosunday.com/) played at Colby college in February, and it was a good chance to play for a new audience and also try out band lights. I liked this gig because the college was generous, large, and had resources for us (aside from electricity and a room to change in). I hope we go back, and I hope we make colleges as 'alternate' gigs to our normal weddings. We have multiple weddings scheduled later in the summer as well as a benefit this month for the Make-A-Wish foundation.
I played bass for Little Shop of Horrors at Community Little Theater in April. Most of the pit (save for 1 person) was EOS members. This was my 4th or 5th time playing this show, and yet playing the bass made it fresh again. I don't mind being the L/A theater bass player (since my high school music teacher who held that position left town after a breakup). I played bass for years in a punk band and a jazz band in college. I like "holding up" the music from the bottom and not always adding the embellishments that guitar is known for. Let's face it, if anyone listens to Dream Theater and thinks that their "embellishments" are on par with John Petrucci's, they seriously need to examine their mental state. Yes, I just say Dream Theater's "The Astonishing" in Boston. They are the real deal! On an equal but opposite side, Pat Metheny is the jazz-equivalent of Dream Theater.
Exercise
I mentioned this earlier. I began exercising more frequently in January. I have had spurts of this over the years. My excuse has not been about health issues, but that of results. When I am not getting results in my life, I find a way to make them. Time in the gym yields results. Nutrition and dedication yields results. You can aimlessly complete assignments week after week and feel nothing, but you can throw weight around for an hour 5 days a week and feel the strain of getting stronger. Eventually you can even see it. This time I am hoping to not stop, because it is also helping me with digestive issues that have increased this year. I need this body to last and help others in peak performance. There is so much more to that last statement that relates to other avenues I have been exploring over the past 4 years, but that is for another blog (Humanity + Maine).
Goodbye for a shorter amount of time.
