Giggin’

Guess what I did Saturday night? I had a gig! I haven’t played in a “real” band in years but Saturday night was like the gold ole days.  Here’s how it played out . . .

I was asked to build a website for a very well known photographer in our area — I’ll call him JS. When I went to his place to work out the details we got to talking and I mentioned that I used to play bass. Turns out JS plays along with another guy in a pretty well-known local duo. Mostly folksy kinda stuff like Buffet and America and Eagles, but hey that’s cool. Well, about a week ago he shot me an email asking if I was up for playing bass one night for a gig at a local upscale bar/grill. You betcha! Actually, he says they need a ‘hot chick’ in the band. Okay since when does a 42 year old mom of twins qualify as a ‘hot chick’? But hey, I’ll take what I can get. Then — panic hits. Not that this guy thinks I am a hot chick, but that I haven’t actually played four full sets of music since, ummmm 1993? Shite! I am in over my head.

So I meet up with JS and go over some of his songs, but he is just shouting them out while playing his guitar — no music, no cheat sheet. Double shite! I am in big trouble, I think.

So I show up for the gig with all my gear and one of my cords goes bad. Plug in another — that one is bad too. Great. Way to make a good impression. So I borrow a cord. Then all these other guys from other local bands start showing up.  JS’s brother plays in another well known four-piece and has showed up to play drums. Another local guitar hero has come to play bongos. Holy Crap! I was totally counting on getting by doing my ‘walk around on the bass’ trick, but that won’t work with these guys here. We play the first set and it is okay. I don’t make any huge mistakes, but don’t play perfectly either.

Well, in the next set things started turning around. The guys are drinking a few, the crowd is digging the music. The guys from the other bands keep switching off on instruments and somewhere from the recesses of my musician poseur mind comes the memory of some of these songs they are playing. All of a sudden I hit my groove and we are off!  It was rockin’. Instead of Mr. Bojangles and Horse with no Name we are playing AC/DC TNT and Sweet Child of Mine, songs I well remember from the 80’s, songs the crowd is requesting. We do some Van Morrison — totally bass worthy. The crowd asks for an encore and then another. It was great. I felt great.

Remember that post I wrote a year ago wondering if  losing all that weight was  worth the trouble — if I was happier? Now I know it is totally shallow and not right to be asked to play because of how I look. But I also know that I wouldn’t have had that chance at a night like that if I was still over 200 lbs. That’s just reality. I am not a good enough musician by a long shot for someone to go — wow look at her chops! But I am good enough to get by, and if I was still fat, the bass would most likely still be gathering dust under the bed. And not only that, I wouldn’t have had the stamina to go until midnight at a gig like that. Now I am healthier, stronger. Before, I would have been nodding off at 9pm.

So yeah, Saturday night –  having worked so hard to lose the weight and get in shape –  was worth it. I had the best time. The most fun I have had without my kids in a long, long time.  And the best part was that after the gig I packed up, drove home and kissed them goodnight — and I can sit here today, not dying to go out and play again, but grateful that I had the chance to do what I can do even as a 42 year old mom of twins.

Now if can just get the song Mr Bojangles OUT OF MY HEAD!

Friday did Coach Troy Spinervals Lean & Mean. It was so hard I almost cried. That’s a good thing. Saturday, ran five miles, felt great. Took Sunday off because of a cold (and not the beer flu, I promise!)