Knocking on Heaven's Door, and Hiding in the Bushes

We came close to completing three whole songs last night at Band Practice. This has been such a great grouping, the four of us because we tend to write like fiends. Rich really comes up with most of the song ideas on his guitar, and then everyone works out their parts and I usually put the lyrics together along with my own keyboard parts. We have some finishing touches to do on the CD and then we should be able to start sending out some stuff. That's when everybody can actually get a better idea of it, get to hear the music for yourself... Mostly getting good reactions from our friends and close associates so far, but still I get nervous thinking about how many people are really going eventually hear it all.

See, I'm pretty new to the whole recording and live gig experience. (Weddings, Open Mic Night and karaoke don't quite count I guess). Growing up, I didn't have many friends with talent. Let me rephrase that, many friends with "musical talent" and/or interests in really jamming. So I played my piano, by ear, and learned to play any song that I heard. It was my therapy, my heart and soul.

My sister, Jeanne plays piano and sings too. She sings mostly gospel music (a genre that sent me packing with flying colors from the church a long time ago).

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all kinds of music. But you must understand, I grew up in a traditional Southern Baptist church. The kind where the preachers are loud and scary, and made me hide my face behind my mother to shield my ears from the volume of their sermons. These preachers (must've all shared the same barber), are the same men of God who on Sundays, would preach to you a gospel of commandments which you are to follow, lest you be cast into the depths of Hell, sharing sermons of Fire and Brimstone. Then, later that week they would be caught red-handed with their mistresses or be seen at the bank depositing money that they'd laundered right out of the collection plates.

See, there was actually a time when I played piano for my Church Choir, and went to Sunday School and the whole nine yards. (Yes, that's right, ME... wipe that smirk off your face). Talk about unpleasant. Since I played by ear, I had to go and jot down the key that most of the songs in our choir book were written in at the top. If you've ever sang or heard any songs from the choir book, you would probably agree that they are written in a key that is way too high for anyone in the church to sing. Or maybe it was just my church, with the little ol' ladies with purple and blue hair who flocked to the choir despite the fact that their caterwauling was less like 'making a joyful noise unto the Lord', and more like alley-cats on a hot-tin roof being slaughtered by Jack the Ripper. They didn't follow the key anyway, so I don't know why I didn't just play them like I wanted... After a while, my ears could take no more.

So I rested my head on world of Rock, Metal, Soul and Blues music. It's given me some wonderful happiness, as well as gotten me into some wicked fun trouble. No matter where I was, music was there... getting me through all the good and the bad. Guess it was some sort of destiny, these people [Richie and my band mates] found me somehow. I'm a big believer in fate and destiny, but I don't want to get too quantum on you guys, so I'll just say "Everything in life always works out for the greater good of 'all that is'."