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Permalink Reply by Hurricane Chaser on April 25, 2009 at 9:34am

When that feeling happens, there's no distance between the urge in your gut, the song in your mind, the sounds coming into your ears, and the folks in the room. The loop between them all is finally connected. It's the best feedback loop ever! It's almost like listening to someone else play your song exactly how you want to hear it at that moment, except that it's you... like an out of body experience.

When it happens, I sometimes get an uncontrollable need to laugh out loud (though I'm getting better at roping that in so I can keep singing!!), and I feel so lucky to be playing with my band.

We had that feeling for almost an entire set during a free show at the Skylark in West Seattle, and for just one song at a bar called the Mars Bar. The stage sound was terrible, but somehow the ideas cut through, and it was the best we've ever played that song. The end of the set last week at the Tractor had some moments during the final two songs, but it took the rest of our short set up to that point just to settle down, and then it was over. There's some kind of lesson there!

That's the feeling we're all after.




Brad Zeffren
Hurricane Chaser

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Permalink Reply by Elvis Fontenot on April 25, 2009 at 11:49am

Playing at a festival in a beach bar on an island off the coast of Northern Holland (Ameland). Past 2am in the morning - and the 400 plus crowd sing en-masse to one of our songs (My Oh My) that we didn't even think they could possibly know. Just big grins everywhere. Wonderful.

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Permalink Reply by David Shaw on April 25, 2009 at 7:02pm

This may not quite fit but on one of my bands' rare appearances in a bar a quite drunken fellow came up to me (I was the singer and rhythm guitarist) between sets and confided that we "were the worst band he'd ever encountered in a bar" ... I smiled and thanked him and later wrote a song that included the lyric, "if our heated licks don't grab you, then our switch blade knives will stab you" ... anyway, the drunk got off lightly that night. Another time we billed a show as Rush Hour Rock and some stoners arrived expecting to see the band Rush (in an art school? I don't think so!) ... they stuck around and didn't seem all that disappointed (though I look and sound absolutely nothing like Geddy Lee). Our band was called Don Vallee and the Parkways Featuring the Balsamettes.

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Permalink Reply by Bobbo on April 27, 2009 at 11:40am

We {The Fallen Stars} were opening for the Blasters at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and playing a new song that Tracy sings {Candyland} and it has a pretty big chorus to it and when the first chorus ended - people cheered. We were still playing and all looking around "was that for us?" And it was.

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Permalink Reply by David Shaw on May 1, 2009 at 9:40am

I was reminded of this when I saw a Bat Mitzvah invitation today ... I was in a band that had formed at a Jewish summer camp in 1968 ... we were attempting to be a Who clone band ... about the only time we played anywhere was at a Bar Mitzvah ... all the 13 year old boys stood around in amazement as we did "My Generation" and feigned smashing our equipment at the end of the song ... their parents were less amused and we were summarily dismissed from the proceedings. The band went on a couple of years later (without me) to win a best new band Juno as Myles and Lenny.

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Permalink Reply by Mick Hargreaves on May 5, 2009 at 6:31am

You should also have a discussion about "That TRAGIC Moment", where everything went wrong. Could be fun...

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Permalink Reply by Huke Green on May 19, 2009 at 11:43pm

The first time I ever did a Full band show (The Wayward Sons, Houston TX). It was the first time I lead a band and it was all on my shoulders. My Mother came and was very pleased wit the set. She doesn't pull any punches and was not sure how she would react to a loud band set of my songs that she listens to as acoustic demos constantly.

The second was more recent when we decided that I was gonna put down my Washburn D34s Augusta and play a Tele by way of a fender blues jr. with some dirty tone to it. I just KNEW she was gonna hate the vibe of a les paul screaming leads over me playing a slightly crunch rhythm Guitar, but she raved about it.

I never get nervous playing in front of tons of total strangers, but Mom makes me sweat!

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Permalink Reply by thewheelsturnslow on May 28, 2009 at 5:02pm

One time, my band was playing at Momo's in Austin. We were playing this song that isnt on any of our Albums but it alsways gets the crowd worked up. We were sounding pretty on that night and there was a part where the song really solows down bu thten gets fast again and as we were coming into the fast part I looked over at my bandmate Gregg who was rocking the sol to bring us into the fast part and I just started jolting and I think I got so into it I pulled a muscle in my gut. But it was still an incredible feeling.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Evans on May 29, 2009 at 7:58am

For me, it happened in a most unexpected place...a place out in the middle of nowhere, in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey, called The Green Bank Inn.

It was during a musicians jam that came together quite by chance. Several friends who, at the time, were playing with acts like Joe Diffie and Aaron Tippin, and were in Atlantic City at the time opening for a show with Travis Tritt, showed up at the Green Bank to sit in and party with my band. We were between engagements in Quakertown, PA, and lucked into a pick-up gig at The Green Bank.

The joint was packed to the rafters...to the point that they were selling the drinks out the front window to people standing on the porch because they couldn't get in.

And it was one of those times that everything just came together for a blessed hour set. Every note. Every beat. The "no pressure" atmosphere just had everybody in sync with everybody else. I actually felt like I was coming out of my body, that I was a member of the audience WATCHING AND LISTENING, instead of playing the drums. I can't explain it. I don't try anymore. Ha! But I sure want it again!

At the end of the set, for about a minute, you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone in the place just stood or sat there, trying to figure out just what in the hell had happened. It was like there was an aura in the place. Then, the place erupted for about 5 minutes. Finally, a gal got up and took the mike and, searching for words, simply said, "Anybody that missed THIS...well...God damn ya!"

The Green Bank was drank dry that night. Literally.

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