MUSIC GOALS: MEET THE FANS

Music goals come with a problem: Not everyone shares the same goals.

Whether you learn music theory, go to music school, or tear it up in a garage band, the basic goals apply.

Stay in rhythm, hit the leads, and sing low.

And leave room for others.

Before getting into the picture, first a little band background.

I was the musician in the family, which isn’t saying much.

Starting on flutophone in fifth grade, to tenor sax in sixth grade, to acoustic guitar lessons at Jantzen Music in Pony Village, I was set.

Things changed when my mom asked too many questions about a notebook in my pocket.

I tried a few stories that didn’t go over. My parents kept at it and finally got the truth: A kid a school gave it to me.

It wasn’t the truth that time either, and they seemed to know. So they called my school pal’s parents and asked why their kid was giving their kids presents like a notebook.

After a short conversation my dad handed me the phone. I listened while that dad screamed and beat and the kid screamed and cried.

I confessed and waited to see if my old man was going to work me over like my pal’s dad him. In a life changing moment, my dad drove us to Pony Village, the largest indoor mall on the coast between Seattle and San Francisco.

He talked to the manager of Payless, Mr. Northrup, another friend’s dad. My dad told the manager he could what he felt the situation called for.

I was banned from the mall all through junior high and high school.

That ended my guitar lessons since my teacher worked in the mall.

Self Taught Guitar Player

I picked things up in my mid-twenties while stranded in NYC. I had an old classical guitar with a loose back that made it sound overdriven.

I left it in my last apartment when I took the three day bus ride from New York’s Port Authority on the west side to Portland.

In those days it was $100 to go anywhere Greyhound went.

I met some wonderful women here out west who had similar music goals as I did, which was better guitars and more practice.

I reconnected with a guy from college who played in a jam band on Saturday nights. He invited me to jam.

About a year later I was waiting for a bus and heard a guy play some soulful harmonica. We talked. I invited him to the jam.

We all played together for five years and did a few shows. Then one Saturday the harmonic player got carried away and I decided I’d had enough and invited him outside. To him it an invite to fight.

All I was going to do was lock him out of the house, but he packed up, told the rest of the gathering I was the problem. One of us got the boot, and it wasn’t him.

Best Music Goals Met And Exceeded

Quite a while later, decades, I harped on my kid to play in a new band. It was him, his band’s drummer, and me joining up to play an 80’s prom night at my favorite watering hole.

My wife found three puffy shirts for our stage look.

We rehearsed my song list twice, and in spite of pushback that we needed my rehearsal time, did the dance. Ryan the drummer is a pro and knows how to handle nerves. He’s been on tour and kills it every time he picks up the sticks.

Tyler can play guitar like a whiz, which leaves the weak link. Me, which has never been an obstacle.

We played two hours straight, maybe longer, overcame tech problems, audience problems, and landed the whole thing safe and sound.

The top picture is after the show. Here’s why it strikes me: How many times have you seen pictures of couples, or people with their dogs, looking at each other and thought, ‘Man, I wish I had someone look at me like that.’

I nearly barked with happiness.

When I saw this picture I knew I was in the right place at the right time with the right person.

After being married over thirty years at the time, it was like we saw each other for the first time, again. All that was missing was a blue dress.

I can tell you, after singing and playing and pulling it off to the last note, a nice snuggle afterwards was the best encore. It felt like a Rock and Roll moment.

It was life affirming, which is always a good thing.

And even better, it was wife affirming.