ADVERSITY STAGE FOR THE WIN

The adversity stage was set for a beautiful Oregon afternoon in the woods.

Why adversity?

Cannonball Adderley:

You know, sometimes we’re not prepared for adversity.

When it happens sometimes we’re caught short.

We don’t know exactly how to handle it when it comes up.

Sometimes we don’t know just what to do when adversity takes over.

And I have advice for all of us.

 

Me: You have advice for all of us on the adversity stage?

CA: Yes, everybody. It comes from my pianist, a tune that sounds like what you’re supposed to say when you have that kind of problem.

Me: We all have that kind of problem most of the time.

CA: Mercy Mercy Mercy.

 

The adversity I faced Saturday afternoon was packing and unpacking the stands, chords, and amp for the adversity stage.

The music gear I’ve collected over the years filled the back of the car.

It’s been a while since the last gig.

 

The Music Question

Where is the adversity of learning songs and practicing enough to stand up and play?

If you’re asking, maybe you haven’t done it?

Luckily there are music people out there who know the answers.

One is my bandmate David.

He was one of a group who met at a storytelling workshop.

He told a story that included playing his saxophone.

Saxophone? That caught my attention.

With the last class on the horizon I asked if he’d play back-up to my last story while I played guitar.

He agreed.

We rehearsed for ten minutes before class and pulled it off.

We put in more rehearsal time before taking the adversity stage together.

Ten songs and stories later, we pulled it off.

Half the class came with stories.

They inspired the audience to share a story.

I was inspired to stay in tune and on time.

 

What else made it special?

David said, “This is what people did before everyone had a screen in their face.”

Setting up a show in the woods took some doing, although it was only five minutes from my neighborhood.

Clean off the tables, blow off the floor, hook everything up. (I forgot my backpack full of cables. Hey Elaine.)

Months and months ago, maybe six months, The David set a show date. Plenty of time for things to go wrong.

But they didn’t. I see that as an omen.

Instead of a Saturday afternoon of drinking weekend beer, watching Book TV on C-Span, and doing yard work, we somehow made it to the date.

With the Music- Story – Music format it had the feeling of ‘Let’s put on a backyard show.’

 

Building Community

The adversity stage transformed into the hope stage as the show progressed.

I was already in the hope stage after breaking the music down to what I can play, then adding some swing.

 

My kid: Don’t do too much. Be a listener.

 

That’s good advice no matter what you’re doing.

One horn and one guitar and singer is pretty bare bones basic, which is my favorite.

If anyone can make you stop and listen with the basics, you might hang around for the next song.

What’s next for The David?

Rent a van and tour, what else?

Or recruit my recordings whiz kid and lay down some smooth tracks.

If we do that, the recording man will have us sounding like a big band.

It’s all about recruiting for the best outcome.

Here’s what I think will happen:

The David creates a new fusion category that mixes guitar hooks over long sax notes, and sax hooks over long guitar notes with everybody going full-tilt solo to a crescendo-chopping end like the Beatles song with twenty-nine pianos.

Here’s what did happen: For three hours The David joined the ranks of plein air live music.

In that time we were part of Busker Nation, part of the road crew, part of music preparation.

We had the same audience you’d find in youth sports: Parents, grandparents, kids, dogs.

Call me sappy, but doing anything that brings people together with wine and snacks on a Saturday afternoon is my kind of time.

I hear what you’re thinking right now: ‘But that adversity has come up and I am not prepared, I don’t know what to do.’

I’ve got some advice for you. It starts with Mercy Mercy Mercy.