CREATIVE SPARK: DRUMS, GIUTARS, BASS, AND STEW

A creative spark hung in the room while two guitar players worked it out.

They decided which key to play in, set the tone and tempo, while the bass player and drummer listened in.

“Sorry to take so long,” one guitar player said.

“Not a problem, you’ve got go pick it out,” the drummer said.

And that’s how it’s done. But there’s more:

Long time fans of boomerpdx have heard about the creative process before.

There’s no boiler plate for blogging, for creative writing. It’s like doing a cliff dive: gather up your confidence and go.

And there’s certainly no One Way to the creative spark of music. It takes time.

Time and practice. That way when a group plays together they have an idea of how to start.

Lighting The Creative Spark

After playing in a group, the same group, for five years, I got a good look at other people’s creativity.

We played a professional gig at a Cinco de Mayo party. We were a blues band working the I IV V half to death. No one danced until we took a break and someone put their favorite band music on.

When we returned, everyone sat down. The band gathered to talk about it instead of playing. Except one member saw their chance and stepped up to play Pink Floyd to save the day.

One by one the rest of us joined in and made it better.

One player took over unexpectedly and the rest followed.

If you’ve ever written poetry, or tried, then you know how this goes: You get an idea, a feeling, and start writing it down.

At some point in the process you’ll struggle to find the right word, and when you do, it changes the whole poem. That creative spark flames up because you were already working.

It proves the notion that you can’t wait on inspiration; it can show up when you’re already working it out.

Feeding The Creative Spirit

When a group gets together the idea of food eventually comes up.

There’s two ways to go: Pretend you’re surprised that anyone is hungry, and as hungry as you. Or be prepared

Funny how the hard creative work of the mind goes straight to the belly.

So, instead of pizza delivery, I made a pot of stew ahead of time.

If you think you want to start a band, here’s the stew recipe:

Brown a pack of beef stew meat in a big pan. You’re not cooking it, just browning it to avoid turning it into shoes leather. Heat up some olive oil, brown it up, then put it aside.

Did I mention the mirepoix? Chop up a bunch of carrots, celery, and onion, and throw it into the emptied beef pan without cleaning it up. Mmm, mmm, extra flavor.

Saute the vegetables and boil some potatoes.

Add everything together in a big pot with two cans of diced tomatoes with juice, one can of V8 juice, a cup and a half of vegetable broth, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, splash of wine, and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring it to a boil and let it simmer until the first band break, then ladle it up.

It’s home cooking at its most basic: comfort food. A band on the road would never eat like this.

Last night the home band tuned up, tanked up on stew, and let it rip.

I told them about my friend Susan and asked if they keep a memory of someone in their music.

They all understood.

They all had someone they wished was here.