Travel Journal Entry 4
Monday March 14, 2022
I am writing this week’s journal retrospectively as a summation instead of writing as the weekend goes along. I am doing so mainly because of the riding situation. So here I sit outside in the orchard at home trying to recall events of a whirlwind gig trip.
All one-day gig weekends are physically stressful mostly because they almost never happen near home. Usually those gigs are five to six hours away at the very least. This sets up the ol’ drive and ride for a quarter of the day, set up immediately upon arrival, get changed and stuff down food (if there is any around), perform, immediately tear down while getting changed back into normal clothes, ride to the hotel, sleep about four hours, head back home routine. Not a lot of time for settling in and typing out all of the thoughts of the day. Just enough time to get things done that are required for earning a paycheck.
This wasn’t always the way. At one point we, musician friends, would get to destination gigs a day early and go find things to do and then stay there for a day or two or even a week until time to head to the next gig. Mr. Wes Loper actually shared a photo to Brandon Whigham and me, this weekend, of his old sailboat. Man, the fun time I got to have with them on that boat.
I do miss that freedom of not having many responsibilities and the means to explore new places and build amazing friendships. Mainly I miss having the physical dexterity and energy to go do things like that.
Now I can’t even imagine having enough energy to do anything but sleep and ache after a day of snorkeling with Neil and Eric, boating and fishing with Wes Loper and Whigham, or cooking freshly caught fish (that Wes and I caught earlier in the day) with Les Hall prepping the food at midnight and having everyone over at four in the morning after their gigs were over. Everyone sat around and unwound until the sun was almost directly over our heads.
Let’s not forget the two year on-going every Monday night jam session at The Garage after party that was always hosted by Ryan Balthrop and Kenny Lewis. They allowed for us to have straight up cookouts in the backyard that started around five o’clock in the morning. Everyone in the entire Mobile, AL music business that was awake would come hang out as Kenny, Glenn Siggers, and I took turns grilling and whipping up dishes. We knew how to have a good time and build lifelong friendships.
Nowadays, its just get there, play, go home or go to the next gig. Friendships are still made but not the way the used to be. In your forties it definitely feels more like a day job. I luckily have good coworkers so I do not feel like I am working a 9 to 5 type of gig. But, somedays I certainly miss sitting around a Waffle House or Denny’s table in the wee hours of the morning sharing stories and the happenings at the gigs we all had that night.
I digress. It snowed. I got up extra early for the trip after going to bed extra late. A lovely sight to wake up to unless you are an early bloom in the orchard. Now you are deceased and wilted. Pretty, still, but you are fragrant no more.
There were some funny things that happened on the journey there. I accidentally clobbered a five year old with a Starbucks bathroom door. He ran hard into that closing door. Poor little guy. Caitlin witnessed it and laughed but was able to restrain the sound of her laughter. I apologized to the kid and his dad then immediately laughed. Emotionally I felt bad for the child but visually that shit was hilarious.
This weekend was a good crowd and was fairly easy to make function. That’s all I can remember at the moment.
I hope that you have a wonderfully fabulous week and that you find happiness, even if in small bits, everyday.
Good Day!