played down at the bar today, and
 

we have a bar just downstairs... i went for a beer today - already primed mind you. topic somehow came around to doing music ... they asked me to sing a bit. i did, even though i am like totally out of practice... went pretty well... folks were appreciative. passers by stopped to listen a bit too.

i felt really honored and happy, the more so that ppl seemed to enjoy themselves. i haven't played for a non-captive audience in a long time. a young guy (20's) especially paid me compliments for an original i played. that was especially real meaningful, but the whole thing was. then, when i left, the bartender/owner said he'd call me when they start doing live music in summer. (better get some practice in somehow!!! :o)

people do tend to request stuff in the local language, and i come up short in that, but i mean, american music (in english) is popular here, and even local artists sing in english, so, i guess i'll just to do my thing, if asked, which is mostly in english. :o

anyway it was unusual for me, and meaningful to me. just thought i'd share. :)

~ waves ~

Oh Waves your post made me smile and so wish I had been there to share the moment. But so happy you made others happy and shared it with us.

Grabbing the moment and giving of your talent, is so special, others like I that are shy and could not take on the talent or spontaneity, you brought a smile. A warm heart hugging smile today...:grouphug:

Thanks waves for sharing this! You made my day! I can just imagine you singing and playing, that's just fantastic! I am so happy you had a good time, you needed that! Way to go girlfriend! :D

Personally I think I was there.

Donna:grouphug:

that is awesome!!!!!
happy for you!!!
i bet you were great:hug:
thanks for sharing
bizi

Waves,
This is nice.
M.

thanks everyone! i hope i do get the chance to for a repeat...i wasn't even nervous - i had fun.

i do need to get with regular practice again though. recently i tried going down to the park at night to practice - all quiet and not a soul in sight. cold and damp but perfect for practice. we'll see if that keeps up as we get better weather.

maybe i'll go to the music school and see if they have soundproofed rooms i can rent on an hourly basis. now i have some MONEY with which to do that!!!

well we'll see. this morning i am sort of in disbelief like, naaah, he won't REALLY call on me to play at his bar... that would be too... like wow. people have short memories. well who knows.

~ waves ~

that is fantastic...congratulations.....
love
bobby

Waves,

That's SO AWESOME!!!!
I wish I was there to cheer you on!

I'm sure the owner will call. I doubt that they would just mention calling if he had no intention.

thanks Bobby and Kay :)

well... it's very informal like, they don't have my number... call ON me as in when we do music in the summer we'll have you in was the lingo, but yeah he said that spontaneously... i'll have to drop in somewhat regularly or they won't have a way to contact me LOL. not a problem. i've been having beer somewhat regularly. i can keep in touch.

we shall see. i don't want to get my hopes up. but it is a good motivator to get in some much-needed practice!!! just gotta figure out how/when/where.

~ waves ~

Bar downstairs is a NO GO
 

yesterday on my way home i was literally jumped on (grabbed, hugged and kissed) by three women, one being the bar co-owner, who wanted me to play for womens day - march 8th. they were all squealing and like jumping up and down.

so last night i snuck down to the practice in the park in the dark, but was seen and kinda hijacked by clients sitting at the bar's outdoor tables... despite some objections, i got hustled inside for a couple songs.. i played Closer to Fine (Indigo Girls) on request - they had heard me do it before. i was in a good mood, didn't screw it up, and it was a decent rendition i think.

ok so then the huggy kissy jump-all-over me bar gal comes up and says, wellll... okkk, but, now... could you play something UPbeat? hello????? i've always thought Closer To Fine was pretty upbeat, including my rendition which, other than being solo, does not wander far from the original arrangement. ok, i did the best i could to comply with a somewhat rockier (harder) and faster song ... her face during it told me my choice was "closer to worse". and it is a song i've had a *LOT* of success with in the past...
:confused:
so afterwards she comes again withe upbeat word... had she said "fribbledysquibbet" it would have as much meaning to me... she sits me down, pats my hand like she's my gramma, and and began to dish it out ...

------------------

she told me that until a few days, she knew nothing of me but when i would walk past, she would always notice me and wonder who was this strange girl. boy this girl is strange... on and on.

... i interrupted to tell her i had often wondered if folks found me strange, and smiled.

she went on to LIST some of my oddities.... who was this stranger, who
- wore a sweater that no-one would dare wear in 2011
- wore her hair all scruffy in a way no-one would dare wear in 2011 (ha! to think i'd actually gelled it... it was wavy, i thought it was nice - less scruffy than hers i thought)
- wore a hat which, guess, certainly noone would go near in 2011

i told her i wore what i liked, period. but her observations boiled down to saying that:

not only am i strange, but i am passe'. and we aren't even talking about music.... or are we?

change of theme, she went on to say, that when she first heard me play last weekend, whoosh, i all came gushing out.
**um, yah... on my planet we call that "getting into it" versus "performing mechanically"?
she said it was clear i was holding things in (how perceptive!) and would do well to let things out more
**Well sure! and the way i've always done that iiiiiis.... can anyone guess???

so thennnnn she tells me to come down to the bar in the day.... sit in the corner and write.
**Hah, with their rap/dance music thumping my brains out or the tv blaring? write. hah! when i do want to purely write, as in not music - letters to my friend perhaps, i go to the other bar, which is QUIET, lol, and beer is cheaper too. i told her i slept on weekends so she shouldn't be offended if i didn't take her up on her kind offer.

------------------ so what about the music?

it is a matter of style clash which most likely coincides with what the bar usually plays. some of the patrons did seem to like me/my stuff, others probably shared her/the bar's taste - or they would not be regulars there.

i moved on to the park all the same, wanting to sing my strange stuff in the dark.

i did for a while, then finally lost my pick, lost my rhythm, lost my umph, and finally cried... cried enough so i could not control my breath to just sing through it, and had to just siddown until i was calm enough to go home.

even though i keep telling myself it is a style clash, it was hard to hear all that stuff, and overall rejection still hurt. i do not think i have heard so many insults packaged as "advice" in a long long time.

~ waves ~ so much for so little :o

Dear Waves,
Do you have another pick? :circlelove:


Not to be dismissive of her or your feelings about your encounter with her, but she is a weirdo. At some point, you will be able to drop her from your mind.

She absolutely meant to be mean. She was beyond insensitive. She was mean and it had nothing to do with you. You were just the target.


Her talk about hair alone -- just that part -- clearly shows that she was out of line. Is she interested in you physically? I mean, who talks about hair??!

How often does she go to that hangout? Without her, the hangout sounds good for you during the non-rap hours.

I like the Indigo Girls' "Closer to Fine." I'm sort of guessing it is not hard to cover -- not a tricky song-- but great for listening -- and that you did great. It was a good choice because it is positive and like-able in the close setting.
If the weirdo wanted something other than folk she could have checked out the place on a different night. And no one put her in charge of taste or music except herself.

She was bossy and wanted to be heard. Maybe you were approachable and looked like a good listener. She had probably already annoyed everyone else at the place at a one time or another and you were "newish."

It is great that you stepped out of your cocoon twice now. :hug:
I think this is wonderful. Let go of her. This encounter was an outlier. She is not a part of your new path.
She was not the important part of the night. You did go with your guitar and you sang. :Tip-Hat: :Dancing-Chilli: :Grin-Nod:
That is fabulous.

When we are unsure of our footing, it is easy for one person /event to make us rethink the endeavor. Do not let her be your focus. Focus on the other people that appreciated you and your music.
I'm really happy about your music and want to encourage you.

M.

=-=-=
The interwebs almost lost this so I clicked send after I found it and brought it back. I hope it makes sense. Please focus on what you achieved that night.
Another way to look at this is more or long the lines of who gives a crp about whether she or another one else liked it. You are just getting back into your way. And doing it for yourself at least as for any listeners.

Maybe you are thinking of this too much -- if you don't mind my saying it this way.

Waves,
People want you. This sounds like fun.
Did you agree to play on Tuesday night?
M.

Dear Mari

i deleted/reposted to try and shorten - so some of what you quote is from my original wording (works all the same)... AND i value your responses...

OH MARI!!!!:ROTFLMAO: you crack me up! :D ... i have a JAR OF PICKS!!! ... different kinds, harder, softer, smaller, larger, longer, odd shapes, coarser, etc etc etc. and i can improvise a pick in a pinch with most everyday materials. besides it is not strictly necessary for most things... just gives a crisper sound. but i liked that one, i might go look for it. ;):cool:

she is the huggy-kissy-jumped on me woman - she is the co-owner who asked me to play Tuesday. so, all the time. this bar always plays that kind of music... rap/dance - and real loud... 6 nights a week, sports/news during the day, the 7th day they are closed.

yeah it is pretty easy and a really fun cover. if the audience knows it they can sing along too, or someone can pitch in with the harmony/duet parts.

yes, it was fabulous. while i was singing, it felt fabulous. i made mistakes and had to cover (no pun intended) myself but it felt fabulous all the same. i got into it all the way. maybe i scared her a little. whatever. she can keep her radio DJ crap... i'm moving on.

yes, that is true. Thank you so much Mari. I really appreciate it, and i appreciate you. ((((Mari))))

yes! absolutely! :D

~ waves ~

Originally i had, but as far as i'm concerned it's a no-go after last nights fiasco. during her final round of up-beating me (or beating me up :D) before leaving, i flat out told her i just didn't feel my stuff is right for their environment, not Friday, or even for Tuesday, if she bothered to listen. I doubt she will pursue it, but if she does, i will decline in similar words. She IS bossy and if she thinks I'M strange... she heard my stuff, acted like a groupie, only to turn about and gouge me in the gut after the same songs. I am NOT up for a repeat performance (i.e. hers).

maybe she figured out whatever she wanted to figure out or maybe not, but i did figure out my style and their bar aren't a good mix.

i also figured out i might have some volunteer listeners if i go out to "practice" in the park. if so, i might have to turn practice into performance - i do have plenty of stuff that, while not up to par is good enough that i can likely bandaid the mishaps on the fly. but it's a double edged sword as i do need a place to *just* practice, and to compose. you cannot sit there and play the same song over n' over or worse, the same 2 chord progression, with listeners.

so we'll see. while most parks have prohibitions of bringing instruments ours doesn't seem to... yet... it's a bit overpopulated by women with toddlers and infants at key times for me... but... we'll see.

thank you so much for your support!!!! (((hugs))) :):):)

here's wishing you a good saturday.

~ waves ~

Waves, if she talked to me like that they'd be finding her body in that park the next morning!

She understandably must have touched a few raw nerves. I would have probably cried too (but not until I disposed of the body)....

But who cares about what she thinks? She sounds like a totally shallow *****.

Like you said, everyone's taste is different. Personally, I'd rather hear the Indigo Girls than rap any day.
I'm glad you had such a great time playing- focus on that.

ROFLOLOL!! Thank you Kay.

oh you just cracked up so bad. yeah i got a little angry too but i more felt she was inconsistent and was irked by that. for the rest, it was like a shock wave, with force of impact delayed, you know? thank goodness.... i am glad i was fairly cool when i left the bar and was able to smile and reply nicely to some of the patrons that were calling out goodnight to me.

seriously, i really don't think she was trying to be mean. maybe i'm naive. i think she was only trying to be frank, and "let me in on something." LOL like i don't know.

yes it was a younger audience but some younger folks would not be caught dead listening to what is played in that bar, so there. she and her other half run the bar, so i suppose they play the latest and, in their mind, "greatest" and they had to get soundproofing because the condo complained. ha.

when i lived in FL and CA i did open mics a couple times, but always in these hole in the wall places that your lucky if they had an alcohol license (one was more of a coffeehouse). those were FUN but unfortunately in those days i didn't have the guts to go do it very often. and here they dont' have them.

i seem to be acquiring guts. maybe now i will be able to do something somewhere. :)

http://dl.glitter-graphics.net/pub/6...xahb1qyrvi.gif

~ waves ~

Announcement:
 

Waves is acquiring guts!
http://bestsmileys.com/cheering/5.gif

Look out world. :)

M.

I think she was trying to be mean because she was jealous...there were just way too many negatives...my two cents.
love
bobby

WAVES !!!!!!!!!! I find pretty nice that you sing and perform !!! I imagined the scene while I was reading (I know I dont even know what you look like but... hehe) and it was so nice and I felt so happy for you !!!

About that woman... OH.MY.LORD... I first thought you had encounter a girl from my lab... hahaha they are exactly like that !!! OFF topic, insulting ALL the time... Now you know part of why I hate them....
Inside me, I feel sorry for that kind of people, but I know that at the time of the "insult", they know how to make us feel mad and hurt... :mad:

Haha, I agree rap can be sooooooooo annoying !! and like you said, we have different tastes and preferences and I dont get why people cant get that and always like things their ways !!! :mad:

KAY: OMG, I loooooooooooooooved your post !!! haha, you smart girl ! :D I would have done something similar... but first, I would have cut all her body with small cuttings (She still alive) and then, put her inside a pool with acid instead on water... after that, the park thing... :winky:
With rap music on the background of course !!!! hahahaha I dont want her to complain you know...

Last but not least... WAVES: GIVE ME A **** PICK NOW !!!!!!!! I COLLECT THEM !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :winky:

Love you all. :grouphug:

Dear Mari

that was funny. yeah. i don't really know what's next. but we'll see. anyway you are a wonderful cheer leader. thank you again for all your support. :):hug::):hug::):hug:

Dear Majo

ROFLOL... cuts and drop her in acid! EEEEKS!!! man, you have to deal with ppl like that on a daily basis???? geeeez no wonder they have you stressed out. actually i was cool when i talked to her, i don't think i was hearing the insults (i was concerned with her jekyll-hyde dealy with one particular song. and when she started with the "strange' stuff... i was ehmmm, i got into like this mommy mode mentally. i felt like i needed to reassure her that however strange it might be, it was quite alright to do those things because i liked them. later, yeah, it hit me in a more literal way. and then, even later, i got a little miffed. but i am still not convinced it was about me... and if it was, well, HA. it's true, i'm me, so sue me!!! :D:p:cool:

maybe you could try some of thse thoughts on for size... when those girls come at you and verbally cut you down or poke fun.... consider that it's only natural, because you are different. they are a a bunch of cliquey superficial doofs, and you are YOUUUU, certainly would not want to be like them!!!!

many fond hugs to you my dear... keep the faith

~ waves ~

great minds think alike?
 

Dear Bobby

you know that did occur to me... but i went nahhhh. so now it's funny you should say.

but then, then jealous of what... the music? hmmm, maybe the intensity. she went on and on about how i need to express myself and then flooding out with the music. maybe that is what she is jealous of... coz i did let loose. but also, the superficial stuff... i wear the clothes i want, my hair the way i want, play the music i want and sing what and how i want. maybe she is too busy trying to be a 2011-cool-chick that she never gets to be herself.

so yeah, possible. i am not going to focus on her too much though. it was... interesting enough i must say. but i don't want the negativity to get to me. i may be more confident these days, but i don't want to lose my footing because of one warped person beating up on me. (or upbeating haha).

love
~ waves

Waves waves waves.... Where is my PICK !? :mad: Do you want me to do the acid thing !? ROFLMAO !!!! :D

You did the best thing... you my clever friend !!!

I too think that kind of people is jealous.... they are so frustrated about theirselves and can only attack the rest of the people... poor ***holes !!! theya re so annoying....

I love Mari the cheerleader ! :)

Much love dear all, have a great week !