Lokal Weekend

Annie and I had a fantastic weekend. The only thing that could have made it better is if we had spent it together. She was (and still is) in Maryland, and I was in Utah. She will have to report on the fun and awesome things she was able to do, I will report on my adventures in the Rocky Mountains.

I went down to Utah for a wedding gig with lokalgrown. It was whirlwind. We also did a public concert on Friday night which we don’t do often. The concert was great! Like a big reunion. We were able to see a lot of old friends, and family members of band mates that we hadn’t seen in a long time. The wedding was a blast too. This all reminded of another GREAT MOMENT:

In the Spring of 2003, lokalgrown was just finishing our second album “A Thousand Times Yes.” We were contemplating how we would kick-off the release of our CD. The idea came up to play at Logan’s premiere venue, the Ellen Eccles Theater on Main Street. There are often two factions in the band, those who are a little more conservative, and those who think big. Some of us thought that was a ridiculous idea. Is there a more embarrassing thing than only filling a fourth of the seats in 1,200 seat theater? Not for a band. After some convincing we decided that if we were ever going to fill a hall, now was the time.

We worked our cans off, producing the show ourselves. We went to local businesses, got sponsorships, made posters, made flyers, built and painted A-frames, spent HOURS delivering flyers, and posting posters. We bought radio time and made a radio commercial. After all of this… we (or at least I) were scared out of our minds that this was not only going to be embarrassing, but also very expensive (a bad combination). We knew our friends and family would be there but that would only fill a fourth of the place.

That night people started trickling in. We waited back stage and nervously poked our heads out every now and again. The seats were filling. By the time the opening act was done the place was brimming! We were ecstatic! What ensued was one of the most fulfilling and amazing moments of my life thus far. We put on a great show and had SO much fun. I think I have never before felt so validated. Everyone has a buddy in a band, and it’s pretty easy to blow it off. For this one night, we weren’t just the “buddies” in a band. We were the real thing. We had a packed hall, a huge sound system, great and well rehearsed music. Perhaps the climax of the evening was a portion of Country Roads where we all stop playing and sing the chorus accapella. The rush I experienced while leading 1,200 people in a beautiful chorus of that tune is something I had never felt before and have felt only a few times since. Few things bring me more joy and fulfillment than facilitating a powerful shared experience through music.

This last weekend was an extension of that sensation, and I hope that opportunities like this will continue! Here’s to great musical moments of the future!