Turns Out Playing Music Is Fun

So we played, I think, April 8 in Austin, TX. And then last Friday night, which was May 22, in Twisp, WA. In between, I don't think I played one note of music, not so much as plinking on a piano. I am certain that is the longest I have gone without playing a musical instrument in about 30 years.

Ah, dangit, just remembered playing my sister's mini birthday guitar when we were over there babysitting their kids. Okay, so it's the longest I've gone without playing a musical instrument with the exception of five minutes on guitar in about 30 years. The basic point remains the same. It's been forever, and it's never been forever before.

I've been doing it so long, I often honestly feel like I can't answer whether I still want to be doing it. It's like anything else, I guess. Do it often enough and at least some of the specialness will fade. Like when you hear professional athletes say they just didn't have it a certain night. And you're thinking, geez, you get paid $Xmillion per year to play a game and get hero-worshipped and yet you somehow couldn't get it up tonight? Why don't you try rice farming in China for a year or so and see if bringing it every night to the ball park doesn't seem that unreasonable an expectation?

There are definitely times when I still absolutely love it. When it's good, it's still better than any other job I can imagine having. It's just when it's challenging, and you're far away from your loved ones, you wonder. On balance, all things considered, do I still want to do this?

I didn't actively miss it, during my personal record breaking absence. I did notice I started cranking tunes on my iPod instead of listening to podcasts, or listening to the rock station in the car instead of sports talk (of course, the Canucks had been eliminated, so my data here could be skewed -- but there did seem to be some sort of trend).

And then we finally took the stage again. Even though we were running really late due to border delays so there was some of the sort of chaos that tends to deflate gigs. And even though the crowd was not huge, and the show never really blew up. And even though the wife and I were having cell phone problems, which made the already terrible situation of sleeping in different towns that much worse. Despite all those things, I pretty much instantly felt sure that I still want to do this. I don't know exactly how the band's going to move forward, what with Trevor's baby here and mine on the way and a lot of miles already behind us. I do know that it seems people are just as interested in coming to see us play as they ever were. And I think I know that as long as anybody's interested, I still want to get up on stage and play music.

At least from time to time.