A week ago, at nooon is a small town about 15 miles up the road, we debuted an idea I've been pondering for some time a mixed show of music and the spoken word. The setting was in the smaller of two dining rooms in a very laid back restaurant, with no electronics. The format was three short band sets, separated by two spoken word segments of about 50 minutes each. A fascinating thing happened when pre-teen kids from the next room would come and stand in the entry to see what was going on. They just stood there, enthralled, until parents called them back. Here is what I sent to the particpants the following Friday.
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At slight risk of under statement, this past week has been one heck of a week for me - running on adrenaline from the Sunday show for the first few days, and then just caught up in a surge of activity in the work place, with scarcely time for a sandwich and a beer in the evening before succumbing to the quiet revelry of the pseudo-womb. Now, finally, with an opportunity for a bit of peaceful reflection, I want to express my most sincere and humble thanks to the "People of the Spoken Word," who individually and collectively helped launch what I sensed as a reawakening of a very ancient cultural thread, one long neglected in our fair community. The magic that I saw and felt lay mostly in our responses to one another - we didn't just act like we were having fun, we really did have fun, and it showed in every thing we did. Just think what we could do if we actually had a place more conducive to modest staging, and a chance to actually rehearse and practice playing off each other. In my mind's eye, I was lost in a place where a close-knit community huddled in the fire-lit darkness, sheltered against the world, and listened and learned from the spirits of those who had gone before.   Awe-struck by tales of heroic deeds; rib-split by the humor of everyday life for those who dare to live it; tear-stained by the swings of raw emotion reflected in the words; and energized by the simple courage of those who survived centuries of evil and yet live in the words of their bards. I apologize if I come across here as overly melodramatic. It was just an incredible experience for me, thanks to all of you, and I can't wait to do it again. Back on solid ground here in the real world, like any other live show, the were things we did very well, and a few things that give us room for improvement, but the overall effect, for me at least, was most gratifying. Thank you all.
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My question here is have any of you done such a thing before, what was your experience like with it, and were you able to sustain it. Your thoughts and ideas will be appreciated.