So the band I mentioned in the previous post – this casual project by my “eager and wonderful friend” is REALLY SOMETHING. I mean, we’re doing a specific kind of music (Yacht Rock, with some “friendly to the smooth vibes” songs thrown in), but it’s the very first time I’ve ever been in a band where the entire band geeked out about tiny little details during rehearsal, trying to get them right, and not one person in the band sat back and checked their phones or tuned out. Everyone participated in trying to figure it out. It was WEIRD. But kind of weird good, you know?

Now, I’m not in any way saying that it’s wrong when tune-outs happen in other bands – for sure instrumentalists dialing down on some subtle nuance when rehearsal time is at a premium is annoying and possibly kind of boring to everyone else not involved in working out the part. I totally understand that and have, on occasion, been “that guy” (though honestly not that often). But that didn’t happen a single time at this rehearsal. We’re all music geeks…and all excited about getting the parts just right.

To be CRYSTAL CLEAR: This new band isn’t planning on taking up massive amounts of anyone involved’s time, as we all have tons of other stuff to do musically. We’ve got five songs in process, and are working on the next ten for a rehearsal set for August. This is a SLOW process, but it’s definitely worthwhile. The best we’re hoping for is playing on a semi-regular basis and bringing the smoothness where no other band in Austin really does.

Rehearsal went better than it had any right to. We all complement each other very well. There’s not really a clashing of styles or attitudes so far, and some stuff came together so easy it was surprising. Of course, there were plenty of things that were disastrous, but it was the first time I’d ever played with any of them, save the one or two shows I played with David. Playing guitar again was a thrill. You never really know how much you miss something until you get to experience it again. It happened at Speakeasy when that crowd started singing with us. I almost started crying. Woodshedding guitar parts is really challenging, but it’s the kind of challenge I think I need to keep my mojo as a guitarist. Working on tight multi-part vocal harmonies is also insane and amazing, since I’ve never really done that to any large extent in any band I’ve played in. And Yacht Rock and the 70s stuff we’re tackling has SO MANY VOCALS. It’s great – I love the music, the song I can’t stand is growing on me pretty well now (this seems to be a trend the past few months) and I appreciate the opportunity and the challenges ahead.

My musical life is an embarrassment of riches. I adore my brothers Patrick, Alon, and Jay in Chandler and The Bings, and we’re working to make that experience even more awesome for people. And I feel like I’m set to make my relationships with my buddies Heath and David even closer and better, and forge new friendships with Chris and Matt as we take our “Gaggle of Geeks” to new levels of Yachty smoothness with Yacht Z.

My music meter is very full and happy right now, and I’m so excited for the next Chandler and The Bings show at Picks Bar in San Antonio on July 10th. I absolutely love that place.

I hope you’re all doing well. If you’re into the prayer thing, please send some out for my dear Aunt Eileen – she’s fighting cancer right now and could use all the universal help she can get.

Peace be the journey!
TMS