If you have never heard of this group, do not feel bad. They were a group in the early 2000’s based outside of Sacramento California. It was two guys and a couple boxes of technology. They both wanted to make music but they both wanted very different things out of it. One wanted to get big, tour, the whole thing. The other had a family, didn’t like to leave home, and wanted to have a quiet life making funky music on the weekends. That was my take on it anyway.
Still, they made some pretty cool music. They might still be but the last time I saw either of them was sometime in 2006. I met them through a friend at the time and while they were cool, we never stayed in touch.
I thought of them the other day when I was thinking about how many non-professional musicians I have known over the years. Growing up I either didn’t know very many musicians, or so many of them didn’t talk much about it. Even in 6th-8th grades when I was most active in music at school, I didn’t know many outside of school and none of my bandmates knew, or wanted to know me, outside of band.
When I went to university, for the first time, I met musicians who lived in the dormitories with me. By this time though, I had set aside all the instruments that I had played and any that I still had belonged to my father. Still don’t know where that clarinet went off too. I can only hope that it found a good home with a collector or another student.
When I met my former friend at the university, I found out that he was interested in sound gear and like to help people record and perform music even though he was not a musician. I started to work with him in a collaboration that lasted about 20 years. While we did a lot of bar shows early on, small venues because he had to build up his gear, things really took off when he married into a Vietnamese family and boy did they love their karaoke. One of his uncles-in-law really sounded like Frank Sinatra…if Mr. Sinatra only sang in Vietnamese.
In the meantime, I talked with a lot of amateur musicians through the Internet. I love to listen to people play original works and I especially appreciate those musicians who have disabilities.
Several years ago now, I bought myself a guitar and a ukulele and then a banjo from a friend. I still don’t consider myself a musician but it’s fun. If I never go in front of an audience or a camera, that’s fine. I do have to finish some songs though and I have one in the works right now. Well, it’s waiting over there on the sidelines while I get some other things out of the way.
I wish I had the dedication that it takes to actually be good at an instrument but I didn’t pick this up because I thought I’d be good, I did it because I wanted to. Go back many years ago, a friend of mine and I were sitting around and I felt the urge to finally pick up an instrument again. It had been about 10 years or so since band. So, I asked if I could try one of his guitars.
It just didn’t click. I shrugged, thought, “Well, guitar’s just not my thing,” and then later bought myself a Korg O1/W. Oh, how I loved that thing.
Until I tried my hand at composition.
Then I became really depressed.
I had to sell it. I was pissed, depressed and I just had to get it out of my apartment.
The man in New Mexico I sold it to played it like mad and he was so much better at it than I would have ever been. That at least was a little bit of solace.
I still love keyboard synthesizers and every now and then I look at them but they require a bit more space than I have. Many years ago I did look at roll-up piano keyboards and, while that was very interesting, I was not sure that I would trust them. I imagine that they were mostly a novelty.
Anyway, several years ago now another friend needed money so I bought their bass guitar. After it sat around in the basement for a month I decided to revisit this old ghost and this time it clicked. They later bought back the guitar and I went out and bought my own acoustic. I wanted something that I could play that didn’t require a whole lot of other related hardware, amps, pedals, etc. In 2019 I even started Fender lessons which helped me a lot.
One of these days I’ll actually learn to play a song or two but I’m in no hurry. Music has been in my life in some way for a long time and I don’t think it is going away any time soon.
Being creative I think is part of what we are. We can let perfectionism get in the way of our creativity though. I stopped drawing because my ability wasn’t up to the arbitrary standard I set for myself. I stopped attempting to compose because I could not make the music I wanted to make, but didn’t really give myself a chance.
Music may not strike a chord with you but there are lots of ways to be creative and I recommend you explore them.
