Do you know who this man is?I have recently emerged from behind the shelter of my "I-don't-really-play-all-that-many-solo-gigs-anymore" shell to perform what is becoming something of an annual event.
Yes, I've played for pre-schoolers again. How bad-ass-rocker is that?
It seems now that every year one of my children (or perhaps their mother) lets slip that not only does their father (or husband, depending upon who it is that actually squealed) play guitar in a band and lead worship at a church (it is a Baptist pre-school, after all) but he also has an extensive catalog of Veggie Tales songs at his disposal with which he is proned to entertain his children for hours (well... minutes actually, they are quite young and short of attention span; and let's face it, I'm not all that captivating) on end. So weeks of discussions about schedules and whatnot led to my epic three song set at Porter Memorial Pre-school today.
As far as gigs (at least the ones that I am likely to get with my apathetic self promotion abilities) go this one was not so bad. The children can't tell the difference between me and any other guitarist, so it could have very well been Allan Holdsworth who came to their school for all they cared. Actually, they probably thought I was cooler than Allan Holdsworth, because I was "Maggie's Dad", which apparently carries with it a great deal of inherent credibility.
[Editor's note- It is herein acknowledged with much regret that no school aged children, whatever their grade, are unlikely to consider Allan Holdsworth as anything other than "some old guy". However, to the writer Allan Holdsworth is regarded quite reverently as being perhaps the absolute coolest being to have ever walked the planet and one of the most amazing and influential instrumentalists of all time. It is for this reason that Allan Holdsworth is mentioned above in the manner in which he is. If you are unfamiliar with his work, do not let me find out about it. That would subject you no more hours than you would likely prefer to spend listening to a master guitarist incomparably perform his craft. Ask my wife. She'll tell you.]
The pre-school gig is far better than some of the other gigs I've played in recent years, ranging from the "solo-acoustic-coffee-shop-gig-for-tips-only-yielding-roughly-seventy-five-cents-in-nickels-as-payment-after-playing-unaccompanied-and-without-a-break-for-the-last-three-hours" gig, to the "it's-for-a-good-cause-so-why-not-play-an-hour-and-a-half-set-outdoors-in-thirty-degree-weather-while-ill-to-the-point-that-singing-is-a-great-yet-totally-unintelligible-adventure-and-oh-yeah-did-I-mention-the-next-band-no-showed-because-of-the-weather-so-could-you-possibly-play-for-another-hour-you're-such-a-good-sport" gig, to my all time favorite gig as the opening act for Karaoke Night at a Louisville pub. [Editor's note- This in no way indicates that I either engaged in the performance of or endorse in any way the engagement in karaoke. My band was merely booked to play at the pub on the same night of and to play immediately before Karaoke Night. We were the "warm up" act. The clientelle of the bar engaged in that unfortunate practice. We did not.] That was my brother's last gig as my booking agent. He would argue that it was a success because we did actually get paid. I've never in my life needed money that bad (well... apparently that isn't completely true; we did play the gig, after all).
The point (insomuch as there is a point, I guess) is that as the years have passed, I have found myself not needing to prove myself by gigging all of the time just for gigging's sake. I now do it rarely, and for fun. I can not imagine much more fun than playing for a group of my daughter's friends who honestly could not tell the difference between me and a rock star. They honestly would not have been more impressed if (let's pick somebody who's actually a "star" this time, instead of one of my idols) John Mayer came to play for their class. It doesn't get much more "rock star" to a group of four-year-olds than knowing how to play Veggie Tales songs. And they're one demographic I don't mind playing to.
Yes, I've played for pre-schoolers again. How bad-ass-rocker is that?
It seems now that every year one of my children (or perhaps their mother) lets slip that not only does their father (or husband, depending upon who it is that actually squealed) play guitar in a band and lead worship at a church (it is a Baptist pre-school, after all) but he also has an extensive catalog of Veggie Tales songs at his disposal with which he is proned to entertain his children for hours (well... minutes actually, they are quite young and short of attention span; and let's face it, I'm not all that captivating) on end. So weeks of discussions about schedules and whatnot led to my epic three song set at Porter Memorial Pre-school today.
As far as gigs (at least the ones that I am likely to get with my apathetic self promotion abilities) go this one was not so bad. The children can't tell the difference between me and any other guitarist, so it could have very well been Allan Holdsworth who came to their school for all they cared. Actually, they probably thought I was cooler than Allan Holdsworth, because I was "Maggie's Dad", which apparently carries with it a great deal of inherent credibility.
[Editor's note- It is herein acknowledged with much regret that no school aged children, whatever their grade, are unlikely to consider Allan Holdsworth as anything other than "some old guy". However, to the writer Allan Holdsworth is regarded quite reverently as being perhaps the absolute coolest being to have ever walked the planet and one of the most amazing and influential instrumentalists of all time. It is for this reason that Allan Holdsworth is mentioned above in the manner in which he is. If you are unfamiliar with his work, do not let me find out about it. That would subject you no more hours than you would likely prefer to spend listening to a master guitarist incomparably perform his craft. Ask my wife. She'll tell you.]
The pre-school gig is far better than some of the other gigs I've played in recent years, ranging from the "solo-acoustic-coffee-shop-gig-for-tips-only-yielding-roughly-seventy-five-cents-in-nickels-as-payment-after-playing-unaccompanied-and-without-a-break-for-the-last-three-hours" gig, to the "it's-for-a-good-cause-so-why-not-play-an-hour-and-a-half-set-outdoors-in-thirty-degree-weather-while-ill-to-the-point-that-singing-is-a-great-yet-totally-unintelligible-adventure-and-oh-yeah-did-I-mention-the-next-band-no-showed-because-of-the-weather-so-could-you-possibly-play-for-another-hour-you're-such-a-good-sport" gig, to my all time favorite gig as the opening act for Karaoke Night at a Louisville pub. [Editor's note- This in no way indicates that I either engaged in the performance of or endorse in any way the engagement in karaoke. My band was merely booked to play at the pub on the same night of and to play immediately before Karaoke Night. We were the "warm up" act. The clientelle of the bar engaged in that unfortunate practice. We did not.] That was my brother's last gig as my booking agent. He would argue that it was a success because we did actually get paid. I've never in my life needed money that bad (well... apparently that isn't completely true; we did play the gig, after all).
The point (insomuch as there is a point, I guess) is that as the years have passed, I have found myself not needing to prove myself by gigging all of the time just for gigging's sake. I now do it rarely, and for fun. I can not imagine much more fun than playing for a group of my daughter's friends who honestly could not tell the difference between me and a rock star. They honestly would not have been more impressed if (let's pick somebody who's actually a "star" this time, instead of one of my idols) John Mayer came to play for their class. It doesn't get much more "rock star" to a group of four-year-olds than knowing how to play Veggie Tales songs. And they're one demographic I don't mind playing to.
