Holiday tour planning never really stops when you are an independent musician.
holiday tour launches in a week?!?
It's that time of year. The new 2024 COOL YULE Big Band Experience holiday tour launches in a week?!?
You all know what it's like to launch a "project" - whether you've started a business, assisted your church or raised a child. It's hard work and long hours. And there are always a few personal "whys" that drive your particular story.
For me, I've come to the realization that I like travel, I like people, I like singing, I like building something, and I love ADVENTURE! But perhaps more importantly, I've also come to realize that I like searching for that one moment every night when I am transported, when I abandon where I stand and go somewhere indescribable.
I only realize this out of body experience has happened when I "come to." And as I said, I'm usually not sure where I've even gone. Am I lost in the words? Or memories? Or some tangled web of emotions or dreams? Did I focus intently on words? Or the melody?
I try not to nail down the origin story of any of this for fear it leaves me. All I know is that minutes have elapsed, and then I've once again returned to the stage.
To be clear, it's a wondrous experience. I chase this moment again and again. And I believe some people in the audience have a shared experience. Every neuron seems to be firing in synchronicity.
I first noticed this phenomenon when I recorded as a kid at Junior's Motel. (It's a semi-famous recording studio housed in a chicken coop in an Iowa cornfield.) I'd sing karaoke tracks or backing vocals for a local band. And typically, I'd finish the job and hang with the crew. But every once in awhile, I'd sing a take, open my eyes and realize I'd finished without remembering a line. Looking back, it was a rare occurrence. And at the time, I never really considered this "transportation" as anything other than losing myself in the movement of a song.
But now, I am consistently reminded of my continuing search for this elusive "drug." And I am reminded weekly because of people's questions after each performance. "Where did you go when you sang that last song?" "What drives all the varied emotions?" "We were moved. Where are you pulling this from?"
So this holiday tour, if I finish singing the last notes of "Joseph's Song," and I only notice Theo's fingers lift off the piano keys because the previous 3 minutes have disappeared, I will smile to myself. I've done it!
And if you notice a small crooked smile on the crazy blonde guy bouncing around the stage this winter, you'll know I'm back.
See you on the road!
