I wouldn’t be surprised if in the next couple of weeks, we close the door on the Clear project. We played a performance at The Fast Lane last night Friday night and although we had a good time, something melancholy is gripping the band and my heart sunk a bit because I really like sharing this musical experience with such talented players.
There’s not a specific reason that any one of us can cite as to why this may happen. We’ve never got very serious about the project, but we had a good time. Heck, we still never had a band picture or demo tape. I know bands evolve from situations like this and I’m certain everything will work out like it’s supposed to, but for the most part, we didn’t bring up in the latent drama. Instead, we opted for a good time.
The last time we played The Fast Lane, some crazy women made a fool of herself. This weekend it was “Race Weekend” in Bristol. Thousands of NASCAR fans scattered all over the city and we weren’t sure what kind of crowd we might draw. We hadn’t rehearsed since our last performance and I was a bit worried about the energy, but things came off “alright” and maybe that’s what saddens me the most.
Our performance was fair considering the circumstances. We met at the bar, had a few drinks and dutifully performed a set that seemed to gather momentum as the night transpired. There were some great moments and I’m still amazed at Jared Bentley. He was recovering from a week of coughing, but that didn’t seem to affect his performance. Sometimes during the music, he refused to let go of a sustained high note and I’m still in awe of his talent. Over the past few years, I’ve worked with some great players, but he is certainly the most intriguing personality on–stage and a great performer. He rarely hesitates…
The disconnect has been brewing for a while. On the one hand, we all enjoyed playing music. To some, that means playing out as much as we can considering our adult schedules. Others want to create original music and that’s allright with me too, but our rehearsals were so short and it might take a miracle to create anything worthwhile in our short sessions.
We’ve got two more gigs on the books and we’ll play them both – and have a great time. This coming Sunday, we perform with Rob Russell and the Sore Losers for a party at Virginia Intermont College and in a couple of weeks, we take the stage of Borderline Billiards on Friday night at Bristol Rhythm and Roots.
We could be playing all the time and have gigs from Boone to Knoxville, but I’m not certain that will happen with this arrangement of players. I’m really not sure what to do either. It’s hard to book a band when everyone’s not excited about the work and lately, I feel like we’re barely evolving. We’re playing just about the same set list as a year ago and although everyone respects everyone else, there’s doubt in the air.
I know by now that these changes lead to greater vistas and for now I’m considering an inward focus on my own music. I miss playing improvisational music and feel I need to stretch myself a bit more to accomplish what I hope in my days which continue to wane.