Yesterday Once More

The call came while I was in the Flippist Archives recording studio, rearranging gear, (actually I was trying to decide what to get rid of- it hasn't been used much lately.) The voice on the line was an old musical associate who was putting together a fund-raiser for his children's middle school band a few weeks from now. He needed a sound man for the eight-hour marathon. Having been "retired" from the music biz for several years, I told him I'd think about it.

There are some conflicting emotions at play here. Doing sound- setting up, running a mixing board, getting into the arrangements, going with the flow of the performers and audience, then tearing down- it was my way of life once. What was fun at 25 = half as much fun at 50? The equation doesn't exactly hold, besides, I'm 56! The best part of running sound is also the worst part- you have to listen to the music. It's as good as the players + chemistry + audience + venue will allow; the converse is true as well. When it's bad it's like a love affair gone wrong. There has been a load of bad Karma picked up over the years.

But this gig should be OK. A bunch of survivors, all good folk, with more than a couple of ringers. There is even a childhood connection in there. The cause is right, and the venue is as close to a "clubhouse" as this group of people gets.

Perhaps this will be the gig which will finally pay off all those old Karmic debts.

So I said yes.