Thursday, November 6, 2008

Bail Out Your Boat

I wasn't looking to win
I was just looking to play
I wasn't looking for riches
At the end of the day

I'd been mulling over this blog for a while now, and since the little record label that could has pulled the plug, I guess this is as good a place to start as any.

Folk singing is a comedy of errors in it's practical absurdity, yet I love it.

~
Cardinal rule #1 of playing a songwriters contest. Don't freak out on stage. Follow that, you probably will do as well as anyone.

And even if you don't win, at least you didn't lose. At least they would never announce it. One would think. Witness a good friend, who really was just looking to get a little stage time and ended up hitting lighting in a bottle. Second place! Truly a grand achievement. But, then the unthinkable. They announce there's been a mistake. They proceed to announce that they got the order completely backwards. Sorry my friend, you got second to last.

I didn't feel real bad for the person that got "third," as they apparently had the good sense to bail out much earlier. For the first place winner, I felt terrible. For my friend, I felt sick

Once a rogue troubadour
Now a broken down poet

It was at that very point at that very day, that the decision was made that you've truly got to take this thing with a grain of salt. A big grain. Like sea salt. While its a real privilege and one of life's great pleasures to play among friends to a great audience

And on the good nights
It falls into place

there are going to be times when it just goes crazy bad, and the drunk at the end of the bar cannot wait for you to end your set

And on the bad nights
You fall on your face

Actually folk singing is more errors than comedy, but I still love it. I relish the futility. I love knowing that no matter how hard I try, the bar will always be so high, that it will be a struggle to get by, and I know that there will be a reason to wake up and grab the coffee each and every morning. It's a bucket that will never be full. It's a boat that will never be bailed.

You're damned if you do
And you're damned if you don't
Better pick up a bucket
And bail out your boat

These are the stories of some folks I know, some that they know, and a few you know. These are reviews of under the radar records you may not know, but will want to hear. This is news of shows you'll want to check out, and reviews of those you've missed.