This new trio gig at Grille 116 is great for a couple of reasons.  It came at the perfect time for the band.  Even though Matt and Al and I have been playing together for a while now (10 years or so for Matt, and even longer with just Al), we’ve always wanted a regular gig where we could just play and work things out together.  The timing just has never been right, nor the venue.  Then, in the wake of the uncertainty at Grace, suddenly, one of the lines in the water bobs, and you think you might have something.  This was it.  Perfect time for the Grille, and perfect time for us.

The gig was perfect timing for me, personally.  At this time in my life, I have committed to pursuing music, with the mindset of following any reasonable lead that comes our way. Now, a regular night gig is a little challenging for a guy with a day job and a family of 6.  But I’ve talked with Mary, and we are in this together.  She knows that the schedule may be weird, but we won’t sacrifice family time.  We’ll just find it in other places.  She’s cool.  We’re happy.  As long as I can manage it well, it feels like it will work out.

Beyond the timing aspect, the gig itself is a fun one.  Saturday nights are super-intimate (I have a 3-piece kit, once cymbal and hats). I play the gig almost exclusively with brushes, until the room fills up, and starts drinking.  I am so used to rocking out on the big stage, playing virtually as loud as possible, so I was a little worried that this wouldn’t be as fun.  Happy to be wrong about that.  It’s a blast playing with some restrictions.  There are no temptations for fills and complication…the gig calls for the utmost in simplicity.  We simply have to find the groove with as few moving parts as possible.  I love it.

Playing quietly (but intensely) is a lot of fun, and it also provides a great bed, hopefully, for the soloists.  Matt and Al are freed up to just let it rip, which is great.  They’ve been playing as well as I’ve ever heard.  It’s fun to be a part of making that happen.

But, man, I’ve been using some different muscles, for sure.  Funny thing happened last week.  We were playing a kind of Brazilian samba and I was playing a shaker pattern (16th notes) with a continuous up-and-down swipe with the brush in my right hand.  Then, I played a clave-type beat with my left.  I thought it sounded great, once we settled into it.  I had never played that beat, that way….ever!  So, I was really sweating it for most of the song.  Then Matt looks over at me, then at Al, and they give me a break for a solo!  I’m thinking, “NOoooooo.  I’m barely hanging on here!!”  It was so funny.  No solos for the whole night, except for the one song where I’m improvising a beat.

Those little moments seem more visible for some reason.  It’s kind of like the detail you pick up when you walk along a street that you normally only drive on.  I’m glad I don’t only play at that volume level, but it is certainly an expression that I’m having fun exploring.

Can’t wait for tonight.  See you at the Grille.

Adam