When It's Good, It Feels Good

I was never an athlete or musician, I have always been a performer. I think I latched onto it at an early age because it was the only thing, out of the many things I tried, that I was good at. Every once in a while you find yourself in the those moments on stage where you hit a groove. Where things start happening without effort. You find yourself in an effortless type of flow. Athlete's call it the zone. I don't know what musicians call it. For me it's like being totally in the moment but also detached from it, floating above it, in actuality doing nothing and just being a conduit for something other. You can see every move, you can anticipate and feel every laugh, groan, and gasp.

My parents were in town tonight to see Deep Schwa and Prime. Schwa had a good show, the past couple weeks it feels like we've been on something of a streak, getting back in the rhythm of things, the cast fitting together. The show ended a little early before we could tie everything together but all in all a good show.

Craig was out of town in Austin and I asked Vince and Sabine to sit in with Prime. It's odd to perform on Sunday's without Craig because I always identify Sunday night shows as his shows. He is always a constant, stabilizing, joyful presence. I was nervous for the first time in a while. Excited to play with my friends who I don't get to play with and to perform for my folks in a show they had never seen before but nervous because I wasn't sure it would go well, without Craig I wasn't confident.

I've found though that nerves more often than not give you an edge- makes you present and sharp. The suggestion was Mississippi River and we were four southern boys heading down the river to get some revenge. The show was great. It was such a joy to have Sabine and Vince play with Brett and I. Sabine has great timing and is always good for a one liner or a seemingly effortless joke. Vince plays big characters and has the most phenomenal reactions. I caught myself a couple times just watching and appreciating Vince reacting to things. Brett was open and welcoming and was a great facilitator and instigator of fun in the show in addition to his normal quickness. The show came together in a very organic way and I think all four of us lost ourselves in it and had a blast. As the show progressed the audience got caught up in the infectious energy. Because of the holiday tomorrow it was a packed crowd and I think we all ended on a high.

It was a great show. One of the rare ones where you derive a great deal of pleasure from very little effort. It was the perfect show for my parents to see and I am grateful for the entire evening.