Jun 22

Written by:
6/22/2009 

We've taken to making our lives plainly open for all to see. Thanks to Facebook (and now my eponymous web address), people I haven't seen in 15-20 years can see what I'm up to, what my family looks like, and what I've done with my life so far.  Granted, you have to be interested, but if you are I don't have much to hide.

When you choose to live a life as such, you choose to be on display at nearly all times.  Follow my tweets to find out what I'm thinking, read my facebook posts to see what I think about what others are doing and thinking, read this blog to get my in-depth thoughts.  Of course, it wouldn't be tough to unplug all of this and go back to living privately - and sometimes I might linger on the thought a little too long.  But this is fun and I love keeping in touch with people from the past and present.  Plus - I'm just vain enough that I think that people might care.

I'm also a guitar player who, once each month, plays onstage with the band at my church.  It's a decent sized church with around 1000 people in attendance for each of three services.  Being in the public eyed obviously doesn't bother me, but during these services I'm located safely behind a group of singers and other musicians.  It's very much a team setting where the parts add up to the whole.

This past weekend was Father's Day.  So they decided to boost the "man quotient" of the services by peppering in some classic rock music that was guitar heavy.  Namely, we played "Sweet Child Of Mine" by Guns 'n roses and the unparalleled classic "Freebird" from Lynyrd Skynyrd.  This was a VERY upfront weekend for me and I wanted to take full advantage.

From my experience, guitar players are their own worst critics and I'm no different.  I make a lot of mistakes that perhaps only I catch (although I know any other guitar players out there will catch them too).  So this past weekend, knowing I was going to be a very visible (and audible) part of the presentation I spent extra time learning the songs almost note for note. 

I did this for a couple of reasons:  1) I didn't want to look like an idiot and 2) There was a CHANCE that some dude has been sitting out there wondering if he should take the next step and try out for the music team. Now sitting here the following day, it occured to me that Mr. Guitar Guy could be sitting there every weekend thinking the same thing. Yet, I don't put in nearly the effort on most other weekends.  If I did, perhaps this guy comes forward and is rewarded with the same experience that I get each time I play.

You just never know who is watching at any given time. At home, at the office, in the park, etc.  Somebody is bound to pick up on what you're doing and draw some conclusion or take an action based on what they see.  Performing at your peak at all times is not only prudent...it could lead to bigger and better things.

Think about it - what if Slash just happened to be in attendance yesterday?  Then, maybe I'm the new guitar player in Velvet Revolver.