Here's a quick rundown:
This past Saturday we did a show at the Drake Hotel on the west end. A truly fantastic night. For a long time I've wanted to be one of those guys... I'd go to shows with buddies when I lived out west. Some jazz combo at Earls, or in the Bassment. And I always loved it, but at the same time felt this pang of... blurgness... that I wasn't up there playing. Crawl. Then walk. I feel like Saturday was about finally walking. My set was to a somewhat empty room. Who cares. Friends were there. Up from Leamington, or in from various parts of the city. Maybe 30 people. I had a blast. Playing with Paul has been a lot of fun, and this was certainly my first true test. I'm new to this art of playing in an uncontrolled environment. Church gigs... house concerts... controllable. I do my own sound, my own setup.. it's on my own clock. This is a new challenge. Just get up and play, and be good, and make if fall into place. I think we did alright..
After that solo set I was back on to back up Lauren Malyon. If you haven't heard her stuff yet, you owe it to her and you. www.myspace.com/laurenmalyon. I felt like she really nailed it... great set, great energy. We had a blast. I love playing with that band.. so much talent.
After that, Paul's other band blew the doors off everything. www.myspace.com/therestlessage. Soooo good. And then a band I just met that night, Who's Army, closed. Great set. Very U2 was the buzz... major pro.
I love that night. Tons of great music, and so many friends. I couldn't walk through the room without high fiving a bunch of buddies, giving somebody a hug, and yelling back at somebody who shouted 'hey!'. Such a great energy!
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Immediately after that show, Steve and I drove home through the night to catch a morning flight to Orlando with Dad. Quoi? STS-129. Shuttle Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Centre, and we were there. We always do a yearly trip.. us guys. Usually it's an F1 race. This year it didn't happen.. Montreal GP was cancelled. So we'd been poking around for another idea. Steve and Dad being engineers, this was the perfect thing.
This is something you need to see. I can't aptly describe it. It is entirely inspiring and beautiful. The height of human achievement.. a moment in which you realize the potential of people working together at maximum capacity in order to achieve something extraordinary. I think all 3 of us were stunned with the moment, in spite of feeling, just prior, as though we had a good handle on what we were about to see.
At the moment of ignition, you're very aware of the fact that this missile.. this controlled bomb is carrying 5 human beings, and that they represent us. Which is to say... in that moment they aren't American, or Russian, or Japanese... one of the astronauts was describing his experience during a previous launch, and he said that the first time he looked down on earth from orbit, he was immediately, and unexpectedly, struck by the notion that there were no visible borders. He couldn't see the lines diving USA from Mexico or Canada.... there were no distinctions. Just humanity. Singular, and undivided. Incredible.
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Lastly, I've been busy with work. CTV is still strong. I'm starting a second project. Bartel Audio Recording. Fully mobile, fully pro. I'm really excited about the way everything is coming together. Over the past month I've been planning, organizing, and, more recently, building my rig. I plan on being up and running come the new year. For more info, go to www.bartelaudio.ca
Can't wait to pursue more music-based work.
I love the diversity of life these days. Part TV, part live music, part studio music... lots to be excited about.
I know this post seemed very business-like. Sorry... life's full right now. The majority of my current thoughts are on planning, scheduling, and doing. Philosophy will have to wait a bit.
In the meantime, up and to the right. This is fun.
JB
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