Hello, goodbye!
I know I’m a bit late getting to this, but forgive me. I’ve been a busy little retailer these days. Now that the holidays are finally behind me, and the mall is once again empty, I can take some time to reflect about the year that has passed.
I won’t forget how 2011 started, nor will I ever forget how it ended. On New Years Eve Eve of 2010, my then cover band The Magnetics played a cover show somewhere in Overland Park Kansas I believe. It was a fun show, but I definitely missed not having my woman there. She was back in the Saint Louis area, patiently awaiting my arrival. So the next afternoon, I decided to surprise her and drive back to be with her on New Years Eve. As I left KCMO, I scraped ice of my windshield and prepared myself for the long, hungover three hour drive down I-70 East. It was gonna be a long morning, but worth it.
As I’m sure you all know by now, I couldn’t have anticipated what I was actually in for. That day, December 31st 2010, there I went from 30 degree temps to almost 50 in a matter of hours. As I drove, the sky turned increasingly green and there were storms all around me. It was a truly tense few hours, and I never thought I was going to be home. When I did finally arrive in Wentzville, the tornado sirens were going off and the news was talking of touchdowns everywhere. What a way to start the year, a freak December tornado. I should’ve known.
Then, in January we had a blizzard that closed down the Mall for the first time in history. It was insane how much wind and snow we received. I won’t ever forget that day either, as it was the day I first watched the movie Inception. Not exactly sure what that has to do with anything, but I thought it was worth noting. So yes, a wicked start to 2011 indeed I would say.
Then of course, there was my tour with Antennas Up/ Tommy and The High Pilots in April. Easily one of the most fun things I have ever experienced in my life. If anyone is in a band right now that is either just starting out, or sometimes gets jaded because they feel under appreciated, I’m here to tell you to keep going. I would hop back in that van any day of the week. There were shows where we drove for hours, got paid nothing, had to unload all of our gear in the freezing cold, sleep in a Wal-Mart parking lot with five grown men in a van, and even days where we had nothing to do but use free Wi-Fi for eight hours at Panera. Looking back, it was a grind. But I’d rather do that than work a 40 hour a week job anytime. It was truly a grand experience, and made me appreciate all of my friends in the business who do it for a living, that much more.
Then of course, the best thing about the tour. In Denver CO, I got a text message that changed my life forever. A text message from my wife that was simply a picture of a positive pregnancy test. We were told we wouldn’t be able to have children, and then on the road with my band, I get that message. How ironic. Living it up in Denver, but knowing this very well could be your last go in the music biz for a while. I won’t ever forget that trip. Though I do miss the road when I look at my gal, I know where I need to be.
And then of course, there was my gal being born on Thanksgiving to close out the year. You can read all about that in my previous blog. 2011 definitely was the year of Lucy Rose. Within three months, I started a new job, had a child, and did another Christmas season at the mall. Needless to say the end of the year started just like the beginning, with a tornado. But, in a good way. Already Lucy is outgrowing her newborn clothes, and she is just a month old. I can’t imagine how big she’ll be in just one more year.
In 2012, the only thing I really want to work on is music. I am for once in my life by myself in that area. A somewhat scary place to be. I have always been in bands and had people to bounce ideas off of. But now, it’s just me running the show. So, I’d like to really work hard and but out an EP to share with all of you. Even if only one of you listens to it, it’s good enough for me. The point of writing now is just to do it, not because I think I will sell a million records. But because it’s what I love to do. And I want to be a good example to my kid. Let her know that following your passions is always going to be alright with her old man.
Here is to the new year. Happy 2012 everyone. Until next time.
-B-
