The Magic of Music, and How It Happens

The band that I play in—The April First Band—played a gig yesterday. It was a brunch benefit for a community nonprofit in Denton, Texas, a great music town that we’ve played once before. It is always a privilege to play in Denton, and especially nice to do a benefit for a worthy cause. And, given the age of some of us, a brunch gig keeps us from staying up too late, so it was all good.

The gig went great. The crowd seemed to enjoy our performance, and the band members thought we sounded good, too. It’s tough finding rehearsal time with jobs and kids and stuff, so we are not certain that we’ll be on our A game each time, but we were, yesterday, and it demonstrated a couple of things.

First was the magic and fun of music. Everyone in the room was smiling, including us, and singing along with the familiar lyrics. The food and drink added to the festive climate, and it was all a celebration of how music can bring life to life.

Second was the joy of a group of musicians being in sync. When that happens, it just makes you smile, and it feeds on itself, and it takes the band to heights we don’t often hit. And, the thing that makes it happen is the work of the guys in the band that get less attention—the drummer and the bass player. These guys, who generally languish in the back part of the stage, are the glue that holds every song together and that drives the band on the correct tempo that allows us to shine. When the tempo isn’t right, the whole thing falls apart and it feels like work. When it’s right, it’s magic, and let’s the lead guitarists and the vocalists and the front man (me) all do their thing and get the attention. These guys never complain, and they’re doing what they want to be doing, but as in many things in life, it is the unsung people doing the foundational work that make the whole thing go. We had a blast. Many thanks to Andy’s Bar for hosting the event to benefit Serve Denton.