Shinybass Journal Entry 06/17/22

This opening sentence is how I found my computer. Just the one line. As I read it, I know EXACTLY what I was about to pen. I started this entry on May 19 (my older brother’s birthday) because that is when I bought my first bass guitar. Yes, 38 years ago. The watershed moment. I may have had some grandiose celebratory journal entry planned about the journey of my life and the balance between good and evil and all God’s children and, yadda yadda yadda. 

But as I read the first line, I think of a lot ofother opening lines; the starts but no finishes in my lifetime. It’s really funny but there are so many more ‘incompletes’ than completes. Is that a good thing, or just a thing? Did I get lazy or sit back and redirect after realizing the first line wasn’t a good first line after all? 

Then my coffee-brain goes to even more first lines that made sense. ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst times…’, ‘In the beginning, God created heavens and earth…’, ‘With so much drama in the LBC…’ These lines set up everything so nicely. There’s something to be said for that. If you had a first line to describe your story, what would it be? 

Mine might read like this… ‘There are days before, and days to come, with stories written and stories yet to be, and none being able to cast a light on the most important day of them all – today.’ 

Keeping with that theme, we had a little jaunt up to Fargo (yes, North Dakota) for what’s called a ‘one-off’. That’s where you travel and just play one show somewhere in your trip. In our case, we had to take some long flights and leave a day early, which is usually the kiss of boredom. I will say that this trip was far from dull, I actually hit just about all my check marks on this one. 

We touched down and immediately went to a great local Mexican place for lunch, then it was fun time. This next tidbit is kind of weird/interesting, but it was cool to me. Roger Maris, the man who broke Babe Ruth’s home run record, called Fargo home. In the mall (yes, the mall where the elderly walk endless circles and the high school kids hang out by Hot Topic), there is a mini-museum of sorts, with some really great memorabilia from Roger Maris’ career. They had home run balls from Roger’s record-breaking 1961 season and a mock up of his game day locker. Being a baseball guy, this was perfect. Check. 

Speaking of baseball, the Fargo Moorehead Redhawks (Independent League) were playing that night, so we had a band outing and enjoyed some good baseball and perfect cool evening. For those that don’t know, my career path was supposed to be in minor league baseball in the front office before my college friends called me to play in a band. So baseball has always been a part of me, and seeing a game was the perfect end to a travel day. Enjoy the obligatory food pictures. 

The next day we were slated to be on site for sound check at 10AM. Upon arrival, not much was set up, which translates into ‘We don’t need you yet, Steve.’ That could mean one of two things: sit in the trailer for an hour or so waiting to set up or GO SEE AIRPLANES.  

It’s been a few years since I’d been to the local air museum, but I could see the sign from the show site, so why would I NOT go? 

Fargo Air Museum is a fine museum, with a couple of hangars’ worth of history, and absolutely worth the visit. It boasts a few gems, including an original Curtiss Jenny. Of the over 6800 built, there are less than 30 of these out in the world, and far less airworthy. There are other great planes as well, and the museum boasts some great collections from local aviation ‘celebrities’. Again, worth the visit. 

So I hopped back to the show site, played a few poorly chosen notes for sound check, then and then we hopped to lunch and a movie. MORE AIRPLANES PLEASE. Yes, we saw Top Gun: Maverick. They made a great sequel. And yes, airplanes. 

At some point in our trip to ‘The Gateway to the West’ (sorry St. Louis) we were supposed to do a show. The venue was the BBQ Festival, which is a big excuse to grill stuff and slather it with saucy goodness. It’s pretty crazy how an enormous parking lot can turn into a lot of fun really quickly. 

The rain had threatened all day, and by showtime the dark clouds reared their ugly heads. Rain at outdoor shows is all part of it, I suppose. One of my favorite concert moments ever was seeing STP at a festival in the rain and rocking into the night without a care. It’s not like my hair was in jeopardy in Fargo, so I say let it rain. 

The crowd was great, the BBQ even greater, and for a ‘one-off’ fly date, I believe I packed in as much as I could in the time I had. A couple of short flights (including a stop in Chicago) where I managed to track and capture a Chicago dog for the flight home. People LOVE that on planes.

Off the plane and off the to the yard, where the soccer goal is forever set up and awaiting little footsteps, which are becoming bigger and faster by the day. I do love to run around with those boys, and being outside with them is a perfect remedy to a long day of travel. 

And then I ask the question. Are there famous closing lines to books? ‘The old man was dreaming about the lions.’ ‘He loved Big Brother.’ ‘…and it was still hot.’. What is your closing line? The thing is, our opening line is written, but not our ending. It seems that is ever-changing. If today were my last on Earth, my closing line would be something like ‘and when the dust was settled and the air was finally out of his lungs, his brain fluttered between not the photos in his mind, but the warmth in his heart of the moments in-between.’ 

Now go write your own intro and story!

See you on the road.