Shinybass journal entry 08/20/21

Balance. Like the bike…

Well, we’re back. I mean, the bus is rolling, people are at shows, and (for now) we are green for go. It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights. It’s time to get things started…

And one would ask ‘Are you in playing shape’? A fine, fine question, since we’ve been out of it for 16 months. I will be honest, I don’t remember my bunk mattress hurting things much a couple of years ago. For all intents and purposes, even with the occasional miscues and wrong notes, we are back. We’re smiling a lot, and just trying to navigate, much like everyone else. Is it hard to be back out? Absolutely. Try sitting on your couch for 16 months then having to get back out. Those critters will grow on you.

But life is about balance. Truly. The balance between paying your bills or not, the balance between finding your voice and knowing when to listen, and the balance between good bass tone and great bass tone. I will post some ‘past posts’ that I didn’t post for whatever reason, and as I read back, I realize that I was sad yet motivated to do something. I managed to do a lot before we got back on the road, and now I’m knocking on doors I wouldn’t normally be visiting. In case you didn’t know, I put out a record under a pseudonym, Alex St. James. The name is a mashup of my kids’ names, and after years of playing on other records, I finally did one of my own. I will dedicate a whole entry to that process, however, I am only mentioning it because it is part of my balance.

I realized during lockdown that I need a few basic things to help with my personal well-being: To stay in motion, to always be creating, and to always be learning. To combat the endless days of waiting for the world to come around, I started this process of creating a record, and I found that with these songs, my balance was giving me focus and purpose, even if no one hears it. It would be mine alone, and I can say that I finished a project from inception to reality. That’s a pretty great feeling.

So getting back on the road has been slightly odd (does my stuff ((amps, guitars, fingers)) still work?), and also enlightening. I am back to my curious ways and trying to get out and see what I can see. This week we only had two stops, but they were pretty eye-opening.

The first night we were in Orkney Springs, Virginia, which is a dot of a hillside town with a long history of visitors because of its 7 natural springs. Widely regarded as having healing powers, the springs were the catalyst of the construction of 3 hotels in the mid 19^thcentury, and they are still standing today. Behind them is a large covered area, where they hold the Shenandoah Festival during the summer. And since it is close to mountain trails, has some history, and isn’t too congested with people, it was right up my alley.

I took a walk to check out the hotel, which is full of great art and artifacts from the hotel’s early days. That’s where I met Stan. Stan and I just started talking about local sights, then we talked of the road and touring, and he said he was in a dance troupe in the 60’s. He would get frustrated with his travel group because they would spend all day in their hotel rooms. He said ‘In Europe, I would wake up early and go to the train station. I would ask the ticket agent to send me someplace nice for the day. I saw the best of Europe that way.’ A man after my own heart.

I wandered up the road (at Stan’s suggestion) to the stone church known as Stone Mont. It’s a quaint little chapel made of rock at the foot of a small mountain. I followed a footpath past the church, and soon realized I was walking the Stations of the Cross – a path recreating Jesus’ path as he carried the cross to his crucifixion. Talk about putting things in perspective… I certainly was hot and getting tired with no water, and thought, ‘I can’t stop now’. At the end of the path sat a small tower and a large cross, offering a nice mountain view. Worth every step for the reflection and meditative purposes, even if I came back soaked with sweat. It is still summer, right?

Being out on the road allows reconnection with friends and family, and Virginia is great for that. We had a great crowd hanging out before and after the show, and although this wasn’t our first show back post-COVID, it certainly was the most fun I’ve had in a while. I am a big fan of the outdoor venues like the one we had that night. When the light mountain air showed itself in during our set, then the night was complete.

Day 2 found us in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 8 Seconds Saloon is legendary in country music circles, because I think just about every artist that has come up in the past 20 years has played there. It’s a late show – the headliner goes on at 11 – which is murder on us old folks. But you know, we made it.

The club isn’t situated near anything notable, but somehow on days when I don’t go look for fun, it finds me. I was walking back from lunch and saw a cool hot rod in a parking lot. I asked the owner if I could take a picture, and we started chatting. Next thing I know, I am in his car, heading to his house to see all his other cars, meet his Dad and Penelope, their pot-bellied pig. We talked cars and we brought the roadster back to the bus for the band to see.

2 days, 2 random conversations, and 2 random and very cool adventures. What did I learn? I learned that in this time of ‘separation’, we still have lots to talk about and offer one another. I also learned a lot about Orkney Springs, the need for more vegetables on restaurant plates, and that homemade chocolate chip cookies simply cannot be beat (thank you, Vicki!).

Just like the rest of the world, I really don’t have a great answer to what to do about our safety and distancing situations. I certainly hope that we can keep this train rolling. Follow the rules and we should all be ok. And that includes being nice to each other, even if we don’t agree.

And keep busy, as I am trying to be. As we all are in the middle of madness, let’s continue to do the right thing (you know, recycle, eat healthy, exercise, read to the kids), and we’re gonna be ok.

See you on the road! AGAIN!