I'm still playing, thanks to you
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| Performing at Wabeno's Big Easel Gallery and Bistro, April 29, 2023. Big time was had by all. |
Dear people who still make a difference in my life:
Thank you. You don’t know what you’ve meant to me for
the past couple years.
For five or six years, I rarely played guitar. Maybe
three or four times a year, never for more than 30 minutes. And usually not at
home.
During that dry stretch, I played only at family
events: Mom’s birthday party in her Crandon apartment building, every year
until she died. Sister Marilyn’s funeral in April 2016. Brother Terry’s
memorial service in October 2018.
And Mom’s funeral in July 2020.
I didn’t feel worthy of playing in public. Didn’t know
if I’d lost any skill, but I wasn’t going to let an audience answer that
question.
To be clear, it’s a privilege to play “Rock of Ages”
or “In The Garden” during a time of mourning. Those songs heal wounds incurred
by losing a loved one. I’m honored to do that again, if asked.
But I wondered: Is this what I want to do? Do I want
to be “the guy who plays at funerals”? Are there still other options?
The answers to those questions are profound to a newly
retired person.
I thought about selling my amplifier and my PA system,
around the time I transitioned from full-time employment to something less than
that.
I might have been borderline depressed. Moving from leadership
positions to a position of anonymity will do that, I bet.
So, I stumbled and struggled.
And then I was asked to play.
Early in 2021, Joan Flannery — my late brother’s bride
— asked my brother Luke and me to play in the “Music in the Square” summer
concert series she organizes in Goodman, in northern Marinette County.
It turned my musical world upside-down.
I learned how to play guitar as a kid by listening to
Chet Atkins, and by watching Luke. He’s almost 10 years older than me, but he
was a fine player as teenager, and he’s still a fine player at age 75.
In 2021, Luke was recovering from carpal tunnel
surgery, so he declined to play in Goodman.
I played the non-fee, tips-only gig as a solo act, as
I’d done many times since 1978. Actually practiced. Actually cared. Relearned
songs, rearranged a few others.
HAD. A. BLAST.
Saw old friends, played old songs, chatted and joked
with a mixed-age crowd of 60 or so who only wanted to listen to music. Laughed
a lot. And the tips were great.
Got me thinking.
I played the same event in Goodman last summer. Learned
a few new songs, rearranged a couple more, played as long as they’d let me.
It was a hoot. The tips were even greater (that
matters).
Got me thinking harder. Should I do this more often? Work
on it harder? Expect more from myself? Try to get actual paying gigs?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Hell, yes.
Through the help of Wabeno-native friends, I got in contact
Tim and Connie Friesen, who own and operate Big Easel Gallery and Bistro. They
also organize a summer concert series in Wabeno’s bandshell, on State 32 as you
pass through town.
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| Playing at the Wabeno bandshell, June 7, 2023. Photo by Gregg Tallier. |
The concert series is what I was after. But they wondered
if I’d be interested in a gig at the Big Easel, and asked me to send samples of
my work.
I did. They liked. We agreed.
On February 18, 2023, I had the most fun I’ve ever had
with a guitar in my hands. Every other gig is tied for second.
Twenty-five listeners and I had a superb time,
chatting, singing, exchanging tart and saucy comments, laughing, challenging
each other, and generally enjoying a winter night in a century-old lumber baron’s
expansive place.
The Big Easel has a great vibe, and Tim and Connie are
amazing hosts in this quirky, unusual northern Wisconsin venue. They deserve
your support for whoever’s playing there or whatever else they’re up to in
support of the arts, and that’s a lot. (The Big Easel is on Facebook.
And they’re available at 715-889-1179.)
I was hooked. Again. Had forgotten how much fun it
could be to perform for an interested, engaged audience.
I came back to the Big Easel on April 29, to play for
another supportive group, and enjoyed an equally fun night. On both nights, neighbors
from our lake made the 50-minute drive to see what the old guy could do with a
guitar and a voice, and they seemed satisfied with the results.
Old friends from decades ago showed up at both gigs to
eat, drink, listen, occasionally heckle, sing (quietly), clap, giggle, etc. … you
get the drift. Mirth, merriment.
I was hooked even harder. And was happy to be back,
plugged in and ready to play.
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| It had been a while since my name was up in lights, even LEDs. Photo by Tim Friesen. |
But first … tomorrow night, June 24, at the Big Easel
for an outdoor show. Dinner is served at 5 p.m., with musical stylings to
follow. I tend to focus on the music of ’70s singer-songwriters, with a good
share of Atkins-influenced fingerstyle guitar.
It works well for a certain demographic, let’s say.
I’m back in Goodman, where it all re-began, on
July 19. And another Wabeno bandshell gig on August 23.
Joan, Tim, Connie — and everyone who’s shown up to listen and support this lifelong habit — thank you.
You’ve helped this
66-year-old erstwhile entertainer believe in his abilities again.
Bless you.
Dan F.