An Amalgamation of Insignificant Details

Getting to this Humpday’s post a bit late in the game, sorry.

I have a good excuse. Yesterday I went to a show. I figured, being that the class I’m taking is about sound engineering, that it would be good to take advantage of opportunities to watch sound-y thing even more often than usual. And would you know that last night I could name at least three of the mics onstage? And would you know that I was nerdtastically excited to note that there was less wind standing three inches from a PA as tall as I am than standing 15 feet from the CD-sized hole in the kick? Man, they push a lot of air.

Everyone we know showed up. And my iphone survived it’s first concert event (though it was a Tuesday night and I had already been at work for eight hours and in lecture for three, so I was not what one might call hyphy):

Because I’m a crabby old lady, things don’t usually seem quite worth it the next day when I’m exhausted and my work day is reduced to making rubber-page-turner finger puppets lip sync to music, but I’m glad I went out last night. It was a great show.

We saw 31 Knots. Check them out if you haven’t heard. They are three: guitar/vocal/headliner, bass player, drummer. The bass player is … blah … because, well, he’s a bass player. How much can you do with a bass (don’t get all in a tizzy – I know you can, but most people don’t)? And the lead guy plays well, writes lyrics that say something he is passionate about, and has a whole act – we’re talking costumes and the works. And his act is sincere; he’s intense and he means every sweaty ounce of the performance he puts on. I studied theater, and I can certainly appreciate a good show, especially when there is passion to back up the message.

But my favorite part of seeing these guys play is the drummer. The bass player can run around and try to get in on the act a bit, but drummer man – he’s just at his kit. And he doesn’t play it cool, and he doesn’t try to charm anyone. He just gets up there, takes a deep breath, and humbly earns it throughout the whole set. He must know these songs so well, his muscles must be so used to the stamina required to complete the set, and yet each time you’re just not sure he’s going to make it. How many people work that hard at their job? It’s spellbinding. I once had an acting teacher who said, “Why do hundreds of people show up for theater and thousands for sporting events? Because athletes don’t hold back – they give one hundred percent.” That’s this dude. The Hundred Percent Drummer.

And if that didn’t make my night, this did:

Friend 1 came up to us and said:
Oh man, some girl just walked into that window because she thought it was a door. It was crazy.

We chat for a second and then make our way to the stage and run into Friend 2 on the way:
Hey! How are you?
I’m good! Except I just walked into the window and I totally am going to have a bump on my head!

We look at each other, and Friend 1 walks up:
That’s the girl!

I know it’s horrible, but how could that not put a smile on your face?