On Occasion, Guitars Are Not All That....What?

Ok, well I said it. Yes, it is true for me. From time to time, I am bored to death of the the onslaught of guitar photos and guitar stories I get on my social media feeds. How many Olympic white strats can one man look at? In fact, sometimes I think there are only a dozen or so photos of Olympic white strats on the planet. We just keep sending them to one another as if we just snapped it in our living room and posted it seconds ago. Listen, I am not saying that strats are boring or that Olympic white is not a great color for a strat. I am simply saying that even the most dedicated guitar heroes among us need to branch out a little.

I have included recently in my feeds other points of interest. Of course surfing, of course dirt bikes, of course skateboarding but also recently some art stuff, and poetry stuff as well. I'm just trying to add some variety to my interactions with this world. In turn, I have found that it adds dimensions to my guitar playing that I have not previously experienced.

The art I have started looking at is of various subject matter. I have found that it gets me thinking about what colors and what mindscapes might enter my thoughts as I am playing a particular guitar passage. The poetry I have started reading gets me thinking about writing good lyrics again (as if I have previously written a good lyric).

You have heard me make reference to the musical life and the guitar lifestyle. Honestly, I had not really put as much thought into those phrases as I should have until recently. So, this really can be a musical life. Tying a variety of interests and experiences into our music really does make it a life. A lifestyle if you will.

I try to keep these posts short and to the point. Most often it is to just share or a thought or encourage you to contemplate something along with me. Join me then in this if you will. What other interests can we incorporate into our musical thoughts? Can we find a way to make our interest in bread making or cake decorating improve our guitar playing? I think there may be ways to do so. If we give enough thought to it, we can combine so many of our interests into a cohesive personality or lifestyle. Look for a way to make it fit. Most of all, lets pick our head up and look at something other than the fretboard. Its a big world. And a beautiful one.

I Was Into Them Before Anybody

Welcome back to Overdrive Chronicles. Its been a bit since my last post. No promises about the future but I hope to be checking in with you more often. I pray you all have been in good health and that you are continuing to listen to and enjoy good music.
As always, when you are in the Austin, Texas area, come check out my rockin' cover band Big Wig.
Also check us out at www.bigwigband.com
We are always glad to see you and hear from you.

Today I went for a great bike ride in sunny Round Rock, Texas. My iPod shuffled to some live cuts from one of my favorite all time bands, Duran Duran. It only takes the intro line to Hungry Like the Wolf  to take me right back to my high school days when this band broke the scene. Funny to think about now, but there was a time when Duran Duran was quite unknown. One of my best buddies, Wes actually turned me on to them. One day at school he asked if I had scene the video for Rio. I thought that was the bands name. He said he could not remember the band name but the girl in the video was smokin' hot. Of course, I was glued to the set when I got home, waiting for this girl Rio.
He was right. She was (and still is) smoking hot. But something else grabbed me about that whole Rio experience.  It struck me that I was really on to something new and exciting. I was listening to a band that was not even on our radio stations yet. It's like I had this little secret. Of course in reality, those videos were being played to millions, but still I felt a privledge of sorts. Like I knew something nobody else did.
The next day I drove to Craig's Record Factory in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was THE place to get your records and tapes. I searched the bins for my new favorite band but to no success. Yep, Dylan was there as well as Rick Deringer ( we alphabetized properly back then. Not by first name), but no Duran Duran. I found a floor person who, with much attitude, told me she had never heard of Duran Duran.
Oh, honor of all honors for a music fan! They had never heard of it and would have to special order it for me. What! Im that cool? Yes, I am that cool!!
Enough of my self glorification from the pathetic glory days. What I am saying here is that all bands start somewhere and often come out of nowhere. Not enough of the time though these days. Take shows like The Voice and American Idol. These performers (musicians? well.........) are all over the TV before they cut there first album. Oops, I mean CD. Oops, I mean download. Im not really interested in seeing how somebody makes it until, well....they make it.
The last time this happened for me was Kings of Leon and before that it was Black Keys. Now they are household band names, but they were not always. I remember asking people if they had heard of KOL. It was great fun telling them about the music and that they should go and check them out. I fell more connected to the music. More connected to the art.
There is nothing like the joy of being able to say, "Huh? Oh yeah, Duran Duran. I know them. Of course I do. I was into them before anybody" Jonathan Hardy, circa, 1982 or so?

Check out my boys above. Still look smashing. Still playing and recording. I knew they would make it.