By: Ken Boone Last week, I told you of a bad experience Celia and I had that helped us decide to become a musical duo. To refresh your memory, our participation was marginalized at a Christmas Eve service. That slight, or closed door, created the opportunity to find our musical calling as a duo. There was a part of me that did so out of spite. You’ve heard people say, “… yeah, I’ll show you”! You’ve probably said it a time or two, if you were pissed off enough. While I realized that going the duo route was the way to go for us, I still flirted with the idea of adding more pieces to our “group”. In fact, I continued to make overturns to musician friends, with no takers. In the meantime, Celia reached out to her contacts about us playing. You guessed it. We started getting bookings, with several them were paying gigs. In the succeeding months, Celia and I played many church services, big and small. We played at weddings, an occasional funeral, and outdoor festivals. We were well received, but part of me didn’t believe the hype! I thought, “If we were so good, how come no one wanted to play with us”? In the meantime, we were getting a lot of love from a lot of people. In fact, a couple of dear friends donated a PA system! We packed that system, along with Celia’s 88-key stage piano, my bass guitar, microphones, and cables into her 2008 blue Suzuki Reno. And that was for a one-day turnaround gig. We really had to improvise if it we’re an overnight engagement. I haven’t thought about Old Blue in quite a while, but boy was he faithful to us. When I first met Celia, I was driving a car that was slightly larger than hers. I got that car as a result of trading in my big, beautiful Chevy Avalanche due to a severe economic downturn I was facing at the time. Now that truck would have solved all of our problems, with heated seats thrown in for good measure! But again I digress. That little blue car safely transported us, and our gear, all over North Carolina and parts of South Carolina. But I wasn’t satisfied. I’d find myself lusting over every SUV, minivan, and old school bus I saw on the highways and back roads heading toward our gig. I’d drool in the parking lot when I saw a vehicle with a small trailer attached to the back. I had to have a bigger mode of transportation, a bus, in Ken-speak! I nagged Celia about it constantly; along with the imaginary band complete with background singers I first introduced you to in my last post. I told you I obsess over things. You’ve been warned. Well, Blue hung in there with us until health issues restricted our traveling plans. It was then when he showed the effects of going above and beyond, carrying more weight than he was designed to carry. It was then when he told us enough is enough! When we traded him in for what I expect will be another four-wheel ally, I thought about all of the places Blue took us. I thought about how he soldiered through a busted a/c unit, a car stereo with a non-functioning volume knob, with the constant purchasing of new tires. I also thought about the laughs Celia and I shared before and after each gig. How we mastered the art of nailing a performance without the need for rehearsal. How we would accidently play the song in the wrong key with the audience being none the wiser. These are memories we’ll keep with us forever! So, “yes” we are a duo. And “no” we don’t need a bus! We’ve got each other and Ebony, our new 9-year-old Toyota Corolla to get us to where we’re called to go. That’s enough for me! Unless we run across a sweet deal on an SUV, minivan, or school bus which happens to be Blue! But wait... there's more!
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About the AuthorAs owner of the Descant Music & Media Group, Ken is a creator and producer of several podcast shows. He is also a music producer, as well as a writer and an accountant for small businesses and nonprofits. Archives
June 2020
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