"STOP...caring."
These are words I said into the camera when I was having a hard time playing and improvising. In a way, I'm trying to coach myself to calm down and focus instead of thinking of what people watching would think. My friend George Heid III made this into an amazing song that has since become my mantra, and with that attitude, I thought it was time to take the next step.
Inspired by YouTube channels by Adam Neely, Rick Beato, and others, I thought that, as a player and a TEACHER, I had some different and honest to offer that medium. I gave it great thought, asked a bunch of my most trusted colleagues, and even bought pretty sweet DSLR camera. That was 13 months ago, and as well all know, life happens. In this case, Coronavirus happens. It was time.
Yesterday, I played my first post-COVID gig, my first time playing with other people for money in public (socially distanced, of course) and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to launch the vlog that I had always had in my mind. I carried my cellphone with me to take videos of music and atmosphere as well as interview my colleagues who had also been sans live gigs for some time. I put it all together last night for the first time and took that leap with my first 'real' video, "3 Observations After the First Gig Back." That first Vlog post can be accessed by clicking here.
I'm excited to begin this journey.
