Long Shot Maybe, But I’ve Seen It Happen

It could be time to play another gig. I’m fixated on the music this morning.
I was standing in line at the coffee shop the other day and the guy before me was discussing his band, so after he left, I asked the counterperson what the band was called. (Skyscraper by the way.) I told him I wanted to know in case they made it big, and this remark was interpreted as a slight putdown, since the counterperson said, “Hey, it could happen.” Oh, I assured him that I was completely serious. I never rule this sort of thing out, and I don’t. Not after what happened at the Questing Beast Tavern on Stark(around 30th) back in the day. (You know a lot of slang phrases are weak and annoying without any poetic charm. But I love the phrase “Back in the day.”)
Anyway, back then, my humble trio would play either the night before or the night after this other trio. I can’t remember which, but there’d be an afternoon move-out, move-in situation taking place that usually ended with both bands sitting down for a few pitchers of beer. When I talk about the purity of those times, I’m not referring to what we were on. I’m talking about the music. We’d sit around and discuss things like the importance of the pause or some chord for hours. We were soaking in the knowledge, even if we were soaking in the suds as well.
This other trio had a good-looking, clean-playing Bluesman out front. Actually, I say trio, but during one of our weeks there they added a keyboardist. I also had – at some point - a long discussion with the bass player, since that’s what I was, too, about trying to get them to cut loose more. They were too laidback and smooth, and I was more into high-energy mode. I also clearly remember thinking – wait, “clearly” might be the wrong word. I remember thinking, it’s too bad it wasn’t 1958 because this lead player could have been one of the great men of the Blues: Handsome, good voice, tasty leads, really authentic sounding.
I actually felt a little sorry for him that he had missed out. I felt we had a better shot because we were trying to do something new whereas this guy seemed like a throwback to another era. What he needed was to time travel to Chicago circa 1958.
Did you ever notice how - when you’re young - you sometimes have opinions that don’t stand up all that well? Later when I was watching Robert Cray performing on TV with the likes of Eric Clapton, I admitted to myself that maybe I had been wrong. Maybe things would turn out just fine for him.
So that’s why I never assume a young unheard musician has no shot at making it. I’ve seen it happen.