Hittin the Ground Runnin'

How do I begin to sum up the last few weeks? So far, 2010 has been going very well musically, both creatively and gig-wise, I feel like I'm on the right track.....I've had a few experiences in the last few days that have been so affirming and positive. Even a random miracle or two to remind me that I don't write the next chapter, I just have to be ready for it, and know that no matter what others say or do, the good guys are going to win!
First of all, there was the marathon gig Upstart played on New Years Eve. Mozambique, a cool dinner club down in Laguna Beach, has always been a fun gig, albeit not as much recently, what with all the new noise ordinances,. But it's always fun to do a new years eve gig and to have a full strength Upstart. See, a few months ago, Mozambique was the main focus of a city council meeting in Laguna Beach. It seemed the locals were frustrated by the loud noise of late night partiers. The answer to this in the minds of city officials was to cap the number of people allowed onstage at one time. So now to play Mozambique, you can only have five people onstage...so I guess Motley Crue can play as loud as they want to....anyway...so it was three sets of awesomeness and merriment, the last of which was from 11:15 to 1am. I broke a string, and by the end of the night my left shoulder was killing me, but it was still 360 degrees of awesome.
Next up, a gig that a friend of my Girlfriend asked me to play. Radio friendly pop R&B style stuff; the interesting part is that the other musicians were all students of the VERY prestigious Bob Cole Conservatory of music......perhaps everyone goes through a phase where they are certain that they know everyone they need to know, but I never imagined that there were places you could go where they encourage this phase.....seriously though, the other players were very good and I had a ball playing with them.
the other thing the beginning of the year has been consumed with was prepping for my solo gig. This'll be my first full band, me in the lead situation and I'm pretty optomistic so far. I've only had 2 rehearsals, but they both went really well. It's weird, because my drummer is the store manager at my day job! Anyway, as I've prepared for it, it's amazing how well all the pieces have fallen into place. In particular I'm making reference to the creative side of things. I often worry about getting in sync with my muse, but so far, all the creative energy and ideas have been there as soon as I've needed them. What's that Randy? you say you think this tune needs a bridge? There you go! Damn, I never finished writing lyrics for the reggae tune...I'll just make 'em up while I'm teaching the guys the tune....got 'em and there they are! On the one hand, I'm really thankful...on the other hand, I'm kicking myself because the main reason I put off doing a solo project was because I told myself I had to wait for the ideas to come....What was I doing waiting for the finish line to come to me?
And finally.....awhile back I quit my tenure with a metal-funk band I was playing with....my departure was considerably less than amicable, and the acrimony that surrounded my leaving was pretty severe. Lots of bitterness. There has been a recent development in the aftermath however. I had a citizen dick moment! A review of the last show I did with the band was released in Music Connection magazine this month and they had some really kind things to say about me and the other fellas in the rhythm section.....the dudes up front though? Not so much....here are a few choice quotes
".....Elliott 'bigpop' lawrence pummels out basslines aimed at the chest and eardrums"
"While Year of the Dragon Possess phenominal musical skills that hold the band together, the two frontmen bring a sense of chaos that some might not understand".

If you're interested in witnessing the carnage in it's entirety , you can read the article at http://musicconnection.com/digital/index.php?page=57 . After spending the last few months in that band feeling so unappreciated, it was nice to have my contribution recognized. It may be small minded and petty, but I took no small degree of satisfaction in that review.
So here I am, a little under 72 hours till the biggest gig BigPop has played as a solo artist thus far. I got the songs, the band, and hopefully the fans. I'm optomistic, I'm pumped, and I think I might even be ready!