Day 1---”The Little Voice that Could”
So I might regret posting this picture, but...my facial expression basically sums up how in shock I am that I ACTUALLY MADE IT. That I’m DOING IT! Wait, what am I doing besides taking ugly selfies and blogging on tumblr?
For those who are reading who are totally clueless as to who I am or what I do (which I am sure is a good percentage of you), you can call me Gayle. I write music. I play the guitar. And I try and really dedicate myself to it, the guitar, I mean. The songwriting I am mostly laissez-faire with letting it develop, but I really push myself on the guitar. My music is available for listening ears on Reverbnation.com/gayle4, and you can find links to my social media on my very own website, gaylesmusic.com.
My song, “What Else” was produced and engineered at a large studio, by a very professional and experienced fellow rockstar, and it is now being pushed out to stations along the East Coast of the U.S. by manager and promotions fellow. And here I am, driving across Florida for a couple of weeks, promoting the single and winning the hearts of millions....or a few hundred. Or a handful at least.
I’m not sure if this blog will last after my tour is through. But I am willing, now, to expose myself to the people who might call themselves my fans, and show what I have set myself up to do, and how I have presented my songs, my artistry, to the world....the world being a couple of cities in Florida. No big deal.
Today being my first day that I set out, I spent most of my thinking time being completely awestruck by what I was doing. Flabbergasted, really. I was leaving my home that night to drive two hours to a city and spend the night at a friend’s house, play shows all of that week and subsist on food I had packed. I was to also somehow drive a stick shift truck, which I had been driving for less than a week, some 800 miles total. And go to cities I’d never been in before.
But I made it. I made it to my first show tonight, in Dowtown Sanford, at a bar and restaurant by the name of West End Trading Company. I lived in Orlando for two years, so I had been to this place before. I knew the host, a good friend of mine who did sound for me at a couple of my shows. I ran into some other old faces as well, and some new ones. And I met the first creep of my trip (of course), about 2 minutes after I had walked into the bar.
He caught my eye as I walked through the door and extended a hand.
“I need you in my life”, he said.
After a couple of lies about where I was going and where I was from, I made my way over to a table and watched my friends perform before me. The place was very crowded, which excited me. A couple of years ago I might have been nervous, but now the crowd only filled me with anticipation.
Remember how I was saying that I really dedicate myself to my guitar playing? Well, I try and exemplify that in my solo acoustic performances, even if it can be a bit tricky to do so. For this performance, I wanted to use my loop pedal...which would overdub my guitar so that I could solo over a recording of myself. And usually it is a hit or miss, with the volume on either the recording or the guitar being too loud or too quiet...but after a good soundcheck, I managed keeping up with the pedal really well.
I had about twenty minutes, and I started out with some Red Hot Chilipeppers, and then some original songs, “Damned if I Do”, “Optimistic” and “What Else”. I started with faster, more upbeat songs, and then mellowed it out with my slower songs. Always catch an audience with an upbeat song first, preferably one they know...and I certainly caught a few peoples’ attention. And a warm reception from the crowd after each song.
If I had been on this tour any sooner in my life, I wouldn’t have had the experience or knowledge to pull it off. Or skill. Only recently have I been happy with my voice, and have been consistently able to project when needed. Only recently have I been able to manage a loop pedal in a live performance. Through countless performances in the past, I have made enough mistakes to know what works and what doesn’t, how to catch the attention of the crowd and make some memories for people.
I was able to personally connect with few souls after my performance and show them my website. My business cards won’t be ready until Friday, but personal connection and authenticity with people trumps any fancy marketing scheme in my book.
I stuck around for a while and enjoyed the social life, but then headed to my former roommates’ home to spend the night. I only stalled my stick shift once...maybe twice. Getting better, though.
So my first night out was a success. I have a roof over my head, I had food. I took a hot shower...and I’m slowly falling asleep writing this.
For those keeping up with me...I will be sure to include more pictures next time. You’ll have to forgive me, this is my first shot at blogging. But I’m really happy to have made it this far, even if I feel like my voice or my art is so miniscule compared to the rest of existence...I’m making strides, and nothing will ever be the same from here on, I hope
“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring”--David Bowie R.I.P