Pedals
Woke up to the sound of thunder and rain on the windows last night as a big thunderstorm rolled through the Houston area. I’m in town for the first of what I hope are many annual checkups on my repaired abdominal aortic aneurysm. I’m staying with my oldest son, the same son who came up last week to my place to chunk on guitars, and we did it again last night just for a bit before bed. He helped me work out some kinks in one of my songs.
I got to play some of my songs at a benefit concert yesterday in the backyard of two of my oldest friends. It was my first foray into the world of using pedals to process the sound my guitar makes before it exits the speakers. We hit a glitch during setup, but it got fixed, and I played my set without a hitch and people in attendance said I sounded good and I felt good, although I still wrestled with nerves and my guitar playing left a little to be desired in my opinion. But I suppose it’s always good to aim for improvement in life and guitar.
I have another, longer gig coming next month at Folkfest in New Braunfels, and the spring tour will be over. Then it's back to playing in my bedroom and around campfires, although I think I might seek out an open mic or two on the Q.T. just for the fun of playing amplified to people I don’t know. It seems a good way to test myself and my songs, to keep alive the youthful spirit of creation that props up this aging body.