KINDA SHOT BUT WORTH IT

I don’t even know how to begin this blog. My mind is racing 200mph, but the rest of my body is still sleeping. But like the pro I am (or was), I’ll just type away…

Ready?

After a month of helping out the cover band Supernova, I was asked to do one more gig on November 9. Of course I obliged but also knew that I had this other gig on November 10 (more on that later). Played a place called Mason Street Grilled in Lake Hopatcong and it was in an…interesting spot. I thought I was lost, even with GPS, but this place is tucked below at the bottom of a hill. I guess whatever pays the bills. Nice enough stage, great crowd, had a blast but both the singer Mike and I shared a new bond: losing our voices! Well, fortunately I can’t sing but Mike can and he did his best. We had friends come up to help with lead vocals so he could catch his breath.

I am grateful for the gigs that Supernova offered. They said very nice things about me on stage last weekend, and it was awesome. Their guitarist Frank is all healed up now from shoulder surgery so he will return to his rightful spot.

Now about November 10…

After five months of prepping, planning, lobbying emails and phone calls, trying to make lemonade out of lemons…the day finally arrived. But before I get into that, let me say that we had rehearsal the day before at a studio in Fort Lee. Yes, I had to rehearse the one song with Michael Barnes (guitar), TC Tolliver (drums), Reese (vocals) and JD DeServio (bass) and THEN do the Supernova gig later. I think I lost a few pounds and brain cells. But anyway…the rehearsal was a LOT of fun, lots of heavy hitters in the same room such as the people I mentioned, along with Divinity Roxx, Jen Majura, PM Eaton, and the like. Did I belong? Yes and no. This was about TM Stevens, not me or anyone else. I’ll tell you what though: all of us were feeling TM’s presence. Even JD said “TM was on my shoulder” and knowing how TM was, he would have approved of JD’s amazing playing.

Now onto the show itself.

Arrived at 3 for load-in, watched people file in, lots of pleasantries exchanged. Saw more friends I’d not seen in a while, met friends who were only circles on Facebook for the first time, made new friends throughout the night. Stanley Jordan opened the night and as usual, his playing was drop-dead unreal. He is his own band. Period.

The moment has come…

Mike, JD, TC, Reese and myself took to the stage to throw down a TM song called “I’m A Believer” and if there were asses still in their seats, we failed (TM’s advice still lingers on!) Everyone stood up, no question. The five of us crushed it, killed it, you name it. For only having one rehearsal, you’d never notice. All of us brought our A-game and then some. The energy was off the charts. I look over to see Living Colour watching me…oh shit! Thankfully, after the song, they all greeted me with “You killed it” and “That was sick!” Even Vernon Reid took a pic while I was playing, and I didn’t see it until the end of the night. While this night was not about me or anyone else except TM, I have to admit that the validation from one of my all-time fave bands was the period at the end of the sentence for me. ALL the musicians who performed were amazing, no joke! Everyone brought the funk, the grooves, the love…whatever they could. It was a magical night and all of us were wrung out in a good way once the show was over.

As I sit here and type this, one thought enters my mind…

I don’t have to prove anything to anyone anymore. I did almost everything that I set out to do as a musician. I kinda-sorta finally opened for Living Colour, and receiving their nice praises made me settle down in the green room and think “I have nowhere else to go now.” I can live with that. I’m content with helping cover bands, I’m back to being a local musician who enjoys playing and not worrying about impressing people or stressing over ticket sales. My life path is as a music teacher, and that’s my bubble, has been for many years. Only now I realize that’s where I belonged all along.

So thank you to Mike Barnes, Jan Greiner, Carrie Beehan, and all the musicians for making this night a tremendous success. TM was definitely floating around the cosmos, making sure we were groovin’ and hitting the right notes (and if we didn’t, SO WHAT!)

If it wasn’t for TM, I wouldn’t have been there last night.

BTW: When Vernon Reid told me that I “killed it”, I told myself “You can stop trying so hard now, Bello. Your work here is done.”

Amen.