I was lucky to get a chance to play with these guys, though I definitely felt like the skinny kid on the bench getting thrown in after the ace (Rob Reich, on tour with Rupa and the April Fishes) and the solid relief (my classmate Ardy, whom I'm fortunate to be playing with and learning from) weren't able to make it. Like in an old cartoon, I gulped my oversized Adam's apple up and down and went in to make a fool of myself…
I made all the mistakes I was worried I would make. I hit sour notes, missed cues, lost my place and even dropped the ball on entire songs a few times! Despite that - or really, because of it - I walked away from the show with a lot of insight into what to work on and what I need to learn (the chord changes to 'Sweet Georgia Brown' and 'Indiana' would be a good start). I also found that once again my anxiety over doing something was much worse than the actual experience of doing it. The show was really low key, with just a few people watching and others glancing over while they walked by. Everyone in the band was nice, and they all encouraged me to relax and have fun.
Thanks go to Dave and the rest of the band for giving me the opportunity to do this!
