Make the switch...

Being in a band...

...is one of the most enjoyable things a man can do, in my opinion. I love the feeling of collectively writing songs and then having the privilege to play them to people and watch them enjoy it. To share one's creations and to share the enjoyment of those creations is an incredibly satisfying experience.

I have two families, one my real family, the other is my band. I'm a lucky lucky man...

To know oneself...

is to know one's limits, and more importantly to know one's capability. People often refer to that 'fear' of oneself in terms of what one can achieve, but thats not what I fear...I fear failure.

I fear that my negative attributes could inhibit my progress towards realising my dreams, that if I attempt to give myself to the pursuit of a dream I could fall short not because I am incapable of succeeding but because I am my own worst enemy.

Fear, doubt, ignorance, anger, negativity are all enemies within the mind. They are products of ourselves, perhaps sometimes triggered by external events but often exacerbated by each other. Its a downward spiral to dwell on any of them and all it takes is a bit of focus to avoid it.

To seek truth is to liberate the mind from the proverbial shackles of fear, and that principle alone is enough to overcome anything...I believe...I hope...

Something to write about...

...would be nice. Ok, I'm at work, its nearly 3am and I'm listening to 'bah samba' while trying to write something on this much under-used blog. This music is awesome, it is funky latin-infused dance music which isn't afraid to delve into jazzy breakdowns that ensue the most fiery passionate vocals I've heard for a while.

I particularly like the copious indulgence of percussive instruments that flank the fluent solid soul of the music. Despite the relentless drive of the 4/4 time signatures there is this thoroughly assiduous onslaught of bongo's and conga's reminding you of every single rhythmic subdivision and this makes proverbial ear candy of the most delectable variety for an aspiring percussionist such as myself.

I know that subconsciously my mind is busy absorbing and memorising the music that I listen to, which in turn will manifest itself in the music that I play, to a certain degree. I'm not saying that having listened to these rather phenomenal musicians will suddenly enable me to emulate their abilities, although that would actually be the best thing ever, but what I am saying is that it will contribute towards my own creativity in an indirect way. For example, I will be jamming with my band and I'll find myself executing a rhythm or a fill that I had previously not been capable of. Something like that is not just a result of practice, the inspiration has to come from somewhere, and it can be aural and/or visual however it could be something I listened to yesterday or two years ago, who knows!

I suppose the mind is a gargantuan vault of information stored in the form of memories and instincts that contribute to every aspect of our lives. On that note I find myself facing the trivial yet painstaking dilemma of deciding whether to have the tuna mayo sandwich or the ham and lettuce one. Hmmmmmmm.....and so the non-linear waffle of this tired soul returns.

Peace