I Don't Believe in God, but He Believes in Me

There are times when the normal discourse uncovers gems...humans or nature or nothing at all.
I believe in God.
And the reason is stupid. I read a cartoon by an evangelist. Jack Chick.
Chicks Tracts

His reasoning is dogma...he really offers nothing new. But I read one and the two and then three and was smitten by the idea of sacrifice.
Jesus sacrificing for me...for all of us.
Me sacrificing for...
My mother sacrificing...

I see a pattern.

I am Jewish...Emanuel was one of US. And yet we disowned Him and our cousins embraced Him. - who was the loser in this exchange? Not so much loser but...a freely given gift that was rejected.
(And my mother, the consummate Jew by culture; rejects Jesus, but holds nothing else. To her, Jesus is rejection of her Jewish identity - to me, affirmation)

Sholom Aleichem  - a Yiddish author  - my mothers touchstone.
He wrote a tale in which a very pious man upon arriving in Heaven was asked what boon he would enjoy, having lived such a pious life, asked for a bagel.
After the angels attempt to explain the honor being bestowed, the man is asked again - what boon may Heaven do for him.
"Okay, with butter."

The Russians are fatalists, everything is bad, why fight?
Jews are supposed to be unassuming and free of desire - yeah, riiiiiiiiight.

I have been exposed to Jewish traditions and literature. I see great care for others, and a sense of duty and of tradition. Then I see Christ...much of the same. With one small difference. No differentiation between "them" and "us."
Churches of this world have made it a difference, Christ did not.
He was talking to Jews, who didn't hear the message. It was adopted by those Christ was not speaking to.
Nah...
We are ALL God's children.
I've heard this in many settings...Jewish, Black...

I've yet to see a majority embrace it.

Use What You Have Readily Available

I've been suffering from Firebird GAS. I mean a severe case. Daily thoughts since maybe last November.
And then I thought, what for?

I have such a huge palette as it is, what more do I need, tonality wise?
I need to take my own advice and turn some knobs. On the guitar, amp, HALO...whatever.

As it stands I can almost approximate that signature Firebird sound.

It's delay or chorus, bridge and middle pickup. After that, it's Mr. Winter and his phrasing. If I mimic that, I sound like him, even if the tone is not spot on.

Don't get me wrong, I want one...I hunger for one.
But I know I have the means to make that sound already.

We chase tone when in fact it is the right hand that allows us to sound like (insert name here).

The Reason We Do What We Do

It is an absolute, unbridled joy to play music in a live situation. The interaction between the band and the audience. Between band members. The energy that flows through the venue from a half hour before the show until an hour after.

Farmer's Markets are not the glamorous gigs. Nor are they especially well paying. But they are a blast. This audience is not coming to hear music nor drink but they are out to enjoy a night out. To laugh and have life fulfilled.
Very few expectations on the part of the crowd or the band. The band is here to lend atmosphere, to ratchet up the pleasure by an order of magnitude. Unobtrusive, accessible and helping to pace the stroll up and down the boulevard.

I've made connections doing these sort of gigs and I have made friends too. That ten year old that came up to me in 2010 and asked about my guitar.(I handed it to him)
He must be a young man now, perhaps he plays in a band? I wonder if he passed by on Wednesday and recognized me?

Seeing folks out and about, smiling and enjoying themselves is probably the best form of payment I could ask for. As we were playing, an older gentleman took his wife's hand and twirled her about in front of us while we played. Sigh...

Let's have a good time while we're here, mkay?