| First jam in a long time
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This past Saturday, a friend of mine invited me to sit in with their basement band. I think it's been 20 years (when I was still in college) that I played with other people. I've only recently got back into playing, and I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into. As it turned out, they were a great bunch of guys... 3 of the 4 were in their 50's, so at 40 I was the spring chicken. They've been playing together for a long, long time, and really had their songs down. They had quite a collection of gear too, with everything mic'd and mixed so the sound was really good (not too loud). Best of all, they were very welcoming and patient with me.
I knew it would be a struggle for me, not knowing their song list. They play mostly classic rock songs with a couple originals thrown in. At this point, I'm really rusty at just playing along and keeping up with the chord changes. I knew beforehand of a couple songs that they played... Come Together and The Wind Cries Mary, so I spent all week nailing those down. Of course, I was caught off guard when they launched in their versions in an entirely different key and tempo. I ended up hacking my way though a few songs, and they obliged me by jamming along with a couple things they I knew. I gladly stepped aside, grabbed the tambourine, and let their regular bass player take over. All and all, I had a blast and came away with the feeling that with a little more practice (and a copy of the song list) I could hold my own with these guys.
I guess if there's a point to this post, it's to thank all of you musicians out there that open the door for guys like me. I'm really inspired by the opportunity, and am really looking forward to the journey. | 
