I played bass in a band many years ago back in high school here in Indiana. After graduation, we went our separate ways but we'd get together every few years to mess around, sometimes doing local "reunion" gigs. But we eventually stopped playing together. I sold my bass and went off to grad school and got married and moved to Europe and focused on writing and editing for a couple decades.
Then all that fell apart, and I had to face a messy divorce, near financial ruin, the failure of my major writing projects -- the whole nine yards. I came back to rebuild at age 47, actually moving in with my parents for a while. A sad time. I tried to remember what had made me happy long ago and realized it had been music. I bought a used Squire P and tried to brush up on some chops. I was never very good, and I still wasn't very good, but I did like the feel of it in my hands. I then bought an acoustic guitar and set about really learning music theory, chords, arpeggios, scales. I practiced a lot. I bought a drum machine and a keyboard and started recording songs at night.
I started hungering for the comaraderie of fellow musicians. I became consumed by the desire. I really, really wanted to play live again, but it didn't seem likely to happen. So I decided to make it a priority. I bought a better bass and started seeking out people and found an open jam and reconnected to musicians I used to know and found some other people to jam with and one thing led to another and I am now in three different bands. One of them, Fuzzy Bunny Fish Fry, consists of an old guitarist buddy from high school (not from my high school band), his wife on drums, and me on bass. Turns out Jerry has written dozens and dozens of songs (who knew? he never bragged about it), and we started learning them. And the thing is, the songs are actually really good. A few of them are becoming some of my favorite songs! We are starting to gig regularly. My gosh is it fun -- incredibly satisfying to play original music and have people come up to you and compliment you on it. We are planning to record a double album of Jerry's material, and we've hired a videographer to record an all-original show in an old Indianapolis bar in November. After that, he wants to start learning a few of my songs as well.
My point is: It's never too late to start taking music seriously and striving to play it well. If you want to do it, there will be a way to do it, but you'll have to work hard and practice and bide your time until situations and luck find you. If you're patient, it can happen. Music has brought satisfaction and happiness back to my damaged life, and I am very grateful.
This is a tiny clip from a gig we did two nights ago. It's very short, but I think you can get a sense of the fun and energy we're able to create on the stage. I'm very optimistic and excited about the possibilities for playing. My other two bands are ramping up too and starting to gig, too. In fact, I may have bitten off more than I can chew!
Then all that fell apart, and I had to face a messy divorce, near financial ruin, the failure of my major writing projects -- the whole nine yards. I came back to rebuild at age 47, actually moving in with my parents for a while. A sad time. I tried to remember what had made me happy long ago and realized it had been music. I bought a used Squire P and tried to brush up on some chops. I was never very good, and I still wasn't very good, but I did like the feel of it in my hands. I then bought an acoustic guitar and set about really learning music theory, chords, arpeggios, scales. I practiced a lot. I bought a drum machine and a keyboard and started recording songs at night.
I started hungering for the comaraderie of fellow musicians. I became consumed by the desire. I really, really wanted to play live again, but it didn't seem likely to happen. So I decided to make it a priority. I bought a better bass and started seeking out people and found an open jam and reconnected to musicians I used to know and found some other people to jam with and one thing led to another and I am now in three different bands. One of them, Fuzzy Bunny Fish Fry, consists of an old guitarist buddy from high school (not from my high school band), his wife on drums, and me on bass. Turns out Jerry has written dozens and dozens of songs (who knew? he never bragged about it), and we started learning them. And the thing is, the songs are actually really good. A few of them are becoming some of my favorite songs! We are starting to gig regularly. My gosh is it fun -- incredibly satisfying to play original music and have people come up to you and compliment you on it. We are planning to record a double album of Jerry's material, and we've hired a videographer to record an all-original show in an old Indianapolis bar in November. After that, he wants to start learning a few of my songs as well.
My point is: It's never too late to start taking music seriously and striving to play it well. If you want to do it, there will be a way to do it, but you'll have to work hard and practice and bide your time until situations and luck find you. If you're patient, it can happen. Music has brought satisfaction and happiness back to my damaged life, and I am very grateful.
This is a tiny clip from a gig we did two nights ago. It's very short, but I think you can get a sense of the fun and energy we're able to create on the stage. I'm very optimistic and excited about the possibilities for playing. My other two bands are ramping up too and starting to gig, too. In fact, I may have bitten off more than I can chew!
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Welcome to the brotherhood fellas, lots of good folks here! Lots of support and good advise too! (Along with some serious strangness.) 
