Where did July go?

It's mid-August now and plenty has happened since the Canada Day gig. Several hay fields cut and baled, the hay mower finally packed it in, 2 bulls and several does went to new homes. Kids and lambs are being weaned (most of the screaming has now ceased), the kitchen sink is back in and the pigs have doubled in size.

 

I have also been practicing some new original songs with the band and trying to polish the current ones. It is always as much fun to try new things in practice and screw up as it is to play live and not screw up. Sometimes it takes a lot of trial-and-error to find the right sounds and rhythm, and sometimes it comes quick. In 'Friends', I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted to play the bass pattern. The problem was that my foot couldn't do what I wanted it to. But after a few months of practice, I was able to play the three quick beats that gives it a bit of a funky blues feel. 

One of the things I like about working with Woody and Lance is the fact that I have some freedom and can take liberties in practice until I find the structure I want to use in the song. And the more sounds I can produce and space I can fill, the happier they are; the happier I am.