Music kinds of ebbs and flows in my life. It is always there in the background, but at times, it moves centre stage.
For a long time, doing music (even doing bad music!) was one of the engines for life in me. I played whenever I could. I played worship music, I played in pubs, in studios, and in various collections of fellow musicians that I hesitate to call ‘bands’. Music and spirituality were intertwined- playing and singing was the way i worshiped, and the primary way I set myself to encounter the Living God.
But then something would happen to make me think that music was over for me. It may have been a constant awareness of my own limitations as a musician. Or when I moved away to Scotland. Or when I began to find ‘worship leading’ restrictive and one dimensional.
Each time, however, I found that music was not done with me.
The guitars would come out at a party and we would find something beautiful amongst all the mess of missed chords and background noise.
Or to my surprise, I would be invited to participate in other peoples events- leading to trips to the USA and Europe.
Or the loose collective of musicians that are part of ‘aoradh‘ will have another outing…
But it has been a while now.
So, time to makes some music.
Anyone else up for it?
By way of inspiration, I found these clips of some Canadian guitar players… enjoy!
i’ve an concertina that sits in it’s box to often, and a mandolin that could do with a bit of exercise.. would happily join in if it suited to pop over from glasgow..
(and a bicycle which likes cycling on cowal..!)
Hey Neal
Sounds great- always room for another music maker/cyclist in this neck of the woods! I’ll drop you an e-mail…
Is a bicycle not awfully unstable with a concertina and a mandolin on board though? 😉
one pannier for each instrument just about manages, and if not, it would be a very melodic crash.. 🙂
we’re wandering about the next weekend or two (theproject in edinburgh & playing a ceilidh in belfast) but i think a bute+cowal cycle would be fun in july.. we’ll let you know!
neal&judith