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Monday March 20 I have entered a new phase of acceleration. The scenery is blurring. And I must learn to be extremely careful where I put my time and attention. Duh. What has changed? Nothing. And perhaps everything. I have signed up for the impossible. The entrepreneur's prime aphorism: begin with the impossible. And make it possible. * * * Tobin came to the SGC rehearsal this evening and blew me away (once again) with his classic guitar chops. Tobin has a hidden gold mine of talent which lurks behind his deceptively humble-but-confident-and-sometimes-wincing exterior. I hope that his DirectMusic work will someday give the world a means to get an extended glimpse of the raw talent lies within. * * * BillR also joined us for our rehearsal tonight. An audition of sorts. Bill and Bob on the leads in MaryAn are an unstoppable duo. Curt and Bill on the bass of Afghanistan are an unstoppable duo. Wished we were still a six piece for a moment this evening. We have adapted to five nicely, and as a quintet, we now have a finely-tuned and sophisticated balance and chemistry. But as a sextet, we really have an extended range and more raw firepower. Bill does not know what he is missing. Or perhaps he does. I sometimes wonder if one day, many years from now, BillR and Tobin will look back on these years when Guitar Craft was alive in Seattle and think: "why did I stay away and exclude myself from this group? What music might have been born had I poured my energy into this vessel?" Perhaps not. Perhaps Bill and Tobin are wise are happy to stay away from our dweedle-dweedle Ovation crap. But I feel extremely fortunate to have these people to work and play with in my back yard. And I realize that it will not be here forever. What a rare and ultimately transient opportunity for group work. * * * Some difficult personal negotiations lie just around the corner in my work life. Some inevitable physical and emotional challenges caused by rapid growth are beginning to surface within the extended BTV team. Some of these involve holding people accountable for their actions or lack. I feel like a psychologist much of the time in my role. What is this person searching for? What is that person's needs? What will motivate this person? What will calm that person? How can I get these two people to stop fighting each other and work toward the same goal? * * * R. Chris Murphy is home from SXSW for another week or so before moving to LA to live on a boat. He received an extremely complementary email today from guitarist, Steve Morse, whose record Chris just mixed in Florida. Yeah Chris. * * *
Wednesday March 22 A great challenge at our feet. I need to find a way to exorcise the stresses and 'emotional food' which I have had to absorb lately. Practicing regularly has been helping, but I feel the need for something else. Not sure what to do to 'clean' my personal emotional slate. A short retreat? * * * A quiet prayer for SteveE and friends this evening. * * * The Repertoire Circle (Chris Gibson, Greg Sundberg, Stephen Golovnin, John Henning, and Travis Metcalf) joined us for the first half of our SGC rehearsal this evening. It's been awhile since I have been in a circle with eleven guitars. Tobin also dropped in for another practice-performance of his ultra-fast classical piece. Quite something. Also, Tobin's new MP3 with Bill and Pat is hot as shit! (That mean's it's really great.) It's on loop mode as I type this. Wow - rocket fuel. Can't wait for that upcoming Tobin solo record. Love to be a guest on that one... * * * Friday March 24 ug. * * * Saturday March 25 * * * Sunday March 26 * * *
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