King Of The Blues Update (video)
AnthonyLast night I drove down to Harrisburg, PA again for the store finals for the Guitar Center King Of The Blues Contest. It was evident from the time I walked in the door that the competition was going to be fierce, and diverse.
The other contestants were spread out around the store wailing away, getting ready. I tried to warm up a bit on an Eggnater head/speaker amp, but it was broken. Oh the joys of stores where even the new equipment is used :-)
Before we started, I got a chance to talk to a StevieSnacks viewer who was from the area who had come out to show his support. I maintain my stance that StevieSnacks viewers are some of the coolest people around.
I drew the closing slot, which for some reason I was thankful for. I got a chance to stand and watch for about 40 minutes while everyone else performed. As I suspected when I walked in, the level of musicianship was very high.
One guy played slide with his whammy bar which caught me completely by surprise, another guy played some really fast country style blues licks, and the guy who went before me did some stuff on guitar that I couldn't even wrap my mind around.
Needless to say, when I went up to play, I had already accepted the fact that if I didn't have fun, it was a waste of time for me to be there. No sense in trying to play faster, or harder than everyone else when everyone else is that good. So I took some of my own medicine and put the "Playing With Soul" lessons to use.
I started off mild, took it way down low, then built back up again for the last two choruses. My goal was to not blow people away, but to make them feel the music, to have them really enjoy listening. To move them.
While I feel very lucky to have been picked to go on to the next round, what I am most happy about was that I was able to get over the performance anxiety of the first round, relax, and really get into the music this time. I never walk away from anything disappointed when I can do that.
I truly had a great time, and fully enjoyed playing. I didn't try to fill up every silence with notes, and play sloppy like I usually do. At times it even felt deliberate, which is how i like to play.
As we waited for the results, I got to hold Austin, and he was mesmerized by the store and all the guitars on the wall. I had great conversations with Doug, the StevieSnacks viewer, and some of the other contestants while we waited. It felt good to see some of them there with their kids. A reminder that the real rock stars in my book are the people who value family.
I was honestly surprised when they called my name considering that I had played more reserved than I usually do in public settings. I wouldn't say that I was the best player there because that's a subjective term, but I can honestly say that I won with a performance that was exactly the way I like to play.
Here's a horribly distorted recording of the performance. I'm sorry for the audio. It's awful. That's my iPhone at work for you :-)