back to work :(...

What a weekend! (no sarcasm intended :) )
Started out with Levi and i getting lost on the way back to Stayner. Oh yeah, and prior to getting lost, while in the parking lot of Tim Horton's we find out that our sound check will be cut short due to a wedding rehearsal!! So actually, prior to even being lost, we were both a little stressed. The tension in the car was thick, if it wasn't for the assurance that we were going to get to play some sweet music in just a few hours, one of us may have had a black eye haha. Those moments of stress are when you learn how much you can handle, and thankfully we have Jesus then just like every other moment :) .

It was a huge relief arriving at the venue. Unloading was a Huge stress relief. It was all worth the drive haha. Our sound check was one that was not as smooth as hoped. Our nerves got the best of us and there were some ugly mistakes. And of course, me being the high-maintenance bassist that I am, I had to bug Roger Robinson about the monitor situation. Thankfully he extended tons of grace towards me. He tweeked my in-ears perfectly and the bass was pounding! Thankfully, we had a small second sound-check that went much better. There was a mild confidence in the rest of the guys (especially Trevor, he's always so chill) that calmed me down. We had a sweet prayer time prior to our set which helped put things into perspective (especially for me). I didn't get much of a listen to the opening acts of Andrew and Aimee Bowins (brother and sister duo), and Chuck Baker. All I heard was great stuff about their performances though :) .

Then our set! It was so much fun. Playing with these 3 guys never gets dull. Trevor is such a great drummer and it's fun to watch the guy play. There's never a show we play without hearing about 10 comments about how great our drummer is! This is awesome because all it takes to get me smiling and laughing on stage is to hear one of his crazy drum fills or see the huge smile that he always has on! Then Drew, always calm and collected. He's never content with his tone, which I love because I see this quality in every great guitar player. We always have our moments of laughing at some crazy note Levi hits or again some crazy drum fill Trevor does haha. Levi, he's the best. He just loves when we go into some funky instrumental. He starts groovin' and we just follow where he leads (sometimes it's Trevor who takes the reigns haha). The night consisted of all these things happening. We're all so thankful for all those behind the scenes who put so much work into getting the place ready. I was so thankful, all I had to do was plug my bass in and start jamming :) .

I had some family time on saturday which was super sweet. It's amazing how much you start to miss your parents (especially the cooking :) ) and brothers after a few months of living away from home. Then, as Levi loves to do to me haha, I was summoned to attempt to play back-up acoustic for a fundraiser Saturday night. It was another good night. Much more low-key than the night before which was great. Some originals and covers that were fun.

Sunday morning consisted of awaking to the alarm clock at 6:20, earliest i've been up in some time :) . A shower, some clean clothes, packing up the bass and amp, a great breakfast, a great trip to a coffee shop, and then to the church for worship practice. A great morning all in all. I thought Levi's voice would be gone after the second service but he managed to talk on the car ride home haha (anybody who knows us knows that i'm the one who never shuts up).

...back to work :( . A.k.a school. It's nice to be back. Enjoying a coffee from my fresh new French Press from Starbucks :) . Lots of reading and studying to get done, which is surprisingly a nice change from a busy weekend. It's amazing how much stress being in school can add to a musician. Usually a few shows in a weekend wouldn't phase me, but i've found myself praying for more strength than ever these past few days. Awesome weekend overall :)
Music is the best isn't it?

Peace out.

-Matt