Concerts

Persistence

/ LM Pampuro / Leave a comment

defn: continuing to exist or endure over a prolonged period (Oxford Dictionary)

Back in the day I used a Pentax K1000 manual camera to photograph. I bought the unit just prior to a trip to Colorado to see The Grateful Dead at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Upon arrival, my friend took one look at my new toy then told me I would need a telephoto lens if I wanted to get decent pictures of the band.

I bought the lens that afternoon. Did I mention I barely knew how to work the camera, never mind multiple detachable lenses? I wasn’t very good at loading the 35-millimeter film into the back. The first night of a three-night stand, that included my 24th birthday, I went through five rolls of film that resulted in a dozen or so photos worth keeping.

Persistence. I learned how to use the camera, crop a photo in the viewfinder, and set the aperture to let through the right amount of light. Time and patience are both great teachers.

Recently I revived my photography hobby. I bought a pocketbook size camera that has awesome zoom then headed to “the rail” at a music festival. The part I forgot about is how much concentration it takes to get that one sparkly shot. Add to that the fact I love to dance and get distracted easily well you get the picture (haha).

 Yet I had a plan. I would take photos during the first few songs, then I will enjoy the music my muse provides. Pretty simple, huh?

Yeah, no.

Persistence. Did I mention that I refused to check the shot after I clicked? Delayed gratification or cruelty take your pick. As in the old days, I knew when I got the right light, angle, facial expression, when it all came together, or didn’t. The lead singer, bass player, guitarist, and keyboard player were all easy. I snapped a few of each with the awareness I had captured the moment.

Yet the drummer… and those symbols… and the body of the bass… With each click I knew I missed. My focus and energy went from a few shots of each band member to why do I keep missing the drummer. About halfway through their set, twenty plus clicks in, I knew I got it. My body relaxed. I heard the lyrics, felt the music, and much later, got the rush of a moment captured.

Persistence pays off again.

What are you persistent about?

Thanks to Sidney Smith for his equipment recommendations. Visit his page here to see amazing concert photos. And thanks to the guys at Milford Photo for sharing their expertise. And thanks to Haley Jane & The Primates for sharing joy through their gift of music. I am going to miss you guys.

Peace & love.

Ahhh Summertime…

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  • Not My Wife!
  • Dumpstaphunk
  • Amy Helm
  • Dead & Company
  • Willie Nelson
  • Phil Lesh
  • The Allman Betts Band

Summer Greetings All!

I had a crazy start to this sunshine daydream celebration. One of my favorite bands, Dumpstaphunk, played a free outdoor show recently. 90-degree temp with a bit of humidity didn’t stop the band from playing a scorching two-hour set and I danced the whole time. (And I thank them for sharing their talents. If you get a chance and like to dance, they are New Orleans gift to the rest of us).

Summer lesson one- sometimes water just doesn’t do it and real dehydration is awful (head spins, nausea, dizziness)! I share this as a warning to other sunshine dancers… STAY HYDRATED!

I was down for the count for a week!

Yet I don’t know a better feeling than dancing in the sunshine to live music. Actually, any live music is a gift 😊

What are your summer adventures?

Creative Love From The Hubz

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Greetings and apologies for missing a few weeks. I could fill in some of the excuses my student’s favor, yet I will not. Instead please allow me to introduce this week’s creative, Steve Patarini, also known as the hubz. Our household is creative. Both hubz and the offspring possess musical talents. I write. Together we inspire each other.

Finally, after asking many a times I will discover, with you my readers, how hubz creates.

I hope you enjoy.Steve BLOG

“I am a person whose mind races constantly and the voices in my head seem to never shut down, even when I try to go to sleep at night.  As a middle school teacher my day starts early with a 5:30 wake up to complete my morning routine in time for my commute to work by 7:30 am.  As I speed up a relatively lightly traveled highway at 6:45, I find myself in a uniquely altered state of both sleep deprivation and high caffeination.  The six and a half hours of sleep I routinely get, or less, is insufficient for me. I compensate by gulping down 2 cups of sugar laced coffee by 6 am so that as I drive to work I am practically vibrating.

It is in these state that I find my subconscious mind is enabled by the caffeine and my conscious mind is suppressed by my drowsiness. This is a fertile situation for both verbal and musical creativity. I will get a melody or rhyme in my head and in the interest of safety I will pull out my handy voice recorder to preserve my inspirations.

I often dictate the lyrics to an entire song in one session. I often compose a carefully worded work email, letter, or classroom activity to a degree that very little editing needs happen afterword.

My auditory style of thought basically narrates my daily life like a noir detective novel (“he went to the fridge and poured the iced tea as little droplets of condensation rolled down the side of the pitcher…”).  Using a voice recorder to capture those thoughts and preserve them is crucial since they will soon be pushed from my mind by the next “chapter” of my consciousness.

While I don’t usually recommend sleep deprivation; a combination of lack of sleep, huge quantities of a favorite caffeine source, and a lengthy car ride in silence with a voice recorder nearby can produce interesting creativity.

There is no telling what the voices in your head might inspire.”

 

Stay Human – Michael Franti’s Creative Message

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I apologize for the late post. I was out getting a recharge at a four-day music festival during which I experienced the inspirational message of Michael Franti and Spearhead. If you haven’t heard of him, click here for a music video. I also encourage you to read his lyrics. Franti’s message is one of encouragement, kindness, and a reminder to all, especially today, to stay human.

Michael Franti BLOG

He spoke to the crowd about what motivates him. He connected with his audience on multiple levels by acknowledging different groups within society. “I have a sister who is a lesbian and a brother who is a police officer. My family covers the spectrum.”

Franti produced a film titled Stay Human. He spoke about his creative motivation being the world we are in and how we treat each other. From the website, “During these turbulent times, the feeling of hopelessness is an epidemic. In a quest to hold on to humanity in the craziness of the world we live in today, my new documentary STAY HUMAN takes us on an experiential journey through music and stories of some of the most inspiring people on the planet that I’ve met along my travels, who have chosen to overcome cynicism with optimism and hope —and remind us all what it means to STAY HUMAN.”

After his set, Franti took the time for multiple selfies and hugs, exemplifying the concept of staying human by connecting further with his audience. I personally received a lot of inspiration and one sweaty hug.

Michael Franti BLOG2

Stay Human people.

 

Feeling Grateful

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Last Saturday night we ventured out to one of my favorite venues, The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. The theatre is a restored art deco theater that has hosted many of rock’s legends. The building is just shy of a century old. In the tradition of sixties liquid light shows, patterns are projected on the walls and ceiling. On Saturday a cartoon squirrel ran around among a paisley motif. This then morphed into strange configurations as the band took the stage.

All appropriate illusions for the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.

Most of the shows we have experienced here give the option of walking up to the stage, in a polite standing room only area, or if one chooses, sitting up in the balcony. Since I am height challenged, I prefer the back of the floor or balcony. Hubby will venture up front yet I get too squished to appreciate the view.

Recharging my creative juices in this fashion brings on a plethora of strchris-robinson-brotherhood-11-18-at-the-capange occurrences, the most prominent one happening this morning. I woke to my characters fighting. Not my present characters, they are still steamed that I haven’t finished telling their story, these voices were those of past protagonists.

And what were they fighting over?

This blog. Okay, so I realize some of you think that maybe I had lost part of my mind at the show, yet hear me out. This is the time of year when we all seem to look around and (hopefully) appreciate the good things in our lives. My past protagonists want to express that appreciation to our readers.

To maintain a bit of order, and the ability to get back to my current character crisis, here are some thoughts from a few old friends:

From Lindsay of Dancing With Faith: “Hi beautiful people! I am so grateful for my family and friends and the beautiful sound of live guitars. We wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving.”

From Maxi of Maximum Mayhem: “Ric, I, and my entire family wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving. I would include greetings from Zach yet I don’t want to overstep any boundaries because our relationship is, well, complicated. If she ever finishes, look for the next part of our story coming soon, well not too soon because she gets distracted and well, you know…”

From Izzy of The Perfect Pitch: “Bobby and I would like to send out holiday greetings to all our friends and family! And a special congratulation to The Chicago Cubs! As Red Sox fans, we get it.”

And finally, from Rina of Passenger – the only game in town: “Greetings folks. Chris Robinson Brotherhood, huh? At least she listens to jam bands. This is probably why she hears those voices, too. To quote one of my favorite artists, G. Love, I wish you peace, love, and happiness!”

Can you see why I don’t let them speak, yet I am so grateful for their voices!

I’m grateful for many things, like you (yes, you), the ones who take the time to read my creations along with family, close friends, and one psycho Beagle-Dor (half lab, half beagle). There is more: poetry and books, good music and bad, mentors and students, rainbows and sunshine…for this and more, Be grateful!

 

 

How To Write Over 2,000 Words A Day

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Okay – some of my writer friends are looking at this title and laughing thinking how much of a slacker number this is because they hit 2,000 words with their eyes closed.

Well I don’t.

A very wise investment professional once used the quote, “Some days peanuts, some days shells.” As a writer, I experience both. Some days the words flow and I feel like I can write an entire novel in one sitting, while others are just a struggle to get a paragraph down.

My last few days I managed to get in the groove and produce over 2,000 words a day. I’m not saying everything I wrote is good, or usable, and doesn’t need editing. The words are on the paper.

This is a first draft people. It takes time to mature.

So how does one write 2,000 words a day. The easy answer is you sit at your computer, make sure the computer is turned on, and you write.

Boom. Done. Not quite.

In my experience, I have spent many days staring at my screen, typing nothing because I can’t think of what to write. Apparently this happens to a lot of inspiring writers because I have heard this many a times from many people. Lately, I have used Walter Mosley’s advice from his ThrillerFest workshop as motivation, “Write every day.”

And I have. My most productive days seem to come after I have spent time listening to live music the night prior. Although I can’t figure out why since I am usually exhausted too. For the last four days I was fortunate to attend one of those huge music festivals. Normally the computer would stay home locked in the safe, except Walter said you have to write every day and while a pen and paper would suffice, I would only have to type it all in later. To be honest, I don’t think I would have written so much “manually” anyway.

Here is the breakdown: I wrote the morning before we left, around 1,000 words. Went and saw two bands that evening, got up the next day and wrote about 2,000 words. Went and saw five band, crashed hard (slept soundly), got up, saw four bands, skipped the headliner because we’re not a fan, came back to the room and wrote 2,200 words. The final day I got up, wrote only 1,000 words because Warren Haynes was doing a solo set at noon and well, one does not miss Warren Haynes solo.

I had the motivation; time was my enemy.

I’m writing this on Monday so no counts in yet I know they’ll be high. My characters are screaming to be heard as I finish this post. Since this was the Summer Of Live Music for me, I looked back at my word count for mornings after concerts. Not only were my counts up, in my opinion, the quality appeared better.

It seems to me that live music is my muse.

So the answer to How To Write 2,000 Words A Day is feed your soul, find your muse, and then sit and write.

Good luck and happy writing!