Falling Slowly

Take this sinking boat and point it home... we've still got time.
Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice...You've made it now.

I saw the movie Once for the first time this weekend and although it's definitely an acquired-taste type of film, it really hit home for me. It's a weird thing - movies... how you always seem to "accidentally" rent the one that suits exactly what you're feeling at the time.

It makes me think that people really are connected on a broader level - that we're all experiencing the same thing at the same time, just not necessarily in the same way.

Regardless, the movie reminded me of good times... of having a band and the unexplainable feeling of success after writing a song that says exactly what you want it to say.

There's honestly no better test for chemistry between people than putting them together in a room and asking them to create a work of art. That's when the truth comes out - often without words, but instead with a vibe that others feel with you.

And when it comes to music - there's something so magical about being with that select few who feel it as much as you do.

You pull out your guitars, start strumming your favorite songs and belt out with so much conviction that it's like the song was written just for you - just to express that piece of emotion that could never be expressed otherwise. It gives you a sense of hope and longing - and an urge to send your own message out to the world.

Then you realize that there's something deeper there than just a few friends singing some songs - it's real-life magic. It makes other people want to blow bubbles... and watch them vibrate as harmonies stream through the amps. Everybody's smiling and singing, and you're happy because YOU helped other people feel the magic too.

Being in a band with two of my best friends was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was a different kind of camaraderie and it brought out the possibility of being connected to people in a way that so many other people would never understand.

Sometimes we would have those perfectly "on" days where everything just sounded flawless... when the feeling was all there, and there was nothing to cloud the creativity.

Then there were those days where everything would just go wrong - when we couldn't figure out how to get the recording mics to work, then someone would break a guitar string or the sustain pedal on the keyboard would stop working. Even still, it would be a pretty good day - because we learned something new and we learned it together. We'd just end the day with a shot of Jack and one of our favorite rock albums.

I miss those days. It's been more than a year since we've played any of our songs together... but hopefully time will continue to heal some wounds and one day, we'll be back in the garage playing Light My Fire together.

This is to pay homage to the love of art... and to pay homage to writing about trampolines and people named Charlie.