So there! I put it in the title. The ones who don’t want to read about the little project I got going with my kids, they can just skip over this particular blog.
We had a half gig yesterday with The Little G Band (Go on Facebook and follow us!). It was in the Elboroom. It’s dark, it smells of a million armpits and beers, some people are really strange looking. The crowd is between 21 and 24 years old. Above all, the Elboroom is an excellent introduction to those club you see all across America where jazz used to be played and now rock’n roll thrives. I was proud to show this to my children. They were with their dad, their step-mum and their mum, and they had a black cross made with a sharpie on the back of their hands to signify that they were underage. A badge of honor.
First thing is they are not show off kids. They stayed with us the whole time. They didn’t step on stage to do a fast scale on the guitar or a an amazing roll on the drums. Nope. They came on stage when they were called. For the outside crowd, it could have looked like my children would be very typical teenagers: shy, reserved, distant, almost embarrassed to perform.
Then we went on stage and I did the first song as a front man with the guitar in my hands. My son’s on my right doing the bass. My daughter is back there on drums. We know the songs. That’s something we can rely on. But I was the one warming up the crowd with “Hooooos!” and yodeling. I could see people’s reaction. “Very well, thought the audience, this is a show about the dad! The guy is glorifying himself!”
However, after the first song, we switched instruments. I went in the back. In the dark. On the drums. No more me. My daughter on the right with the bass. My son on the left with the guitar. They’ll be doing the show. And, boom! we dive into a high energy tit-bit that features my son on guitar and vocal. And he owns the song, he works to get the attention of the crowd. He has some experience about it. Meaning he’s not afraid. At all.
Then my daughter gets to sing lead. It’s for another high energy song. And she makes people clap and she takes control of the stage. People are starting to understand who we are. We are a family power rock trio with 3 front men! And we are not letting up. But the crowd is enchanted and puzzled. After the third song, they do not know who they need to look at. And that’s wonderful! Because they can pick their favorite. Because they can enjoy the show on a few more levels. Because the fun has just tripled. More than that, they do not know if we are going to change instruments again. In one word: they are alert! We are drawing them in.
That’s it. That’s all I wanted to say. I am so proud of my little band! I get to live an incredible experience as a dad and as a musician. And I am very grateful to my children for that.
To follow us:
https://www.facebook.com/littlegband/