— Daily journal Entry 031 —
My Father has been playing in bands since he was in high school, Spartanburg High School, and is still playing today in his seventies. After high school he attended a business school of sorts but never graduated from college. He has maintained jobs at companies like: Arrow Automotive, Circor and Hoke assembling and testing various types of valves and fittings. He only moved from company to company due to the previous company closing its doors. i.e. He was always employed. These were fairly physical jobs, and he worked long hours most of the time, helping my Mother, who also had a similar work schedule, raise two boys and pay the monthly bills.
Still Found The Time
Despite the long hours at work, he still found the time to attend all of Me and My Brother’s extracurricular activities at school, AND play in a band. Him playing in a band, I think helped him maintain some level of sanity over the years. Afterall, everyone needs some sort of personal outlet, something he calls his own. Sure, one’s family comes first, but once that’s taken care of, get out and enjoy while you can.
Never Too Old
He played in cover bands mostly and had to lug around all of his own keyboard and piano equipment on his own, as did all of the other members in the band(s). And at 60 and 70 years-old, that GETS OLD, but he still does it. There can be only one reason, to continue doing it… He simply must still LOVE Playing Shows. And yes, that’s what he has admitted to – loving playing live in front of a captive audience.
Wasn’t About The Money
Yes, there’s money to be had, but he just told me the other day that he has never known what the total amount was that was paid for any of his past gigs, other than a couple of the largest ones from many years ago. He just trusted the member (or agent in some cases) that booked the show and took his share after it was all said and done, which clearly shows his priority was playing, NOT getting paid.
To be continued…
Until Next Time,
Featured Image: Mom and Dad at “Music on Main” in Spartanburg, SC while my Dad was on break between sets. View on Flikr.
Note: These “Daily Journal Entries” are part of a mini blog within the main blog where I make every effort to publish a 250+ word post per day on top of the regular, longer posts. The idea is to just create a daily habit of publishing written content. And also, to try and become a better overall writer… We’ll see…
