grace

a little more grace, please, or we're going to stop smiling ironically when we call you a rock star.

"And I feel them drown my name

So easy to know and forget with this kiss"

Grace. It's the title of Jeff Buckley's seminal album. It's the title of this post. It's an issue, everywhere, but specifically, it was an issue in some dim, smelly bars the last few nights. ok. They weren't smelly.

Picture this. Band plays. Bleeding fingertips, bleeding hearts; the usual. Band finishes. Gushing guy or gal goes up to bassist/drummer/guitarist/vocalist (usually the drummer. something about a mute sexiness?). What is s/he doing? Gushing. Obviously. ohmygodyou'reSOamazing and iwanttointroduceyoutomywife/husband/mother/dog and howdoyouDOthatmanit'samazing etc. Poor sweaty muso is a bit bewildered, wants a towel. Wants a drink. Especially if? it was a bad set.

What happened in my live summer soundtrack over the last few days was that two incredibly talented bands played my nights back to back under the gaze of a gushing full moon. For them, it was partly pain, with all sorts of technicalities and technical difficulties that come with being

a) in a band and

b) human.

Granted they were bummed. But imagine how much MORE bummed I was to have my honest and (obviously not so) humble mumbles given right back to me with the kind of swiftness that makes a car crash look tame.

Here's the thing. Music moves us. Sometimes to tears, and perhaps, at times, if we're making it or playing it, to within an inch of our own sanity. Music connects us, saints and sinners. Regardless of your understanding of your own talent and offerings or of others', if someone walks up to you and says something, they may actually mean it, and it might even mean something to you if you put it in your pocket and look at it a little later when your head/heart/ego clears. Positive input counts. Even IF we're so dim and ill educated that we don't know you fucked up verse three of the second song and the monitors weren't loud enough and we can't really do any better than adore you for helping us feel ourselves.

or would you rather we didn't?