who's up for a musical playdate?

motivation /  just got back from several days in guadalajara and tlaquepaque. primarily went for the tequila train excursion-- which really was a showcase opportunity for Herradura -- not in a bad way, it was actually very clever of them to have created a way to generate interest in visiting their factory. the best part was the ten or so of the third generation mariachis that are the entertainment for the day. remarkable. casa herradura actually provides housing for the descendants of their own family as well as those that have worked there for generations. that's quite impressive. 

but i digress.

music was omnipresent in tlaquepaque. all day/all night there was someone playing or singing a song. every restaurant, every park, every plaza, everywhere.  it was very inspiring...

which is why the MOST fun i had these past few days was the inadvertent exploration for musical instruments. I started by looking for an acoustic classical guitar, or even a violin (WHAT?).  but i have several guitars now and I don't know how to play the violin, so i went for things that could be fun for social gatherings. 

what i found was that they make very very clever musical items -- they use shells of nuts and coconuts just as much as they use bells, string and bamboo. i loved the sounds of the rain sticks and tambourine-like instruments that actually held seeds and sound like the ocean when you slowly rock them back and forth. 

i spent LESS than 100 dollars on bags and bags of fun things (excellent dollar exchange for pesos now)--and these beauties made it through customs with me, no problem.

all the while, i was very excited to think about coming back to LA and finding ways to include these peculiar little items in my life. 

then when i got up this morning, it felt like it was Christmas or my birthday. went out to unpack the newly acquired toys. as i did, i looked at them and realized i must have been out of body on this quest. like i was sucked in by the musical overtones of these tiny mexican towns!  and to think i was SOBER (no, i didn't shop after the tequila train).

...and what's more amazing is that even sober i believed i had THAT life. 

you know that life. 

the one where randomly -- and often -- friends come over for a spell. and of course song breaks out. they grab an instrument from the basket on the living room table, or one of the guitars... 

melody begins to waft through the apartment... and life feels really full. 

just one problem--i don't have that life. 

i don't know those people anymore. my daily life isn't full of musically-oriented friends, or even acquaintances. i know some of my neighbors play but seems like life doesn't facilitate getting together after all. i even know some professional musicians here in la, and they are wicked talented. but so far they haven't come over to fulfill my musical fantasy (i say this with a knowing wink to those that are reading this).

backstory /  i grew up playing some instrument. in fourth grade started guitar (still play), in 5th grade went hysterical to impress my parents that i would commit to the french horn (played for 7 years--i know i know band geek), in 8th grade i began playing mellophone in the marching band (yes, that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger). and even a little piano when i was really little (wish i'd kept that up). 

during twenties, i was the girl that brought the cd's to parties and basically made people move. it was the best feeling. i loved it almost as much as i loved to go see live shows. you name it in nyc in the late 80s/early 90s i saw it. beastie boys, red hot chili peppers, blues traveler, grateful dead, deelite with lady miss kier (loved her), henry rollins, david byrne, spin doctors, holmes brothers, joan osborne, the hooters and so on. i really just went to wetlands, nightengales, under acme, and cbgbs/umfug. there were others but those where the mainstays.

then, when i moved back to nyc in the late 90s, i learned how to spin. i even knew several other dj's, singers, songwriters, even poets/spoken word artists. since then, life has caused us to drift apart--mostly 'cause i moved back to la. in fact, in my old apt on 28th we had turntables set up in the front and the back. although truthfully, i didn't really play guitar as much during those years, mostly just spun. but everyone threw down when they came by for dinners. it was rich and full and lovely. that was the best part of living there then. but life is better now in many respects, just not musically. 

unless it's what i bring to the table--either by playing it myself (i still play guitar every day) or even just getting tickets for live shows, which i see 2-3 live shows a week still mostly at the roxy, troubadour, hotel cafe or the music box. but have given up buying tickets--not going to shows--for lent. story for another time maybe.

inspiration / all this made me realize that there's a real opportunity here. 

it's the reason i chose to write about the current musical connection vacancy i have. it started a couple years ago when i realized not alot of people i know find time to go to live shows. but if i bought the tickets they'd go. it sufficed for a while, but now the mexico trip exposed a deeper layer of vacancy, yet.

i know there's got to be that harmonic or melodic, fun-spirit in the people i know here. and i am committed to finding out who's open to tilting that ocean sounding tambourine along side someone on the rain stick or shell bells. and i just know some djs here (you know who you are...) can help me provide the back beat on my 1200s. i'd even like to get one of those erykah badu roland hand percussion machine (handsonic15 super cool, check it out). 

in the end, it seems that my mexico influenced musical basket is full of hope- and i don't mean for someone else's living room. i look at it and think one day it will be displayed in all it's glory, this basket of musical joy i created.  i am aware of the networking challenge it will require for me to help it reach it's potential. this might actually be the best challenge yet--to start a musical network in my own neighborhood. 

and, at the very least, i have a basket of fun for my 5 year old nephew when he comes to visit next time... 

hollywood, out. 

k

song of the moment: live your life by t.i. and rihanna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io735sjM230