Many years ago, I wrote a song that had the line “with a change of seasons come seasons of change”. Hell, I probably stole it from someone but that line is still very prophetic for me even to this day. I’m not quite sure where these changes in the path will take me but I have to go into it with an open mind and and open heart in order for life to continue to be both positive and exciting for me. I’ve been feeling myself starting to distance myself from things lately and it’s a hard feeling. It’s almost kinda like that part in Harry & The Hendersons where he’s yelling at Harry to go away. I just don’t wanna get to THAT point but I know how it feels.
So for those that don’t know, my time here in North Carolina is coming to an end. My Lady L. just took a great job that will be moving us back to Atlanta, GA. That’s right, 10+ years after being gone from there, we’re going back. Ten years is a long time. Things change, people change, friends change, and I’ve changed. I’m not the same person I was when I left. I’ve grown into a new person both personally and musically. It’s taken me some time to discover just how I feel about all this but ya know, I’m surprisingly ok with it. I’m actually pretty excited to head back to such a big city but the question is, will the city welcome me? I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do musically but ya know, I’m gonna start small. I’m gonna hit the ol’ Red Light Cafe open mic night. I’m gonna find the cool coffeehouse in Decatur to perform at. I’m gonna meet some cool folks to do some collaborating with and I will do what I wanna do.
In 2003, I played in Chapel Hill for the first time and it took me 5 years and 2 bands to FINALLY feel like I got it right. Chapel Hill is a damn near impossible town. It’s a town built on trends and, as always, I never fit in. I did get lucky and find some great and wonderful musicians to make music with and a few other like minded bands to play the occasional shows with. I’ve had some great times here but even if we were to be staying here, I feel like I’ve hit a brick wall. There is no “getting big” in this town unless you are a darling of the press or, as I said before, a trendy band with a bunch of alcoholic friends. Forgive me if I sound bitter but in a way, I am. But ya know what? I’ve stuck to my guns all these years and it did good for me. I might not be “popular” here but we pulled a strong, dedicated following of people w/ the songs we did and you can’t put a price on that. We did it without the help of the local press and without the support of the “bigger” venues. The lil guys took chances on us and found out that it was well worth it and for that, I’ll always be grateful.
So the band has two more shows left. We will perform on May 14th as a trio and our “farewell” show will be back where it all began at The Cave on June 20th. It’ll be a fun, emotional night without a doubt and more than likely tears will flow along with all the PBR and whiskey. So there ya have it folks. As Corky Jones once sang…”Time is gonna bring us a change…”. As much as I dislike change and am scared of it, I couldn’t be more excited for a new chapter in my life! I say bring it on.
