Big Mike and Holdin' On Tight

Well, just got back from my first practice with Big Mike & H.O.T., the blues band extraordinaire.

WOW.

I knew I was in for a seriously cool night when Big Mike came in wearing a black fur coat and a fur cap pulled down over his locks.

They have had bad luck with keyboard players in the past, mainly just for not showing up, so I think it was a big plus in my favor just for showing up and bringing good equipment. Mainly I just tried hard not to suck. We'd all be groovin' along on some song and then Big Mike would wave a finger at one of us -- "Let's hear a lil' keyboard now," and it would be solo time for whoever got the nod.

This is going to be a very interesting experience. Where it leads, I know not, nor for how long... but I'm already learning a lot, and I'm meeting some amazing people that I otherwise would never have the opportunity to meet. My kids are certainly having fun listening to all the blues music I've been playing in the van while we're driving.

Eddie, the drummer and the one who invited me to play along with the band, is the one who brought all these all-stars together. Apparently several of them were in a blues band a couple of years ago called Tough Enough, and they entered and won the state blues competition. They wanted to try it again, so they formed this new group (minus a couple of problem-children) and we're entering the blues festival.

How I end up in these situations, I will never know. Y'see, when you tell God "yes," you can find yourself in places you wouldn't have imagined yourself, doing things you never saw yourself doing. Stuff like this never comes to me because I went looking for it -- no, it always just lands in my lap unexpectedly. And it's usually FUN.