PRESENCE - Volume 88
Inspiration For Guitarists
One of the most inspiring shows I ever witnessed wasn't where you'd expect.
Years ago, my trio Green Light played New Orleans fairly often. One year we went down during Jazz Fest to play some of the clubs. It was a great trip: we got to play in one of the best live music towns in the world, and we got to see a ton of music too.
During Jazz Fest, music happens all over the city. There's the main festival grounds, but every venue in NOLA hosts shows around the clock. (One show we saw STARTED at 3:45 am. When we left, the sun was up.)
One afternoon, my bandmates and I went to a little record store to see Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. If you don't know Gatemouth, you should. He belongs in the same conversation as B.B. King, Freddie King, and Buddy Guy, but he never got the same fame, partly because he refused to be boxed in. Blues, country, Cajun, jazz, swing. He played all of it, on guitar and fiddle.
Gate had already played a set on the big festival stage, so seeing him in a place that small was a real treat. The band set up on a makeshift stage in the corner, and the crowd stood in the aisles between the record bins.
When Gate showed up, he looked weak and frail. He'd been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and had decided to forgo treatment. Here was a man who knew he had months to live, playing a gig in a tiny record store.
Then he strapped on his Firebird, and the band kicked into a scorching opener. He finished his solo, passed it to the organ player, sat down, and took a few hits from the oxygen tank he had onstage.
He didn't need to be there. He'd already played the big stage. He was there because that's what he did.
That was 2005. A few months later, Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home, and he passed away that September. I'm pretty certain that record store show was the last gig he ever played.
I think about that afternoon a lot when I'm onstage. It reminds me to be in the moment and appreciate every minute. And it applies just as much when you pick up the guitar at home. Play like it matters, because it does.
Here's Gate doing what he did best:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y41jsG_fVY
Rock on - Dustin
P.S. - If you'd like to spend more of your guitar time actually playing and less time wondering what to practice, that's what my Essential Skills course is built for. You can check it out here: https://www.dustinhofsess.com/learn