You love it. You hate it. It’s exciting. It’s exhausting. Anything’s possible. Nothing is possible. It gives you life. It eats you alive. The Road!
As the name Sound Traveler implies, we like to take opportunities to get out and play in different places. This week we head again to Florida’s west coast. We will play a couple of engagements at the Sarasota Folk Festival, hit some smaller venues in the Tampa/St Pete area, and finally do a concert for the Vernals Dance Weekend in High Springs, Florida.
On the road you see different things, you meet different people, and you get to share your music in many unique environments. Being from somewhere else makes you a little bit exotic, mysterious, and worthy of interest. But being on the road has its other side as well. For us, we have to pack numerous instruments and sound equipment into a space hardly big enough for it. We have to load the car and drive for hours before we get the chance to play. You don’t eat your normal meals at the normal times, you never get your usual amount of sleep, and it is so easy to forget something essential – either left at home or unintentionally abandoned at some stop or other along the way. But we’re on the road, and that’s what musicians do – at least the lucky ones.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone alive has not heard Willie Nelson’s durable tribute to the life of the traveling musician:
On the Road Again
One, two
One, two, three, four
On the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
On the road again
Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Seein’ things that I may never see again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We’re the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way and our way
Is on the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again (Willie Nelson)
Yep, it will be tiring, sometimes hot, sometimes exhausting. But it will be fun. My best friend and I, like gypsies, we’ll hit the road and play our music. Like the song says, I can’t wait. – Bob Tatum
I don’t know if I’ll be able to do a web log over the next week, but we’ll see what happens. We’ll be living in a tent most of the time, and we will only have electricity part of the time.
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2 Comments to “SongTravelin’: 03.24.11 – “On the Road Again””
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- Nick Hultman:Pretty nice post. I just stumb
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- Art Deene:Love the Moody Blues. That g
- Patty:I feel blessed to be able to s
- Art Deene:Very nicely written Bob. Davy
Jacques says:
The tradition of the traveling minstrel goes back a thousand years at least, and probably much longer. In some respects the practice has changed little. In old times, the minstrel made enough to survive. A few thrived, but only a few.
Patty says:
Being on the road comes naturally to me. My motto used to be “Home is where the suitcase is,” especially during the time I spent touring with Up With People. Although it’s only for 9 days and I’m tired even before starting the journey because of the crazy schedule we’ve been keeping, I’m psyched and ready to go. The road will rejuvenate me, and since everything isn’t mapped out ahead of time, I’m looking forward to the spontaneity of it all. And, of course, Bob is a fantastic travel partner.