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a weekend's worth of posts---with commentary
so...as DM nudged at earlier, i was busy this weekend with a funeral (jane's
grandmother, for those of you who remember jane from aftre the otr concert
at brady's in may) so i hadn't checked in since early thursday. i have just
read 120 some posts in less than an hour and my head is still spinning. :)
and...i feel a need to reply. not to any specific comment(that's been done
rather well already) but to the general impression/feeling that i got from
the whole discussion. Bear with me a minute here while i frame the
conversation and gather my thoughts:
i've been seriously listening to OtR for about four months. i've seen them
live twice and i'm really familiar with ASR and GDBD. And i've been floating
about the list for 4 months with a six week hiatus. :)
(yes...this is to indicate that i may not know what the hell i'm talking
about :) )
there has been much discussion of where OtR is now and where we are now and
what's missing and such...
...i'm not qualified to discuss some of that (see earlier disclaimer :))
However, as frustrated as some folks are getting with this new incarnation,
there still is a common thread.
from my perspective, OtR has grown past being just a band and had become...a
culture almost. OtR seems to be a unifying force. i got into this band
because of the listees, and that's what keeps me coming back. Yes, i do
enjoy the music (i've had "poughkeepsie" stuck in my head constantly for a
week) but it's the ppl that are the amazing thing about the whole
experience. As i said the first night i meet some of you, "it's been awhile
since i've met so many ppl i've liked so well in one place." The listserv is
still that kind of experience for me.
better yet is the sheer diversity of this crew. i think it can be safely
siad that we represent a little bit of everything. :) We are a group of ppl
who may never have met, may never have gotten a chance to get to know each
other and grown close, if it weren't for OtR because of that diversity
displayed amongst us. Something in OtR has brought us all here together.
and that's the main thread of the discussion that was going on earlier. GDBD
hasn't left my cd player since i got it...unless i was mocing it to the
other cd player. My roommate set up a 5 disk mix the other night and left
GDBD in...cause he knew how much i'd been playing it. Some of ppl have said
that patience was the grabber for them and that's fine. the point is that
we're all here now.
i feel like i've been following this band much longer than four months
because of how much i've heard about this band. i've never heard ric play
with them, but i know from your ears that i would have loved it in some
sense. i feel that way about terri's violin and dogs running through
cathedrals (ok...esp about dogs in cathedrals :)) and taking over kaldi's.
I've been having a great time since i've come here to this space with you
and every opportunity i've had to actually spend time with and meet y'all
has simply cemented it.
yes...a part of that _is_ the band. a part of it comes from within each of
us. It's like we've all brought a few nails and some planks with us here to
this virtual grove and we've built a beautiful house. it's an amazing
endeavor. it's alittle lopsided and represents at least 17 separate
architectural styles (and that cupola thing DM brought *big grin*) but it's
truly ours.
i am told the band is changing; i haven't really been around them long
enough to tell myself. However, i think that everyone here has invested vast
amounts of their energy to OtR in some way or another. In effect, the OtR we
experience is not and can never be the OtR we talk about. But it's still a
beautiful time.
at the pre-party thing before moonlight gardens, drew had all of us there go
around the circle and explain how we got into OtR anyway. i smiled to self
when i realized the most common thread ppl were discribing as we sat thre in
the sun: many folks weren't big fans of the band and continued listening
until an epiphany struck---and they were hooked. that happened to me this
past weekend in Cinci and it'll happen to more folks as we go along.
the point to this ramble? (i know i had one earlier :)) Things seem to be
changing, as things are wont to do. Help keep the _whole_ feeling alive tho.
If you've been around since the beginning and remember when the band was
three ppl and an accordian (:)) tell us about it. We're all bringing
different parts of the picture to the table here. Paint them proudly.
[yes...this is exactly why i don't get too seriously usually; i hope you'll
forgive my indulgence]
jamie
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