Greetings Earth People,
Check this out! I came across this tune by Stone Coal White on a funk-soul playlist I was checking this morning. Maybe it’s the rain today, maybe it’s my mood, or maybe it’s the bass; but the vibe struck me and my heart went out to the song. “You know, you know– you know just how I feel.” His love did him wrong, but she wants to reconnect. “Take me back.” She says, but he knows better. “You know just how I feel. Your heartbeat’s out of step!” The driving, subdued groove and simple harmonic form show us the singers mood without him spelling it out for us. He’s in a low place, emotionally, that we know by the tonality in the chorus; but the forward motion of the bass line, always moving toward the next downbeat, aside from being characteristic of funk/soul music, belies his resolve to move past this emotional disturbance, to the next phase of his life.
I can relate. I know just how you feel.
Anyway, enough analyzing obscure funk songs, there’s work to be done. I’ve spent that last two weeks e-mailing personnel managers and friends/professional contacts in a lot of symphony orchestra’s in and around the Arkansas/Missouri/Kansas area as I execute a plan to move to Kansas City, Missouri. I’ve already run up against a frustrating aspect of being a freelance musician– scheduling conflicts. What if regional orchestras, wise to the fact that a lot of their talent pool comes from all over and plays in a lot of different groups, were to coordinate their schedules so there were fewer scheduling conflicts?
I already know the reality of the situation: The orchestra is working with the venue’s availability, not the musicians, and they really can’t afford to spend the time communicating with all the orchestras/venues in a region. But let’s be honest, isn’t communication the key to successful relationships? We’re people aren’t we? Spending the time to communicate will strengthen our arts organizations and increase the quality of the produced forms. All it would take is one GIANT spreadsheet right? It’s simple. Be sure to give me credit for my excellent idea, I’m a revolutionary. Or, before my time, maybe?