Monday, July 16, 2012

The Steel Wheels live and the Backup we all need

This is a photo of my calendar for a recent evening. I had the chance to see the Steel Wheels at the Grey Eagle in Asheville, a venue I've wanted to visit for years.

JRL did a show with Trent and the band a few years back, and it was great to hear the maturation of their material and performance since then.

It left me thinking again about the challenge and joy of touring regularly -- you develop competencies that are a profound gift, but it comes at a price, even to those who do it well and wisely. I left encouraged, sobered and inspired, and hoping to find that balance in the season ahead where I become more competent and able to give a gift that is worth peoples' time and money -- without trading in my deep love of music and message and beauty and core relationships rooted in a specific time and place.

I see this as sort of a tightrope walk requiring regular miracles and interventions both divine and human. In reality, though, the road a traveling musician walks is in it's essence not much different than many other professions -- each come with unique challenges and require the sort of backup to do well that most of us don't have


"When will we see the need to call in backup?" 
- JRL, Backup, 2005 (thanks Amber)

5 comments:

Bryan Moyer Suderman said...

So true. Thanks for this. And, of course, your comments give tantalizing hints that leave me curious... are you saying that you are expecting the new "season" to involve regular touring as a musician...? As always, I'd love to hear more of what your thinking...

Aaron said...

Remember, life is short and we will soon see God, Never trade in as you commented in the end of your third paragraph, there is no trade offs, follow Jesus completely, whatever that means for each of us , The cross we bear now will become our crown when we finish the race. Tell the good news through the message of your music and relationship, I cannot ever sacrifice the relashonship of the specific moments, what is more beautiful than that.
I will have to follow you some, this was good for me, I need to start outside mournfully the moments. Your music has been a blessing, ur album has become one of my favorites.

Aaron

Jonathan Reuel said...

Thanks for the thoughts. In terms of touring, I'm doing some, although it seems to be shifting. Soon will be doing a number of "themed" concerts where I start with an idea or theme and then build the songs, art, stories around that. All pieces we've done before, but it's different.

Aaron, who? Really appreciated your comment, particularly the line "there is no trade offs" and "I need to start outside mournfully the moments" and "follow Jesus completely" -- in fact this feels a bit like a song..

Aaron said...

We have meet once briefly during your encounter at Menno Haven. I am a Jesus follower - songwriter and musician as well so its always nice to collaborate with others in the same "places". Aaron Ressler, some guy. Peace of Christ be with you!

Aaron said...

Perhaps ill facebook the song sometime