Today I left work with a happy feeling. I am now, over depression. I feel rejunivated rejuvinated rejuvenated. I feel this energy flowing through…no wait, it’s the cash, it’s because I got the Durga Puja festival bonus cash. That’s why I feel happy.
On the way to the instrument store, I saw this.
Now, I don’t know if you know this about me, but I love rolls. So I pointed at the crispy spring roll, and then I pointed at my mouth. You can imagine my sorrow, when the guy handed me this plate of disaster.
The roll was severed into several meaningless pieces, and I ate them unwillingly, with a fork that has been in countless mouths.
I arrived at my destination right on time. I put my bargaining hat on, and entered the store where magic is made. Say hello to the latest and greatest addition to the percussion family, the practice pad.
If there’s anything 2001: A Space Odyssey has taught me, it’s that black boxes(excluding coffins) evoke curiosity. There’s a mystery behind them(may include coffins). For some people, it evokes a little fear(definitely coffins).
But there’s nothing to fear about my new black box, a.k.a Cajón. It is a percussion instrument made of wood. It doubles as a short stool. In fact, you have to sit on it while you play, a sort of musical bonding between wood and ass.
This is not what it sounds like. This is a bad recording of the black box.
Step 2: If you ever cook something nice, share a little with the neighbours.
Pro-tip: If you are like me and believe in ‘live and let die’, just leave the neighbours alone. They won’t mess with you. Its all about communication without communication.
Yesterday, while jamming with the band I got up from the throne(kudos to the person who named the drum-seat), walked up to the mic and announced that I was not gay. Suddenly everything stopped. People stopped talking to each other, the music stopped playing, (oh I almost forgot) the clock stopped ticking. Then a girl burst out laughing. In my mind I went, “Woohoo! This is my calling. Stand-up comedy, here I come”.
I got the ‘gig’. I did it! I did it! The nerd is in a rock band. All I can say now is shit’s about to go down.
I haven’t played in that many bands but I know the feeling you get when a bus bearing your band’s name comes to pick you up for a show. Yes, I do believe in that ‘band is family’ shit. It’s a mysterious musical-interest-based-bond that refuses to go away even after the band breaks up. Enough gay shit.
After the audition was over the lead singer announced that they would be happy to have me play the drums. So naturally my first instinct was to go over to the mic and announce that I was not gay. But I held it in for a better opportunity. It also gave me a brilliant idea. I could do some stand-up when we play live. That would kill time in between songs. Also, I get to humiliate hecklers.
To quote the great poet Nikki Sixx,
“When we started this band All we needed, needed was a laugh Years gone by, I’d say we’ve kicked some ass When I’m enraged Or hittin’ the stage Adrenaline rushing Through my veins And I’d say we’re still kickin’ ass“
As you may already know, like all the other parts of the body, the brain needs exercise too. We have to challenge our brains once in a while. Learning something new or solving a puzzle is one way to go about it. However, I would like to recommend something different. How about you try to do something that you do everyday, differently? Or better yet, more efficiently? I recently had this thought about rewiring the brain. Its not that complicated. It can be incorporated into anything that you do on a daily basis like brushing your teeth with the other hand or compose a new tune by yourself.
I am right handed. So I’ve learnt drums in such a way that the right hand is always treated as the dominant one. Now I have a bizarre drum teacher who recommends trying every thing with both hands. Learning to do this has changed me. I never thought it would be so useful. Now I can play drums with my hands switched. It also feels easier now to play different things simultaneously on different hands. I could feel it happen in my head as I was learning to do it. It felt good. You feel a kind of opposing force as you try to do it. Once you start to get the hang of it you feel like a whole new world has opened up. It feels like a dormant part of your brain has all of a sudden started to function. It is an unbelievable experience and I think everyone should try it.
I watched The Arrival last weekend. It might have inspired me to make this post! It explains how learning something new can completely change the way we think.
Sorry kids. This is not the kind of rejection you are thinking about.
I am a huge fan of Freddy Mercury. For those of you who don’t know who this legend is, I highly recommend you keep it that way. He was the lead singer of the band Queen. I am equally inspired by his music and his energy. He worked hard to get to the top. He had the ability to influence people just by talking to them. I wish I had his influencing skills. The rest of this post will explain why.
It was one of those weekends where I was struggling to keep myself busy so that I don’t get bored and fall into an endless pit of depression. I decided to attend a small gig. It turned out to be an arena for beginner bands to showcase their talent to the world. The only problem was that the place was filled with college students and I was the odd 25 year old with no friends. However, all that feeling of embarrassment faded away when one particular band took the stage. These guys were my age. They sounded unbelievably great. They were a trio. One played the acoustic guitar, one played keyboards and one vocalist sat on a chair playing just a bass drum with the foot pedal. They performed few covers and originals. Need less to say, they took me on a musical journey. I could feel that special sparkle in their music.
I am at the moment desperately trying to form a band. So I approached them after the show and thanked them for playing here. They seemed like very nice people. I also hinted that they need a full drum kit rather than just a base drum(I am a drummer). They seemed to pay little attention to me and stressed that they were a “Trio”. However, they thanked me for the feedback and asked me to follow them on Facebook for tour dates. I went back home and did just that. I also sent two of them a friend request(because three friend requests would be like super begging ha ha). I came back home and listened to the original songs that they covered that day. Believe me, their version sounded much better. It was when they covered this song that I realised that they were exceptionally talented:
I soo want to be in this band. They are the whole package! I wouldn’t have to go hunting for individual members. All I have to do is get in!
And then the waiting began. A week passed. None of my friend requests were accepted. Then one day to my surprise I received a notification saying that the vocalist had accepted my request. I did not waste much time with chit chat. I asked if I could come see one of their jamming sessions. To my surprise, he replied that they preferred to keep their jamming sessions private. I told him that I totally respect his decision and thanked him for his time. This is my first time being rejected to my face. So I felt very bad. However, a glimmer of hope shone soon after. He said he’ll speak with the other guys and let me know. Looks like he felt a little bit of my pain! :-). So now I am back to waiting. Hope something good comes out of all this.
Be warned. I am bad at writing. Most of it wont make sense unless our brains could somehow sync with each other.
Like many of us, I’ve often wondered what to do with my life. Do I make my life meaningful by helping others or do I just enjoy my life to the fullest? My life at times gets so depressing that I have to struggle to keep myself happy. However, I have a strong feeling that I am here for a purpose. I have absolutely no reason to believe so. Its just a feeling. I think I am here to make people happy. I like to make people happy! Although I am not a very people person, I do not waste chances I get to be useful. Be it fixing electronics or just cheering people up, I wish I could do it more often. The happy face you get to see after you fix someone’s computer is simply priceless.
So I gave it some thought. What do I like to do the most that would also be meaningful? I know that music makes everyone happy. Even during the worst of times, a little music can cheer you up. I love to make music and especially to play drums. Using these skills, I believe I can make people happy someday. The universe will show me the how. The universe talks to me very rarely but in powerful ways. The universe has been very quiet of late!
So I think I would be happy to be a drummer. I never thought that would be my ultimate aim in life but that’s what it looks like now. No matter what job I do or what course I study I have a feeling of unfulfillment. I initially thought I wanted to compose background scores for movies but upon giving it some deep thought I realised that I would run out of ideas pretty soon. However, when I play in a band, beats just pop up like magic. When I sit on the drum throne I feel like I an actual king! ‘Throne’ is a very apt name for the drum seat.
Is it just me or do great ideas pop up in your mind when you shower? or take a walk? Brilliant guitar riffs pop up in my mind when I go for long walks. Especially after work! My mind plays extraordinary music when I go for walks. I wish I could record them! I am happy that my mind is creative enough to play its own music instead of playing pre-existing songs!
I have not played in that many bands but I certainly know how it feels when a bus labelled with your band’s name comes to pick you up for a show! I think of a real band as a family where everyone can read each others mind. Although I have never been in such a band, I hope I will some day. Here’s the problem. I am afraid to choose drumming as a career path. I do not know if I can make a living off it. Not only do I don’t vibe with people, but I also only like to play for genres that people don’t usually like. I also know that it is hard work. I am amazed to see really old bands still kicking ass. I am happy for them. If you are in a mood for some ‘feel good’ talk, I suggest you watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V80-gPkpH6M
No Rockstar gets past these watchful eyes.
Yesterday, while jamming with the band I got up from the throne(kudos to the person who named the drum-seat), walked up to the mic and announced that I was not gay. Suddenly everything stopped. People stopped talking to each other, the music stopped playing, (oh I almost forgot) the clock stopped ticking. Then a girl burst out laughing. In my mind I went, “Woohoo! This is my calling. Stand-up comedy, here I come”.
Random Thought Beam 