I met up with my pals, Steve and Daniel, at Swallow Hill, probably the best atmosphere in the world for this kind of experiment. (Steve also performed and he was so funny and delightful.) Each performer was not only super talented but they all had their own songs! Good Lord. I'm going to have to find out where crappier musicians play if I think about doing this again.
Anyway, I made it up on stage and the host asked about my gear. "I don't have a guitar or anything. I'll be singing a capella," I said. His eyes got real big.
Since comedy is my one useful skill in the world, I tried to charm the audience with humor. "Yeah, I thought we were going to a comedy open mic (this is actually true) so I'm not really prepared but I already put lipstick on and brushed my hair so I thought I should do something..."
And that's when I belted out a Beck-inspired version of Hank Williams' "Lonesome Whistle." I did okay. It certainly sounded better in the ladies room a few minutes earlier but still not as good as my empty living room. But hey, nobody died. And they clapped. Best of all, when I got offstage, the host said:
"The only thing scarier to me than performing a song with no musical accompaniment is doing comedy. You, my dear, must have very thick skin."
Hopefully, it will grow thicker and I can get more performances under my belt. These days, my mantra is: "I don't know what I'm doing but I'm doing it."
6 comments:
Bravo!!
When I deducted I couldn't play sports (two left feet) and I wasn't in possession of a brain that could really grasp math with numbers AND letters, I figured out I was good at singing. And I was asked to sing our National Anthem for sporting events, but I had to do it acapella. I have the video of it somewhere - my dad's running the camera, nervous, shaking. I was DYING. All those people.
But, it got easier. I ended up singing like that for the remaining four years, and it all came in handy when I was applying for a music scholarship later on.
Point being - You feel absolutely stripped naked standing there without a piano or guitar, and it's liberating to do.
I'm proud of you!!
Wow - the national anthem???? In front of crowds??? As a teenager??? Holy crap, mama, you got balls of steel.
We should start a band. I could be your back-up singer, or we could switch off. Either way, we need to find a reason to sing together soon.
I'm so proud of you.
I'm all for the two of you singing together!!
And bravo Heather - you never fail to impress me :-)
Why didn't you say anything? That's terrific. Any chance somebody was there to capture the moment for posterity?
Yeah, my buddy recorded it although I haven't yet mustered the nerve to look at it. Yeesh!
Post a Comment