first show of 2023 was extremely special and if this is an indication to how the rest of the shows this year will go… maybe this actually will be an impactful year for the band.
it’s funny how initially we were skeptical about even taking the show; we didn’t know any of the other bands and it seemed like we might have been the odd one out again, which has bitten us in the past. but we accepted it knowing that a show at jammin java would at least mean we get to play at a real venue with a real sound system and lights. this is a good opportunity to share one of the mantras the band lives by: don’t block your blessings. if there is something good about a decision you’re making, sometimes that good is enough to say yes because you have no idea how much more good can unfold, and in this case it easily multiplied.
we were blessed to have a lot of our friends from various friend groups show up, more than we all expected, it was honestly more overwhelming than if they were strangers. it felt good to see that our friends believed in us and wanted to spend their night with us.
we were also blessed to have some listeners in the crowd that weren’t our friends initially and I would like to note a couple special stories from tonight.
we met a young black kid who goes by the name of Jeremiah. I didn’t ask for his age but he had to have been around 7 or so at the most. he told us that he loves listening to our music and we’re awesome. to be able to play music that the kids enjoy is fantastic but to be the black person in an alternative band that a black kid can look at and see that it’s not weird and totally something he can do is a feeling that I will never forget. it’s what I felt watching bands like letlive. when I was younger and I can’t believe I’ve been able to pass along that same feeling.
we also met a dude by the name of Gabriel who had been coming to pulses. shows before. he told us that his mom passed away two days prior and he decided to come out to the show to try to have a good night among the grieving. on top of that, he bought a second copy of bouquet. on vinyl because him and his mom shared a love for music and he had shared us with her, explaining to her and to us that he listened to us to get through difficult points in high school. he wants to bury that second copy with her and I think that may be the most pure hearted moment this band will ever experience. I am deeply touched by the entire thing and cannot believe we are affecting lives in such a way.
the set itself was a really fun one, we got to shake off the rust and have a good time. playing for an hour was surely tiring but it was extremely heartwarming. loved hearing our songs sang back to us, loved all the dancing and two stepping, loved that Zach Benson came through to perform with us, and hopeful that some of these recordings we’ve done come out well enough for us to share with other folks.
there was a lot of magic in that room and I truly hope for many more nights like it in the future.