Through the shadowlands and forgotten paths, you will find a road

Oh hi. I took a week off. But I’m back! For now.

Last night I went to see Josh Garrels at the Rio Theatre on Commercial Drive. It was a little strange to go and see a show in what is essentially a movie theatre, but the sound was surprisingly good and they managed to fit all twelve people on stage.

Whenever I go to a show, I tend to find the one person in the band who is most interesting to me and watch them the entire time. At this show it was the violinist/mandolinist. He was so creative with his instrument, playing not just great lines but with lots of different tones and textures. One of the hardest thing to do as a musician is to think outside of what comes naturally to you. That and learning when to leave space. If you aren’t conscious of it, overplaying is so easy. I had a piano teacher in music school who once told me the greatest lesson you could ever learn was when to sit on one of your hands. Anyway, this guy was good at both.

Even though there were twelve people on stage, none of the songs felt busy. And even though there were quite a few instrument switches, they had worked through the transitions seamlessly so you barely noticed that the bass player had switched with the backup singer and was now playing the xylophone. It was inspiring to see how effective arranging can make something beautiful out of something simple. I walked away with so many ideas, and that is my most favorite kind of show.

You guys, I know I say this all the time but I just love music so much. What a gift.

One Reply to “Through the shadowlands and forgotten paths, you will find a road”

  1. Those are the creepiest looking jellyfish (video).

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