Today, I got to do something that I hadn't done in almost a
decade. When I was 24/25, and fresh out of university, I would start
most of my days with a pretty basic practice - I'd wail away in my
parents basement playing electric guitar as loud as possible while
downing a few coffees for inspiration. Those days were fairly bleak
for me as I didn't know what was down the road - and in some
ways, I feel like I'm going through a time similar to that point in my
life (only I'm ten years older and I still don't have any money and
I'm still not sure what I want to do with my life).
But in that basement, where I can wail and play a sonic and
resonating distorted E chord and let the peavey special 130 ring
out into the massive emptiness, I feel at peace. I feel like I can
grasp the next activity with some source of belief and enterprise -
I can touch the music down there. It's tangible. It's thick and loud.
And though I'm still largely learning as a musician and as a student
of this life, I felt almost proud to see a man playing in the mirror -
who (since those confused post-school days) has held down a
marriage & several crappy jobs, recorded 5 albums in 10 years,
and toured the bulk of this country from one sea to the other.
It ain't much but it's alright.
It was a good start to the day.
May we all find our basement meditation when its needed.
Labels: basement, garage rock, graven
