Wednesday, January 2, 2013

WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING...

When I was a kid the old folks would say whatever you're doing New Year's Eve when the clock strikes midnight you'll be doing for the new year. The idea being do something fun and positive etc,

I was in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, at The Gypsy Joynt watching earlier (a little after nine) a band of seventh and eighth graders (keyboard/trumpet/guitar/bass/drums) with my grandson Donovan on drums rock a packed joint with the precision rhythm and hot licks. Really. Not proud grandpa talking, objective observer watching. They had the crowd going bananas. [I'll hopefully get some phone footage from my youngest downloaded soon.]

They were followed by my oldest son (my grandson's dad) Miles playing bass in a band (guitar/drums/lead singer and front man whose band it is also playing some guitar) for a mostly reggae set at which my oldest child, Caitlin and I dance to her brother's rocking out, the crowd taking to the small dance floor or dancing where they were in the bar/restaurant/club.

Meanwhile my youngest, Flynn, was swaying and doing his own minimal cool moves to the music as he stood among a small crowd of friends from the area he's known since he was little (actually towered over them, at fifteen he can look me straight in the eyes, I assume soon I'll be looking up at his).

Total love and joy as we rocked the old year out and the new one in. I started moving when my grandson' band, Highland, took the stage and didn't stop until sometime after one in the AM when the teenagers actually had had enough, but Miles and the band he was playing in, Jordon Weller and The Feathers (I understand there's some footage of them from another gig on YouTube which I'll also try to get a link to or download later today) kept the groove going.

Hope the old folks were right.

3 comments:

JenW said...

M- I wish you had posted these wise words just a bit earlier. Oh boy- so according to the old folks, it's not the best idea to forego parties and spend the night dancing in pajamas, smootching & toasting in the New Year with a drooling 70 lb Lab pup??? Doggonit!

Lally said...

Hey Jen, doesn't sound like a bad way to spend the year.

JenW said...

Thank you Michael -she's a bundle of love and joy and still growing. .Life is so unpredictable- she was a gift & now I can't imagine how I managed without her. She loves to swim &is a very fast learner-going to teach her how to surf this summer. Your year sounds great too even if you weren't wearing pajamas. The important part is you were exactly where you wanted to be & you were dancing.