Stillwater continued....

I am only half kidding about that title, folks.
I call JTNL "Stillwater", another "Almost Famous" reference, of course.

This is it, more of the JTNL story...so far.

Here is the first part

This part picks up in January of 2009. A nice, way too long break between "viewings", so to speak. It started out as a little "girlfriends" trip to Florida, travel with and see some friends and take in 2 JTNL shows while at it. Innocent enough.

And because I was flying, and not checking any luggage, I decided NOT to bring my camera. I was going to be a fan.

Gasp! Dun, dun, dun....

Now there are a couple of important details here, and I will not get too into it - but let's just say that the evening before I left for this trip, some already frayed nerves were irritated further.
So I went to Florida with some very raw nerves, and a need to really live it up with some friends and see some music.

First stop - Gainesville at Common Grounds, as the band opened for J.J. Grey and Mofro.
Met up with 3 girlfriends, I hadn't even told the band I was planning on going. That is how focused I was on just being a fan, being there "for the music".

Here is the thing - and if you can relate to this at all, please comment and back me up, cause sometimes this makes me feel a little weird....

Live music is healing in the weirdest way for me.
I could have drama coming out of every orifice, have a world of worry and stress on my shoulders and in the most honest way I can put this, the first note of a song - be it a guitar chord, a drumstick click, a word...any kind of sound - all of that goes away.
Instantly.

That is what happened. I absorbed into their music, and I truly get off (almost literally sometimes...) on seeing other people enjoy the music and performance. It is passion at the most heightened state I have ever felt. Really.

I didn't even take a single picture that night. My girl Faith did it all for me.

So, basically what ends up happening is that even though I absorbed into the music, I kick into "help" mode almost instantly afterwards.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this mode lately...why it happens, and what is my motivation. And I don't know. I have done this numerous times, in this stage of life, and in general.

After this particular show, I basically just offer up a "night off" for the folks that usually man the merch, and generally do the meet and greet stuff after the set. Nothing formal, and maybe I was in the way...I don't know...and what this is NOT, and I feel like I need to make this clear, it is not some excuse to be "with the band". I have the hardest time explaining that.

I want to help, I want to spread the positivity that I am feeling to others...I want my passion for this music to be contagious.

So this night was not dramatic, it was great to see JTNL, and I think they may have been happy for the help...I don't know. I was happy to do it.

And we managed to secure passes for the show the next night - and once again, this is never my intention - in Orlando.

I am going to keep the Orlando show story brief. No camera that night either, because the House of Blues is kind of an asshole venue about that.
I wasn't feeling well, one of my girlfriends wasn't feeling well, the day started out weird - strange vibes. I had some kind of "Oh no, this is the last show!" nervous stomach thing going on. Hard to explain, but there were also some personal "issues" all wrapped into this...

But once again, the second they hit the stage and started playing (killer set too...one of my favorites so far), I didn't feel anything bad. At all.

But the vibe of this night was different.

And here is a lesson I have since learned - I should have just let it go.

But instead, I planned to go completely out of my way to make up for it by hitting the show the next night - in Tallahassee.

No one to come with me, no hotel, had a really early flight I had to change. All of this shit to make up for some "bad vibes".

I am about 98% certain that with a do-over on this one, I could have saved some money and some face. But I am a silver lining kind of girl, I have taken that lesson and saved both of those things many times since then.

I get to Tallahassee. Basically what happens is this - I offer up the rest of my hotel room to the band, no sense in wasting that space and wasting the money. I had a couch and a huge king bed. Plenty of room for a few starving artists...
End up with Mo Brown, which was awesome - from what I hear it was a "break from testosterone". We chilled, got some food, and she got me into the sold out show. Nice. I think I still owe her for that night....

Here is another thing I have learned - but not to the point where I have done anything about it - whiskey is a catalyst for me. Big time. Whatever is going on in my brain is amplified when whiskey is involved.

Now, this venue is a beer only joint. So I had beer. Enough of it that my drunken picture taking, street teaming, general schoozing about and for the band was going at full tilt. I love this mode....this is a fun mode. No one gets hurt, they all get my full attention and passion, etc.

Enter the whiskey. A full plastic cup of Maker's Mark...after about 4 beers.

For some reason, being a total weirdo was what was amplified that night. I said and did inappropriate things, acted a damn fool, and still, to this minute, feel like I totally took advantage of my situation. I hate doing that. Hate it.

I did get some footage though...lol...and a ton of pictures.



But what I really got was schooled....in the art of doing this shit the right way.

And I learned that I am really at my best in this environment when I can hide behind the lens. This is not an avoidance tactic...it is just the best way for me to do this.

Stayed tuned...because February 2009 is a doozy...and a little cosmic.