Showtime!

         I intended to take off the cold months this year and work on writing and recording, but some calls came in for a couple of dates in December and January, including my first New Year's gig since before the turn of the century.  Playing outdoors on a balmy day can't be beat, and hauling equipment and performing when it's cold, even indoors, is, let's just say, not ideal. 

75° and Sunny!

    But now I'm looking forward to playing and glad the dates are on the calendar. You see, I practice every day and invariably while I do something comes up that adds a new or different twist to a song.  For instance, while working on the Frank Sinatra standard, "Young At Heart", a song I admit is challenging for me even though I've been playing it for some time now, I came up with  a simpler chord in one part of the song. My music theory expertise is a moving target and it's using a chord that I understand works after the fact, but not something I'd know intuitively if my theory was A+ rather than a C, and that's being generous. So, cool, something new and something that is easier to play and sounds good. Win Win! Now I'm looking forward to performing the song for an audience. 

    But wait! Nothing scheduled for a month.

    Not acceptable. Also I recently jammed with some friends and picked up a new song for the play list and that's waiting in the wings. Even though practicing is its own reward, performing something new in public is another level, and it isn't until I successfully get past that hurdle do I feel that I've really internalized it. At that point another process takes over and I have the freedom to expand from there depending on how I'm feeling at a particular time. This can be as simple as changing the tempo, or, like doing something unexpected, like my reggae version of "Lean on Me" (Bill Withers).

   

    It might be cold, raining and dark these next few months, but I'll load up the car and head out, thankful I have an opportunity to do something I enjoy that provides me with a new set of challenges every time I do. I'll just wear a warm coat.

    

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing over 30 projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy" will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY