New Year, New Hope

It's the new year, and at this particular moment I am feeling particularly poetic.

On the very last day of the very last year of the very last decade, there was new hope. I spent most of new years eve at Claire's house catching up with friends and toasting. The evening was mildly uneventful. The new year came and we cheered because that is what we are supposed to do, and slowly the guests trickled out the door like wax down the side of a candle in a Catholic cathedral.

For the first time in a long time and for the first time in the new decade, Bear and I sat down next to each other and played in her backyard grotto. I think in a lot of ways we have grown callous to our own music, to playing. We know what we can do and we rarely choose to really challenge ourselves. I think this has led to a lack of passion in our performance, because that's all it had become, a performance.

Her fire pit gave us light as Jenna, Nadia and Jeff laughed by the jacuzzi. I sat in my place on the left of Claire, I like being on the left. I guess it feels like home. There was nothing particularly spectacular about the performance, just the feeling that I had about it. I felt like I did in the beginning when I sang just for myself, and that is a beautiful thing. Then we played Falling Slowly from the movie Once. We had attempted the song before but in the chorus Glen Hansard hits some freak notes, and I never could quite get it. I had come close but not consistently. So, we had stopped playing that song, unfortunate because it's a beautiful song. Anyways, someone asked that we play it (can't remember who) and I laughed and explained that we couldn't because I couldn't hit the notes. We ended up playing it anyways and right before the chorus I told myself that I was going to hit those fuggin notes. And I did, every one.

For a second Claire looked at me and I thought her eyes would pop out of her head. I almost shit myself. I think it truly was a new years miracle. Also, one of the dark hairs ( explain that later, but I can't remember who it was) gave Claire a list of songs we should learn, and last night Claire sent me her recorded cover of Beautiful Love by the Afters.

For the second time this year I shit my pants! I have never heard Claire sing like this before, so soulful and full.

If you click the title of the post it will take you to our site and you can listen to it, do it. now. I promise you won't regret it, unless you hate good music of course. Then you probably shouldn't be reading this blog (sorry, but it's true).

We ended up staying up until 4 a.m. and talking about where everyone would be in 10 years (like anyone has any idea). Whatever, it was fun to imagine where we would be, and what our lives would consist of. What we discovered is that wherever we end up we will be loving life, and we will have music and friends.

Now I need to continue getting ready for our big show on February 3rd.

Happy New Years!

-Danger