Well, that was quick -- move over 2024; make room for 2025!
Looking back, 2024 was EPIC! Not everything went our way along the journey, but the places we went and the people we met were unforgettable! In January, we started building some great relationships with Jorge Sanchez and Robert Rankin Walker. These guys are not only great musicians; they're awesome human beings as well! We got to know the American Patriot Band and Sons of SoCal. We started doing open-mic nights every once in a while, and continued to meet other great people! We met Mike 'Magoo' Davis in February -- such an awesome guy, and a genuine pleasure to be around! We also got more involved with the American Patriot Music Project, learning to build guitars. We also met Pat and Christina Dooley, who are those forever-friend kind of people! We were supposed to play at Baily's, but it got rescheduled (the first time). In March, we met Rex at O'Hara's, who gave the band our first 'real' paying gig. April: we played at O'Hara's, and it was a great gig! People dug what we were doing, and we seemed to go over really well. We did our first guitar build with the American Patriots and met some really great people with the most beautiful hearts you could imagine -- Didi, Fernanda, Tee, Charlotte, I'm talking about you! We reconnected with Marie, which was a high point for us. We also played at Bastards, where a lot of other bands would have loved to play but never got the chance. In May, we played at Teakwoods for the first time. This is one of our favorite, most cozy places to play. We also played at Baily's in Old Town Temecula as our acoustic project, Unplug Betsey. We reconnected with Mike in May -- we hadn't played with Mike since the previous November or December, and we thought he'd fit in well with our acoustic project. In June, we got fired from O'Hara's. C'est la vie, right? We said goodbye to James and brought in Mike as our full-time drummer. We rounded out the month doing another 3-day Patriot guitar build in Big Bear, spending time with great friends! We rehearsed in July. Not much more than that. Now that Mike was in the band, we wanted to re-tool our repertoire -- keeping some songs; losing other songs; adding new songs that fit our new dynamic. The maiden voyage of our new lineup was in August. We played at Teakwoods and had an awesome time! We had our first test-drive with a lot of new equipment -- new mixer; new speakers; new wireless systems. Thankfully, Jorge was there with us so everything went nice and smooth! We also played a private party for a friend's birthday and rehearsed some more. In September, we finally got to play at Taylor's! We had to cancel our July gig there, and we were ecstatic that Mike invited us again; Taylor's is a really fun bar with some great people, and we can't wait to get back there next February! To make September even better, we met some truly beautiful people -- Jeanine from Rockaholix hosted an all-day music fest at Wild West Social, where local bands played and showed some great support for each other within our small musical community. We also got to know Gary, Sean, Derek and Mark from My Dad's Band. October was absolutely phenomenal! We played on Wild West Social's huge raised stage, Baily's amazing courtyard, and on Halloween weekend we got to party at Pepe's! We returned to Teakwoods and Pepe's in November, and had a great time playing for fun party crowds! December capped off the year with a really fun private party with some great Marine friends at Camp Pendleton, and an unbelievably incredible Christmas-weekend show at Vail Lake KOA -- what a way to end the year! 2024 was a really fun, busy year for Patch of Gravity; I wouldn't trade it for the world. But you know what? 2025 says, 'hold my beer.'
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Wow -- this weekend was one of those don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it weekends!
We had just loaded our gear into the vehicle to leave for a gig on Friday when I got the phone call -- another band had a last-minute cancellation, and we suddenly got a golden opportunity to play Saturday night at a venue we'd been trying to get into for months! Was this really happening? Could this be our very own Christmas miracle? Friday's gig was a private Christmas party with some great Marine buddies. We got to catch up with old friends, make new friends, and just have a good time playing music and hanging out. It was going to be our last show before we'd finally be able to catch our breath and get ready for Christmas -- this was the last weekend before Christmas. Hold that thought -- the last weekend before Christmas. Christmas weekend, you might say. Saturday's gig (which quite literally fell into our laps) was at the KOA Campground. A family-friendly, always-fun place where there's always a great crowd of party people and their kids. On Christmas weekend. One of the, if not THE absolute best, most awesome family party times and places you could imagine! I still can't believe we were given such an awesome unexpected opportunity! Christmas weekend. Outside. Party people. Kids being kids. We gave away so much merch that I completely lost track -- beanies, coozies, ball caps, shirts, mugs, tumblers, and especially stickers! I can honestly tell you that this show was one of the most memorable ones I've ever played. I don't know if it was the Christmas spirit, or the fact that most of the kids thought I was Santa Claus, or what -- but I saw some real magic this weekend! But there's a back story here. At first, I had doubts about taking Saturday's gig because of all the personal stuff I had going on -- another Christmas party with friends; last-minute shopping to do; getting the house cleaned up for family Christmas. Sure, I missed out on some fun with friends. But I almost allowed excuses and changing plans to talk me out of a great experience that showed up out of the blue. The lesson for me in all of this is pretty clear. When a great opportunity shows up on your doorstep, do whatever you have to do to make it work out. Your future self will thank you. I'm not sure if anyone's ever completely ready for the holidays. Even if you think you're ready, you're not. This world has plenty of surprises up its sleeve, and they usually come at the worst possible moment. Job loss. Government shutdown (get ready for it). Death.
I think it's critical, especially during the holidays, to get our priorities in order. All the shopping, spending, wrapping, partying, and A Christmas Story marathons can be huge distractions to take your eyes off of what's really important. And two of the most important things I can think of are love and time. When I say love, I don't just mean romantic love or family love. I mean compassion and care for our friends, neighbors and strangers. This time of year should bring out our personal best; our kindest consideration. Our friendliest patience. Our most selfless personal sacrifice. Sure, not everyone gets it -- but that shouldn't stop us. And if our love and holiday spirit extend into January or February or next December, that's the goal! That's the prize! Time should be our other big priority. There's no guarantee that any of us will make it to tomorrow, so it's important to take full advantage of the time we've got! Your legacy shouldn't be uncertainty about whether or not you loved people. While you're at it, watch Scrooged and try not to cry. |
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January 2025
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