One of my favourite by-products about working independently is the opportunity to meet and connect with individuals that I would not have otherwise met. This past September I attended Lucas Haneman's wedding; he's an old high-school friend of mine and he commissioned YourSuit to make suits for his groomsmen. Included in his party was Marc-Olivier Vezina-Bedard, or Marco, for short. Here's a picture of the group at the wedding:
 |
| L to R: Mubarak, Nevill, Marco, Tyler and Lucas. |
Like Lucas, Marco is a fellow musician, though he resides in Montreal as opposed to Ottawa. He travels occasionally to Ottawa for gigs, many of which are performed with Lucas. At the wedding ceremony, Marco played some tasteful interlude music while papers were being signed. I took a small clip of it here:
Afterward, Marco and I chatted; musicians tend to have the craziest stories so I always look forward to hearing about their background. Making a living off of music is no easy task, but both Lucas and Marco are doing it, which I find incredibly impressive and admirable. I asked Marco about how he supports himself through gigs and what types of styles he's able to play. Not surprisingly, his musicianship spans across all sorts of genres, and because of this he currently has a library of over 2,000 songs - memorized in his head - which he can recall and play at a moment's notice.
I asked Marco if he uses a Fake Book. For those who don't know what a Fake Book is, it's essentially a large book that provides a musician the arrangement and chords for songs; if a hired musician shows up at a gig and doesn't know a particular tune, he can open up a Fake Book and find the song and sight-read the chord progressions as the band is playing it. The book looks like a giant dictionary, though nowadays many just use a tablet.
Marco took a drag from his cigarette and shook his head.
"I don't," he said, exhaling. "I don't like it."
"Why not?" I asked him.
"If I play out of a Fake Book, I'm not really playing," he replied. "I'm reading. I'm being cautious. Any time a musician plays, he's taking a risk. He's keeping time or flirting with time. He's supporting or being supported. If he screws up, it could either be the best thing or worst thing that happened to him."
I nodded. He went on.
"If I play out of a Fake Book, I might as well just press play on a record player. There is no risk in that. No creativity either," he said. "I play because I want to play. I want the risk because it could turn into something beautiful."
We talked a little while longer before heading to the reception. I've been thinking about what he said about the Fake Book ever since. About risk, reward and the opportunity to create something beautiful. Not relying on a Fake Book is a lot like being a small business owner; you choose not to go with the conventional and risk being a screw up. You are not guided and you flirt with your own rules. But, you may just create something beautiful.
Cheers to those who live and play outside the Fake Book. May your risks be rewarded and your creations be beautiful.
I nodded. He went on.
"If I play out of a Fake Book, I might as well just press play on a record player. There is no risk in that. No creativity either," he said. "I play because I want to play. I want the risk because it could turn into something beautiful."
We talked a little while longer before heading to the reception. I've been thinking about what he said about the Fake Book ever since. About risk, reward and the opportunity to create something beautiful. Not relying on a Fake Book is a lot like being a small business owner; you choose not to go with the conventional and risk being a screw up. You are not guided and you flirt with your own rules. But, you may just create something beautiful.
Cheers to those who live and play outside the Fake Book. May your risks be rewarded and your creations be beautiful.
No comments:
Post a Comment