I opened my eyes and pulled on a sweater from my closet, before quickly running downstairs to drink a cup of coffee with my mom. I pulled my brother’s bass guitar up from the basement and threw it in a case meant for some other instrument, before then eating breakfast and brushing my teeth. I felt a bit nervous, knowing I had a performance later that day, but it was a good nervous. I remember T. John Baird telling a story about Thelonious Monk or someone like that– they said that the day you stop feeling nervous when you perform is the same day you stop playing music. I try to pretend sometimes this isn’t the truth so maybe perhaps I can trick myself into relaxing about being in front of so many strangers, but I know I’m not right. The show went very well, the musicians we opened for were really kind and the crowd seemed into all the music.

-Con