I’m feeling confident and secure because of my trust in the universe.
Everything that has occurred over the past 6 months was meant to happen. I was fortunate enough to play at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village in NY a few months ago. My friend had connected me with the booking agent and a guitar and bass player. The booking agent listened to my stuff and offered me a date right away. Wow! I was really excited.
I emailed the musicians and was thrilled by their speedy and enthusiastic response. They had also listened to some of my music online and were looking forward to the gig. I sent them the charts along with a CD and one email about musical nuances in the songs. After many phone calls and emails, we realized there would be no rehearsal. We arrived at the venue in time for a quick sound check, and in no time the show had started and I was singing the last song.
We could feel the energy of the audience. They were happy and enjoying the music. We played the show without any mistakes… well, only one missed cue… but it was funny and we all laughed, so - all good. We bonded as performers and sounded like a band that had been playing together for years. We were received wonderfully with abounding positive feedback and new fans. We all left the club feeling like we had found new soulmates and stepped into a new space. What a high. I had even received an email from Tony Salvatore, the guitar player, saying how much he enjoyed the gig and wanted to do it again.
The following night I found out that the booking agent was furious that there weren’t enough people in the club…. I fell into the hole…I cried and cried…and cried.” I’ve ruined my career, why did I do this? I thought everyone loved it. Am I in another world? I’ll never work in NY again…” My darling girlfriends “talked me off the ledge.” A few days later I was talking to Scott Barbarino of Iridium Jazz Club and he said “We’re working really hard to fit you in Michele. Hang on one second and I’ll make a call and let you know.” And within minutes I was playing Iridium May 29th… Yikes!
The most wonderful and beautiful part of this story is that I met my production team, Steve and his beautiful partner Robbie. They are total soul mates, and they get me…. not that I’m that hard to “get.” They were the reason I had to play Bitter End. And I had to meet Tony. He has recommended a book to me: The Gift, by Lewis Hyde. It has been an amazing read because it articulates many of the things I feel and stress in my show, and is affirmation that I am not the only one who believes in the elegance of art.
Now I know that the upcoming gig is the “real” one. It’s going to be fantastic because the energy is unstoppable.