Musings on the Bus to Bogota
by Markus 'giles' Koehorst on Mar.24, 2010, under Music, musings, Travelling, Villa de Leyva/Colombia
Monday, March 22nd
the Bus to Bogota
I like travelling. It gives me a break from the routine. It tends to involve sitting still and doing nothing for long periods of time, while your gently changing surroundings provide distraction and entertainment. It is perfect for musings, and as the mountains and planes parade past my coach window on the way to Bogota, my mind goes to my concert on Sunday.
It was one of those ‘ideal’ gigs: a beautiful venue with plenty of character and positive energy, and a wonderful audience. There is a great sense of silence at La Maloca, and I found myself playing quieter and more laidback than usual. The fact that there was no alcohol for sale probably added to the mix. Not that I have anything against alcohol as such. I quite enjoy a good glass of something special now and then, but it definitely seems to change the atmosphere.
note
I didn’t have to compromise on the songs I played either. They were mostly my own songs, because they felt right for the place. The only well-known ‘cover’ I played was Voodoo Chile, and I played it because I very much enjoy that song at the moment. It is not so much a cover as a ‘reworking’. Trying to imitate Jimi’s version on acoustic guitar doesn’t work, so you have to ‘re-invent’ it. I enjoy that process of stripping a song back to its very essence, and then recreating it from my own experience and emotions.
Probably half of the people who had made the trip to the slightly remote theatre were either friends, or friends of friends. This was obviously another key reason for the positive response I was getting.
My attention goes from my musings to a fellow passengers on the coach who is checking her hotmail messages on her laptop. It strikes me how much things have changed with the internet being widely available, even in Colombia. Many artists now make use of YouTube, MySpace and Facebook to create friends, in preparation for their gigs.
Isn’t it brilliant how you can listen to the songs of virtually any musician from anywhere in the world? Any artist can make direct contact with his audience. It no longer depends on the fashion-whims of large record companies. This is very good news for someone like me, who doesn’t fulfil the requirements for mainstream music, but who still feels he has something to offer a niche audience.
Viral marketing I think it is called. I have only just starting exploring it, but I am hopeful that it will open the door to more gigs like the one I enjoyed so much on Sunday. Fingers crossed….
7 Comments for this entry
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GILES CD
March 24th, 2010 on 6:50 am
Open invitation to all musicians and gig-goers…
Please share your best and worst (or otherwise interesting) gig experiences here.
And do you prefer concerts with or without alcohol?
Thanks!
Could turn into an interesting discussion!
March 24th, 2010 on 10:29 pm
Marcus, Felicitaciones! Con mis mejores deseos por qQue se repitan tus conciertos en Colombia.
OPINION: Prefiero conciertos sin alcohol. Mejor experimentar lo bueno de la vida, con plenitud de sentidos.
Hasta pronto,
Maria dolly
March 25th, 2010 on 2:01 am
Gracias Maria Dolly
March 25th, 2010 on 9:11 pm
I like your music and songs. Very much!
March 26th, 2010 on 3:09 am
Thanks for your comment. I am glad you like it.
June 6th, 2011 on 5:35 am
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Dag lieve Mark,
Wat een bijzonder geheel stond er ineens in mijn box. Geweldig om dat allemaal te kunnen maken en rond te sturen. Gelukkig kan ik er iets mee, zoals je ziet. Ik heb genoten van Salome. wat een schatje! Natuurlijk ook van je muziek op de akoestische gitaar, prachtig. Ik zou in het voorjaar naar Spanje/Portugal gaan, maar doordat ik, stomgenoeg, met mijn vouwfietsje viel – het zadel stond te hoog!! – ging dat niet door, want ik liep een gebroken heup op. Die is vanzelf weer genezen en ik hoop dat ik er zonder problemen mee verder kan. Jij hebt ook heel wat achter de rug, samen met Greyes, maar je hebt een middel om het allemaal de baas te kunnen. Goed hoor. Hier ook alles in orde. Lique woont momenteel weer in Nederland, maar ook reimmigratie is een behoorlijk probleem. Haar man komt regelmatig over, maar krijgt geen verblijfsvergunning. Voor mij is het fantastisch om mijn 3 kleinkinderen heel vaak te zien. Dat is echt een wonder in mijn leven.
Mark, je weet weer het e.e.a. en ik ook van jou. Heel veel liefs van mij, ook hartelijke groeten voor je geliefde en voor Salome een dikke kus. Dag Mark, dit was tante Annemarie
June 7th, 2011 on 2:36 am
Lieve tante, geweldig bedankt voor je reactie. Ik stuur je direct ook een mailtje. Veel liefs van ons allemaal!