This Saturday saw our return to the live circuit with our first gig of 2014..
Hard to believe we haven't played together since 31st December.
January is traditionally our quietest month and this year was no exception, but it gives the four of us the chance to catch up on those things we can't normally do when we're out and about entertaining the nation's newly-weds: family time, Saturday night TV...and sleep.
As you can imagine, after five weeks of Saturday night TV...we were raring to go with the start of our gigging year.
Worries that the lay-off may have made us a little rusty soon dissipated - it seems the break has done us good. Muscle memory is a marvellous thing, and all those songs you have played a thousand times but not given a moment's thought in weeks all come flooding back to the fingers as soon as the beat is counted in and the first number kicks off.
Sometimes playing an instrument can make you a little jaded towards even the music that you love.
It's a bit like watching a magician...but you know what's up his sleeve, or you know where the mirror is, or the hidden trapdoor. But other times, you believe in the magic again and it feels like flying.
And so begins a year, no doubt, of highs and lows. Of great shows where music sweeps us up on a magic carpet ride, of lousy on-stage sound that batters our eardrums into submission, of cheering crowds that let us play "rock star" for the night, of Monday mornings that come too soon, of seeing the same motorways, with the same roadworks for months on end, of the pride of being part of a couple's big day, of losing precious time with those nearest and dearest..those we do all this for. High notes, low notes, blue notes, sweet notes. Like all the best music.
Magic.
