The evening before I learned of my mother's death, I visited the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton (Mass.), where Alejandro Escovedo rocked the house with his band comprised of two cellos, a violin and two guitars. If you're thinking something's wrong with that picture, then you've never heard The Velvet Underground or seen the Moody Blues or Emerson, Lake and Palmer backed by strings. It's an awesome sound.
A few months back I caught Alejandro on Austin City Limits, a great place to discover bands not to be found on MTV, VH1 or your local radio stations.
For those of you unfamiliar with his work, here is a bit from his official website:
"Growing up in California, Escovedo developed an early and abiding passion for rock'n'roll. In his own music, Alejandro has respectfully nodded in style and cover songs to such primal influences as The Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground, The Stooges and Mott The Hoople. When punk rock emerged during his college years in San Francisco, Escovedo started his first band, The Nuns, when he needed a group for a student film he was making. The band's influential run as founders of the Frisco punk scene includes opening the last show by The Sex Pistols."
But this isn't an advertisement for Alejandro. You can visit his site for more about his music. This post is about you, as it should be, and why it is important to enter the scream room occasionally.
All of us, no matter our professions, deal with stress. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, we all-too-often do nothing to free the toxins invading our souls. We use excuses such as "we're too busy," "we can't get away," " we don't have the money," "we don't have the time." That's a big pile of BS my friends. We owe it to ourselves and to our customers and clients to decompress on a regular basis.
Doing so clears our heads and allows our creative juices to flow. Doing so makes us human again and less likely to be abusive to ourselves and others. Doing so makes us smarter and keener business professionals. Doing so opens our eyes to others and frees us from over-focusing on ourselves.
For me, ballet, post-modernists and rock and roll free my soul. Today, I am writing with a new enthusiasm and spirit. Today, I am checking in with all my clients and singing their praises to the hilltops, while offering them encouragement to be the best they can be. And it's only mid-morning.
All because last night Alejandro and 250 of my closest friends took to the skies like free birds. Is it time to stimulate your minds and to treat yourselves to a freeing experience? Don't wait another moment. You and your customers will appreciate the difference. As for me, Alejandro's music made the news about my mom a little easier to deal with.
