The Rude Native Tonight

A few weeks ago I drove around South Mississauga aka "Port Credit" looking and quite honestly praying that I could find a place to start playing music.  Moving here has been super exciting but the music scene is so vast and spread out compared to Hamilton that it was feeling overwhelming.
So I walked into a nice little place called "The Rude Native" and asked if they had live music.  Turns out that they had a DJ on a regular basis but were looking to do some live acoustic music on weekends.
feeling rather excited inside, I passed them my business card and asked them to give me a call if they were interested in having me come in to play.
That Wednesday I was in a library with my kids when I got the email from the Owner saying he checked out my music and would like to give me a gig on Saturday night.  I was so stoked.  I quickly called my wing man Geoff Laforet and asked if he could join me and as always, he was down to play.
I was very nervous going into the gig.  I had a ton of cover songs to learn in a short period of time but I plugged away tuning up the songs I already knew and learning a bunch of new ones that i thought customers would enjoy.
Saturday night arrived and although I was playing the cool pro musician role as I walked into the Native, I was very nervous inside.  Wondering, what will people think?  What if they hate the songs I have chosen?  Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing?
At 6:58pm I realized that Geoff was not going to be there on time for my 7pm start so I tuned up my guitar, spoke quietly into my microphone to make sure it was on.  Then I started to play.  Just noodling around with some chords and my loop pedal.  I looked around to see if people were reacting at all and they were starting to notice that the dance track in the house speakers had faded out and a some nice acoustic guitar music as started.
I was now feeling ready to go.  So I put my capo on the 6th fret and played "Feeling Groovy" by Simon and Garfunkel as quietly in the background as I could.  People started to notice and I started get the sense that they both recognized the song and felt inclined to tap their fingers on the edge of the table.
When I hit my last chord a few people clapped and smiled and i suddenly understood what it truly meant to feel groovy.
I continued on with the other 9 songs of my first set and felt much more comfortable with my surroundings.  The amazing staff at The Rude Native constantly walked past me and whispered things like "This is awesome!" and "You're killing it, they love you".
At exactly 8pm I finished my first set and spotted my friend and musical partner Geoff make his entrance in to the Native for the first time.
A whole bunch of things were happening at the same time at this point, Geoff was setting up his hand drum and microphone, a couple at the bar were chatting with me saying "they were so glad they decided to come to the Rude Native for the first time that night" and the manager immediately booked us in for every weekend that we could possibly play there.
It was an amazing feeling.  Knowing that your art and talent were both recognized and appreciated by the wonderful people at The Rude Native.  It was an incredible feeling and I was reminded that it was just Monday morning when I prayed and walked into that place.
At 8:30 I sat down to my guitar with my good friend Geoff Laforet in a tiny little corner of the Rude Native and we rocked out a whole bunch of tunes.  Geoff adds a ton to my songs as he is not only a great and entertaining percussionist but he can also sing and provide all of the harmony for the songs we do.
We are on a musical journey together and The Rude Native has now become our weekend home to play covers, try out new material, develop in our ability to perform and interact with audiences with all different types of background and weekly experiences.
By the end of the night I floated home on a cloud.  I was feeling so thankful for the opportunity and so excited to be back there the following Friday.
Wow, this post got long but I wanted to share that story because I think it will be pretty significant for the rest of this journey.
Tonight at 6:58pm Geoff and I will be tuning up and ready to hit our first song at 7pm at the Rude Native in Port Credit.  We love this place and the great people who call it home on Friday and Saturday nights.
If you are looking for a really nice restaurant to go to some time on a weekend and want to hear some Darin Martin Music, make yourself some reservations and come on out.