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The Musical Family

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As many of my friends and fans know, I’ve been dealing with some heavy family issues.  I’m not going to go Oprah on y’all, but it has been an intense year, and I appreciate the love and support of those in my circle.  The thing foremost on my mind is the way music has been a constant thread throughout this time.  Just things like being able to play for my aging parents, and knowing that the time we have left is precious; feeling pretty blessed to have music to give them, and that they can still enjoy it; managing to get them out to one of my gigs and seeing them digging the tunes as they sip their cocktails; maybe they even get up and dance for a minute if their legs will hold them.

But on a larger level, I have been increasingly aware of the family that music has allowed me to create, or allowed me to be part of.  Musicians over at my house jamming, showing up at my gigs and sitting in, helping me create cool moments for my parents to enjoy while they’ve been staying with me here in Austin.  And then the never-ending pretzel of Austin music life, where I find myself connecting with friends from 20 years ago at a gig, or talking with a musician I’ve known that long, but never knew what he went through as his parents neared the end, and suddenly we are talking some deep and soulful stuff while sipping our beers on break in some dimly lit club on the outskirts of town, and I realize there is family all around me.  And the music keeps us connected when it would be so easy to drift apart.

But I’m not gonna go Oprah on you, so I’ll just say thanks to my musical family out there.  You know who you are.

PK

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February Happenings

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Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, Black History Month… February has a variety of musical themes for me.  We had a fun Mardi Gras party on Feb 3 at the Skylark Lounge.  Dave Webb, Brad Taylor, Wayne Duncan, and Mike Roeder joined me for some New Orleans funk and second line jams.

Mardi Gras night is Feb 9, which coincides with my Roots of Jazz Jam at Kickbutt Coffee, so we’ll dip back into some older New Orleans jazz for the occasion.

Feb 10 we’ll feature love songs at the Skylark, to get in the mood for V-Day.  I’ll have Masumi Jones on drums, bringing her romantic back beat to woo jazz lovers.

Jazz Wednesdays at the Skylark have been going well, and I’ll continue to feature a different theme each week.  Feb 17 is Manteca Beat (we always play the 3rd Wednesday of the month), featuring the wonderful voice of Cicely Jones.  Feb 24 will feature Afrocentric jazz to recognize Black History Month.  If you want to know more about the African aesthetic in jazz, just come on down.  We will educate you, but it won’t hurt a bit.

This month I’m also going in the recording studio to track some original songs.  Stay tuned for some sneak previews of those!

-PK

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Paul Klemperer’s 4th Annual Festivus Celebration

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It’s getting to be that time of year again!
Let the Festivus mayhem begin.
We will be holding the event this year on December 19 (really any day can be Festivus if you wish for it hard enough!).
The place: Kickbutt Coffee Music & Booze, 5775 Airport blvd
The time: 7:00-11:00pm
Tickets: $10 advance, $12 at the door.

This event is a benefit for Austin Children’s Services. We have a crowd funded campaign to go with it, through RallyUp. You can make a donation and get an advance ticket, donate more for ACS. Also, if you can’t attend the show but would like to gift a ticket to a friend, we can accommodate!
To donate through RallyUp:

https://rallyup.com/pksaxfestivus-4/N6

Working Your Show: Dealing With Insecurity

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As a music teacher I have a duty to build up my students but also to keep it real.  I stress the balance between believing in yourself (working your show) and being honest with yourself (breaking it down).  An artist needs a healthy ego, but students (and we are all students at some level) need to have critical self-awareness in order to improve and grow.  One of the main ways we find that balance between confidence and growth is accepting the challenge of insecurity.

There are lots of ways to feel insecure, and lots of ways to describe the feelings of doubt, despair, frustration and all that good stuff.   I think it is helpful to stay grounded in the music.  Other triggers for insecurity (body image, family history, personal relationships) should be dealt with in appropriate ways, but they are peripheral to the space/time ritual of music performance.  So, seek strength in the music to work through feelings of insecurity.

What does this mean in practice?

A) Separate your ego from the music.  This means accepting the challenges of musical growth while never doubting that you are the center of your universe.  When you have doubts (“Am I good enough?”, “Am I just one among thousands of wannabe rockstars?”, “Why is this so hard?”), it is usually because you’re letting your ego wander into the area of critical thought.  That’s not where it belongs.  It belongs in the imagination, in the ritual space/time.  Critical thinking is useful when directed toward specific tasks, like researching, rehearsing, refining.  Don’t confuse emotion with analysis.

B) Insecurity is a helpful adaptive trait: It is your mind telling you to be more observant, so you can adapt to your environment.  If you respond to feelings of insecurity by looking outward, trying to learn more, not accepting limitations, then you will continue to grow.  It is emotionally hard work, but this approach leads you forward and creates tangible results.

C) There is a cycle to taking on a challenge.  First there is the desire to get there, be the thing you dream.  Then there is the resistance, the work, as you move from where you’re at to where you want to be.  Finally there is the elation and satisfaction of making progress.  After that there is usually the awareness (and emotional low) that accomplishing your goal only opened the door to another challenge ahead.  We all have to learn how to deal with the emotional ups and downs of that cycle, and making insecurity a tool for critical awareness and improvement.

Now, on with the show!

Paul’s Fall Projects

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After an energizing tour through New England, it’s great to be back in Austin.  I have a array of shows lined up through the fall, bringing out some new compositions for my various bands.  Manteca Beat, My Exotic Other, and Paul Klemperer’s Jazz have shows around town in September and October.  Also, I’ll be doing a short tour with Sangeet Millennium up to Oklahoma the last week of September.

There are some exciting new house concert shows taking shape.  It’s a great way to hear music in an intimate setting.  Also, MeetUp is a good way for people to organize their own social events and support live music at the same time.  I think both of these trends are bringing some good energy into Austin’s live music scene and I will continue to support them as much as I can.

I’m working on a new recording project which will be connected to Kickstarter.  The idea is to involve fans and music supporters in the creative process.  I’ll have details soon, so let me know if this interests you.

Onward into the fall!

– Paul Klemperer

Moon Child Rising

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Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate my birthday in fine style this July.  I started off the festivities at the Manteca Beat house concert, where I unveiled some original songs that had been in the works for awhile.  We taped that show, so if we got any good live versions of the new material I’ll make it available to interested parties soon.

Then I had a big throwdown at the Elephant Room, with many friends, musical guests and a big ol’ mocha cream cake.  Quite yummy.  My band at the ‘Phant was David Marsden on guitar, Steve Summer on drums, and Russell Scanlon hammering out the bass notes (everybody knows him as one of Austin’s best guitar players, but he played some amazing stuff on electric bass that night).  We played a bunch more originals, and I want to thank the fellas for letting me use them as guinea pigs, lab rats, or whatever the appropriate metaphor is.

I have a few more shows happening in July, then I’m making a quick tour to Los Angeles with Larry Lange, followed by a much-needed trip to the ancestral homeland to visit the parental units back in Boston.  September’s going to be busy with new shows, so I hope to have my batteries charged, spiritual sparkplugs perfectly gapped, etc., as the musical clown car takes off again.

(I was going to use a Formula One analogy, but try as I might, I just can’t get on board.)

Festival Music

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I had a great time a couple weeks ago at the Old Settlers Music Festival in Dripping Springs.  I played a set with the Jitterbug Vipers in the evening, then hung out and jammed til the wee hours at the campsite.

Here’s a sample of the music…

“They Raided The Joint”
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“Adder On A Ladder”

 
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Theme Music by P.K.S.A.X.

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I have been working on adding more cultural elements to my shows, particularly with Manteca Beat.  Over the years I’ve been fortunate to play with musicians from all over the world, and I like drawing from these influences in my own music, playing classic songs from all over, and writing my own material.

I’ve also been fortunate to travel and play music in many wonderful settings – Europe, Turkey, Latin America, Asia… and deep in the heart of Texas.  I’ve accumulated pictures, stories, and friends from these experiences, and I’m trying to incorporate them into my shows with theme-nights.

Manteca Beat put on a really fun show in April at Tom’s Tabooley:  Cuba Night.  We played classic Cuban songs, some originals inspired by my trip there, and showed slides of the trip.  Also offered Cuba Libres, of course!  The response from folks was great, so we’ll be doing another Cuba Night.  Also in the works are Asia Night, and Mediterranean Night.

it’s going to be an interesting summer!

-Paul Klemperer

The Music In Us

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Two news items struck me this morning: Etta James passed away, and President Obama began an appearance at a fundraiser at the Apollo Theater by singing the first line of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.”

 

There are many things one could say about all that, but my first thought was that the two headlines, appearing next to each other, reflect how much music is part of our daily life, our national identity. Music in a good way, not scary anthems chanted by jackbooted gangs, or seductive jingles designed by Madison Avenue staff psychologists. Music bubbling up from the people, reflecting what we have in common, rather than what divides us.

 

I have played in a lot of cover bands over the years. Etta James’ version of “At Last” and Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” were both so popular that any self-respecting cover band had to know them. Bar gigs, corporate gigs, weddings, birthday parties… people always requested those songs (among other classics like “Mustang Sally”, “Proud Mary”, “Respect”…).

 

Of course, musicians sometimes get tired of being human juke boxes, but these songs are so good, little gems that almost play themselves if you let yourself be the vehicle for their expression, that I never get tired of playing them (at least when the band can play them well!), and I never get tired of seeing the unifying effect they have on people.

 

When I saw that Etta James, an ordinary person with an extraordinary voice, had passed on, the sadness was overshadowed by the thought of how much her music follows me around, follows all of us around, and adds to our lives.

 

This thought was reinforced by the other headline, as I imagined Barak Obama, the President of the United States, launching into “I’m so in love…” as easily as any public figure might quote Shakespeare, Lincoln, or King. Because the lyrics and the melody are so much a part of our national consciousness, that singing a snippet of a song can express beautifully and clearly our shared history, identity and humanity.

 

So, it was sad to see another musical icon has died, but it was good to be reminded of what the music in us is really all about.

November

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Not to sound like a broken record (scratched CD? corrupted data file? what is the appropriate 21st century simile?), but the year is careening towards its finish and it seems like all the grand plans I had for 2011 are sitting in half-finished heaps all around me. I know a lot of you fellow procrastinators get the same feeling as the new year approaches. But I did get a nugget of wisdom from Brigid at Tom’s Tabooley the other night, along with my gyro sandwich: It helps to take a moment, sit down and take stock of all that you have gotten done, over the past week, past month, etc.

In the flurry of daily chores it’s easy to lose track of the things we actually accomplish, or at least the many things that demand we do them. There are the grand schemes and projects we chip away at, but there are also the necessary things that need to get done each week and (we hope) add up to something over time. It does help to take a moment to reflect on all that we do get done.

I try to use my recurring monthly shows in part to do that, take a moment to reflect on all that we do, the community we create every day through our combined (though often uncoordinated) efforts. I really appreciate the presence of my friends at my shows; I know you all have busy and stressful lives and I hope that my music helps you unwind a little, gives you a space to hang out with old and new friends, and gives you a moment to reflect on all that you have done.

This month I have several special shows: 11/12 I team up with Sangeet Millennium for the Global Divas concert, which will feature touring Indian singer Kirwan Ahluwalia…11/13 My Exotic Other adds their music to a benefit for the Red Cross at Central Market…11/18 Manteca Beat returns to the Ham Jam House for an intimate house concert.

And then it’s on into December!

– Paul Klemperer

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