The Triumph Blues

I’m excellent and I’m having an excellent night. I play with some of the greatest musicians I know. My brother Steve is not a joke on blues guitar. He’s got incredible chops and writes amazing pieces. Josh Peterson is a world class texturalist and he also has outlandish chops. We came up playing amazing shit. We were awesome in high school. Peter Leggett is the most unimpeachable. He is that one on drums. The best in the city know he’s with them period. Maybe he works another job but he can have any gigs he wants in my opinion. I got a nice shout from my guy Mike today! He was cheering me on and it put a smile on my face. I spoke with Benzilla, with Medium Zach, with Matt Palin, Felix (more on him later) and just good energy. My dad was there, Brenda was there, a drummer named Andrew Gillespie was there. Even the guy drinking wine next to me brought the good vibe.

I’m part of amazing crews and Ive been with excellence since early. Felix was at the bar tonight. He can write. He can freestyle and most importantly he is an mc who has the fundamentals. He finds the right ride on any kind of beat.

These skills are on top of doing other things for jobs. Doing good work and on the grind for music and more.

I heard Bill Deville on the way home. He’s my guy. He’s got the skills, the conversation. The knowledge and the knowledge to know when knowledge isn’t helping.

I come home and my wife tells me how she talked the whole family into to coming out to a bar at 5:40pm. No easy feat with a five year old who has homebody tendencies. But my wife navigated that cause she crafted a strategy. She’s world class connected with our children. She’s so creative and ambitious.

I’m dancing to my favorite Nipsey Hussle song of all time. It’s called More or Less and I know that there are songs that are more of anthems to me. But as far as the song goes, More or Less is that unicorn. It is Jeep ready, it is as perfect on a lonely night as Nina Simone or Jeff Buckley or Satie. Right. It’s the triumph blues. It hits you so right when every day is a mix of the joy and the pain. When you are in touch with it nothing scratches the itch like Nipsey. I can’t explain the Nipsey thing. I also can never understand my age mates who don’t keep going back to find new hip hop. There’s classics made every day. every day.

But I’m happy. The holidays were a treat. A demanding treat. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. This whole day I was telling Rachel how I feel like a MInnesota success story. I’m proud of Trivia Mafia, I’m proud of Heiruspecs, I’m proud of what I’ve done on the radio. It works. It works for me. When I’m at my most resourced self (that’s language with my therapist) I know what I’ve done is special. I’ve been a part of great crews and I’ve been a part of that greatness. I don’t do mediocre. I do excellence and I love doing it. I’m lucky and I’m excellent.