Whats on my mind FB asks! Well today I have been feeling unusually emotional. You see, a few hours ago, a band that forever changed the way I hear, feel, and play music, finally played their last show, and it cast my mind back over the past 38 years of my life, and all the music I have played, and all the musicians and bands I have played with. Im talking about the Allman Bros. Band (ABB) of course. These guys started off re-interpreting old blues songs in a rock style that became known the world over as Southern Rock. But more than that, they would take a song, and then get into the whole emotion of it and start jamming on it taking it to places people had never envisaged were possible. The thing is, they meant it for Blues, BUT God meant it for Worship! Worship!!!??? Hows that, I hear you asking! It all happened when I was 18, just joined a new band, and turns out the Bass player (Graeme), was in a band that my previous band had opened a show for, so immediately we hit it off and became good buddies and would hang out together. One such day, he plays an album from the ABB and it floors me! The way those guys were playing off each other and building around each other was a concept I had never heard before. Pretty soon though, I started approaching everything I played in that way. I was with Graeme thru two more bands over the years, but one day, while rehearsing at his sisters place, A couple came over for dinner and told us how God had put their marriage, (which was on the rocks), back together. Now I wasnt a Christian then, BUT I marvelled at that story and never forgot it. That was the start of brushes with Christians over the next few years until eventually at the age of 24, I was led to Christ by a Lady to whom God had said, Go talk to that man playing the banjo. But thats a story for another time. I went to various churches, but it wasnt until I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and eventually came to Coastlands, and became part of the Worship team in 1988, that I began to see a real connection between free Holy Spirit anointed Worship, and the free playing that I had been introduced to by the ABB all those years ago, thanks to a great friend and Bass player, Graeme Peters, (wherever you are)! So on this day, I am feeling quite moved, that God loved me so much, that behind my back, without me realizing it, He set up the people in my life, the bands I would be in, and even using the love I have for types of music that even I didnt know yet, just to get me to the point that one day, I would open up the door of my heart to Him. But it doesnt end there. The ABB taught me to play from the heart and take the listener on a journey, and God taught me to allow the Holy Spirit to guide my heart, then the listeners journey will be one of healing, renewing, strengthening, and closeness with God. My tribute to the Allman Brothers Band then, is a tune that both original guitarists of the band did in the Eat A Peach album. A tune called Little Martha. On my version, Im attempting to play a two guitar tune on one guitar. Here it is, not perfect, but hopefully forgiven!
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 11:23:48 +0000
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