Vinilo Sensation has undergone huge changes since the return from summer recess; not all of them for the better ... perhaps.
Everyone was back and ready to move forward by the end of February. Things had slipped quite a lot and it was going to take a while to get everything tight again. My stated goal was to be ready to play a concert by the end of April. In addition we now have two new members - Hugo and Nacho on sax and trumpet - and these guys need time to fully integrate and learn the set.
Summer had been a bit disappointing in terms of progress. With various band members away, we were incomplete from the end of December to the start of March. Practice continued, and I had hoped that we would be able to use the time profitably and learn a few new songs; this didn't really happen. We could have played some shows while Julia and Fer were away, but a group decision was taken to put things on hold until the whole band was back together, as a gesture of respect. I thought that this was the correct thing to do, but later I was informed that Jimena was unhappy that we didn't play any summer shows. Why don't people tell me these things?
Due to obvious language problems, it is difficult for me to book shows by myself. Despite my constant encouragement during January and February, nobody lifted a finger - or a telephone - to find a venue to play, and so when March rolled around we had nothing booked for April or May. The earliest we could now find will have to be June and of course everyone is disappointed and frustrated. We were very lucky to get the June date, now I'll probably have to crack the whip a bit to get something sorted out for July. On the positive side, this delay gives us more time to fully integrate the new guys.
The biggest change, though, was the result of a misunderstanding/argument between Julia and I.
It's kind of complicated to explain in full, but some people were having severe financial difficulties. I negotiated a solution which would shift around the financial contributions - which everyone seemed happy with - and still allow us to move forward with the minimum disruption; particularly with the commitment to the coming concert. Suddenly, Julia came up with an alternative solution which would save everyone money, but severely limit practice possibilities: we could rehearse in her apartment.
Now I don't pretend to be some sort of great visionary, but it seemed very much a road to nowhere option. I - as politely as I could using text messaging in Spanish - rejected the offer. I was later told that my words may have been a bit too direct and caused offence. Anyway, things reached a standoff: everyone had a free choice that Friday to go to Juli and Fer's house or come to the studio. Choices were made and Juli, Fer and Jimena all walked out … and I finished up taking the blame and looking like a monster.
To be honest, Juli and Fer are no great loss; I'd been thinking about some 'downsizing' and Fer would have been my first choice to remove, and that would have inevitably meant his girlfriend, Julia, too. Their musical contributions were limited and Juli had several times shown her problematic attitude. Losing Jimena, however, was more of a blow. Her musical contribution to the group was large and well developed and she will be difficult to replace (see later).
That little fracas was just over a month ago and I've tried as best I can to put it all behind us and focus on the music.
New musicians with new instruments open up new possibilities and present fresh challenges. So this is with Hugo and Nacho. Without going into specific musical details, they are having a lot of problems understanding what is needed - and what is not needed - and integration is taking a long time. With the concert so close - just 2 more weeks - it's hard to see how they will be suitably ready. On a positive note, we have just been joined by Marisa, who will sing backing vocals to replace Jimena and provide the audience with something nice to look at. I just hope that Ariel can get her ready in time. We are still missing a second melody instrument to complement German - keyboard or guitar - and it's hard to imagine integrating anyone at such short notice. This presents a problem on some songs.
Looking to the future, beyond this month's concert, I see several issues to be dealt with soon.
First, there can be no more immediate concerts - unless this one is an unprecedented success - until arrangements are better organised within the band. That may mean bringing in some new people. This is particularly important as German will be leaving at the end of August and we need to train a replacement - this detail is unknown to the others in the band.
Second, there is a certain amount of frustration and impatience from the older members of the band about the current lack of progress. Considering the recent changes, this is to be expected, but it still means there are various people whose opinions I have to balance and keep happy.
Finally, Hugo has just presented us with an interesting offer: a free and permanent practice space where we can leave our instruments and potentially practice more than once a week and at more convenient and flexible hours. His business/factory building could be made available after hours to use as a rehearsal room. To my mind there are plenty of pluses to this option, but also some big minuses; however, considering the recent problems with Julia, I don't see how I can refuse.
