Blue Sunday

My in-laws were in town over the weekend, and so we were looking for something new to do. You get to the point where you feel like you’ve taken them to the aquarium 5000 times, y’know? Well, every time B practices a blues song on his guitar, we’re always commenting how much these particular grandparents would enjoy hearing it, so S got the bright idea that we should see whether there’s any blues going on in the greater Vancouver area.

Turns out there is. Sunday nights, out in New West, there’s a Blues Revue at the Columbia Theatre — and it’s an all-ages show! So off we went last night, on an adventure.

It’s one of those theatres where you sit at tables and have drinks and snacky food while you watch. B was SO EXCITED, and we realized this was his first non-school concert ever. As the youngest person there (by far) he attracted attention right away, and one of the stage crew invited him for a tour of backstage. He got to meet some of the musicians back there, and watch from the side of the stage for a while.

It was a review show, so it had a bunch of different acts, each playing three or four songs. The featured guest guitarist of the week was a fellow who goes by the stage name “Blues Puppy”. He was a lively, charismatic player, and only sixteen years old. We kept telling B, “Practice really hard for six more years, and maybe you can go onstage too!”

Well, B was totally smitten. When Blues Puppy came offstage and was walking past our table, B (with Grandma’s help) got the fellow’s autograph. It totally made B’s evening, and I have a feeling it made Mr. Puppy’s evening too. He told B, “You play guitar? Well don’t give up! Keep playing!” And B was nodding big-eyed, like this wasn’t something we told him all the time, no no, Blues Puppy had made it new, and better! SO CUTE.

So then B decided he would need a Blues Name, if he was going to be a Bluesman. He decided he should be “Rockin’ Hound” — do I detect a little canine influence there? I suspect I do. But then B told me, “I’m not just going to have a stage name. I also have a MOTTO.”

“Oh?” I said. “What’s your motto?”

“The blues is the seeds of most music — I just supply the fertilizer.”

The music was loud enough that I had to walk around the table and tell everyone B’s motto individually. And one by one, his father and grandparents all just about fell out of their chairs, bowled over by the hilarity awesomeness of that motto.

Fertilizer indeed. What a kid. He was super inspired, and I think we’re going to have to get back out there sometime.

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