Wednesday Night Jam Session

Just to clarify, I did NOT spend last Wednesday night at home making jam (sorry mom, I have yet to pick up that talent or desire). Quite the opposite actually, I spent last Wednesday night hanging out with a friend and his band.

Hi, my name is Lisa, and I want to become a groupie. And not for the normal reasons of getting great concert tickets and all-access passes (although those would be nice), but in order to have more nights like the one I just had.

One of my Swiss guy friend’s, Christoph, is in a band and the group had rented a music room to record their next CD. I use the term "music room" loosely, as it is far from the standard Junior High band room with out of date instruments, even more out of date posters, and unknown smells. This music room had high ceilings, a private bar, recording equipment and vintage velvet sofas, enough for 30 of your closest friends. Realizing that this place was special, Christoph invited his closest friends over for some drinks and to hang out Wednesday night.

I got there a little late (due to work) and walked into the movie Almost Famous. The small group of friends were hanging out with the band, drinking a few beers, enjoying the ambiance of the room (think dark and lush, with candles, the wood of instruments and an overall smoking haze). While I was the only non-Swiss there and the conversations would sometimes shift to Swiss German, I held out for what I knew would eventually happen: the late night jam session. And boy did it pay off. Not to discount the great people I met and fun conversations I had (which were, in themselves, memorable), but there is something so amazing about the ability to play an instrument, with other people, unrehearsed, and still sound beautiful.

It started with just a guitar and solo vocals. And then the bass played picked up the stand-up bass, and by the fourth or fifth song in, the drummer had grabbed his snare and started to mix into the sound. Pretty soon, everyone was singing and tapping feet all to the private acoustic concert. To make the moment even more surreal, I was hanging out with Swiss, in Switzerland, but the music they were playing was Country, as in Nashville. I don’t think I will be able to hear another Hank Williams song without thinking about my time in Zurich…