Music and the Rain

There is something about the rain that makes most people want to stay inside, tucked safe and warm under the covers or snuggle in front of a roaring fire. I think that secretly Santa Barbarians know, the rain will be gone in a day or two, so they don’t mind falling off the face of the earth and going into a blissful, Netflix hibernation.

I mean hey, I would stay the heck off the streets too, since, come on, you know it just as much as I do, Californian’s are not the best drivers in the rain. Just a quick lesson people; do not drive at top speed and then slam on your brakes when you begin to hydroplane. (I know it seems like common sense but I have seen it so often, I thought I would give you a little reminder, your welcome.)

Who the hell made me chief of the driving in the rain police? Well, I was born and raised on the Oregon coast, they have crazy rain there, not the little misting rain that California gets, but real godforsaken rain, sideways rain, hail the size of golf balls, and Oregonians never know when it’s going to stop, so they have to go out into it daily, no matter what. So I consider myself a driving in the rain expert, although I have lived in Southern California for over twenty years now, I will never forget, although my webbed feet are happily back to normal.

But I still love rainy days and this wonderful rain that has swept across Southern California may have been a torment to most people, but for myself and a lot of Artists I know, it has been true bliss. Why you ask? Artists love rain. Artists hate rain. Artists love to hate rain. Why again? (You sure do ask a lot of questions) Because rain forces us to stay inside and create our art and we love it. No one bothers us, or questions where we are… why haven’t they seen us out schmoozing and boozing at The Brewhouse or Fig? Why haven’t we had our morning cup of crack at The French Press, or our afternoon blood transfusion of red wine at Pali?

Because it’s totally awesome to be left alone for some Artists, who actually hate people, conversation and all human contact that detracts and distracts them from what is their Art and I understand and quite enjoy their darkness and brooding ways. But most Musicians are a bit different than other types of Artists, although they sometimes group us together, we love human contact and crave it, in fact, for it gives us what we need to create our art… all our life is inspiration for a song, all our art for a Muse.

Where’s the party? Oh wait, we are the party.

Don’t get me wrong, we love the attention, and being on stage is like being totally at home for most Musicians. So it’s really hard not to go out and the rain gives us the perfect ‘rain check’ excuse to stay away, go inside ourselves to do what we do best, what makes our soul feel at peace. We play. We sing. We write. We soak up all that liquid that falls from the sky and let it fill our homes with music, and with song.  

If you are a Musician who has children, it is a joy they will share, join in with, and learn to love as well, or maybe they will hate it so much they will become bankers, I don’t know, but my children at this moment, seem to like it.  Although I must admit, my three-year-old son does put his foot down after my husband and I have had an ultimate jam session and he no longer feels like he is the center of attention, which to me screams lead singer disease and assures me he is, in fact, a Musician as well.

So even though this rain will most likely be gone by the time this column comes out, it’s effects will live on in our fauna and song. It’s happy tears that have blanketed the west coast may cause mayhem on the pavement, but for the world of Art and Music, the heavens have smiled upon us, blessing us once again with that which never existed before… Well, at least that’s what we tell ourselves.