Tomorrow morning, I’ll report to Crescent Ballroom in downtown Phoenix at 9 AM. The Crescent is a longtime Valley music venue and home to one of my favorite burritos in town, a possibly cheugy thing to say in a town with this many incredible burritos, but a true admission. That’s not why I’ll be there so bright and early. I’m taking part in Phoenix’s Rock Lottery 2023. Myself and 24 other Phoenix musicians will check in and be divided by lottery into five new bands. We’ll come up with a name, figure out who’s playing what, and dedicate the day to writing three new songs and learning a cover to perform alongside our fellow fledgling bands at Crescent that same night. Proceeds from the free-for-all dedicated to Rosie’s House, a local non-profit dedicated to musical education.
Will I get along with my instant bandmates? Will our aesthetic sense align? Will we have to make a panicked run to Guitar Center at any point? And most importantly: will songs come?
Over the last couple of years, I’ve dedicated myself to making as much music as I can, as a member of Kitimoto, leading my own combo JPW, and endlessly tinkering in the studio and on stage with Zachary “Dad Weed” Toporek and the talented crew that we’ve assembled around us. “How many days have we started a Saturday with nothing and ended it something,” Zach queried when I mentioned my pre-lotto nerves to him.
I know he’s right. The songs will come, they always (or at least usually do). I think they float in the air, waiting for the willing to pick up on their presence and invite them down. We’ll see.
Have fun!