Thursday, October 2, 2008

From Plan A to Plan B

Back Story:

I am blessed with an eventful life. Things seems to unfold in front of me that at times I can't explain. I just sit back and take it all in. Consider this. The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame is having its induction concert for 2008 next week. One of the inductees is Bob Childers of Stillwater known as the "Father of Red Dirt Music" (a combination of Folk, country, rock and blues). He died a few months ago, so at next week's induction will feature two bands that have worked and recorded with Bob. Wednesday night they were having rehearsal in Tulsa and they invited members of the Oklahoma Music Board to attend. One of my fellow board members asked me to go with him to the rehearsal in Tulsa. Since they weren't starting until 9:30 my night unfolded like this.

Plan A: At 7:oo I went to church and was part of a class of the Book of James. It is a class that varies in size up to 20. We set in a circle of chairs and an excellent teacher guides the discussion. It is a comforting and friendly group of friends.

Plan B: At 9:30 I was at Plan B (Plan B is the name of the club where the band was playing). Plan B is a small place about 40' x 40'. It had a 12'x 12' stage in the corner. A bar down one side and two tables and scattered chairs. When we walked in I was surprised that everyone was basically in a circle facing the stage which was beside the front door. Everyone acted like they knew each other and were friendly.

At the start of Plan A the teacher explained that he was having a little reaction from the "Claritin" that he was taking for allergies. At Plan B the band leader sang "NyQuil Blues".

At Plan A the leader asked for prayer requests. At Plan B they asked for song requests.

Both places talked or sang about prejudice, sin, and life's problems. At the end of Plan A they advertised that the class would not meet on October 8 because of a special "Fall Festival" event.
At the end of Plan B they advertised that the band would not be there on October 8 because they would be at a special event, "The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame" induction in Muskogee.

Don't get me wrong! I'm not putting these on equal footing. It is ironic that events like these are happening side by side across the land. Some substitute a bar for church. I set there in Plan B and thought that Jesus would come to this place, but not for the reason I did. I also knew that some of my fellow Christians (some of you) probably think that I should not have been there.

I was easily the oldest person there except for Rocky Frisco (the keyboard player & a fellow Board Member.) I sat by the front door by a fan to get away from the smokers. The crazy thing was that every ten minutes a couple of people would walk in, take out their wallet and ask me what the cover charge was! (I was DOORMAN). One of the guys in the band said to me at break that he was watching and said: "You could have made a good haul at the door!" People at Plan A never offer me money!

Plan B is OK , but not important to me. It did say a lot to me though. People need to belong to something or someone. At Plan B the door is open to the street and the music is "noised about". People wondered in and out. Some sized it up and left. Some reasoned with each other in front of me and said, "Let's give it a go." and stayed. Strangers seldom wander into Plan A. They need to be invited! The members of Plan A have families to care for and that care for them. I noticed that most everyone at Plan B was young adults, alone, and probably disconnected. (By the way everyone at A and B dressed about the same.)

I'm not trying to be profound. I am sharing an experience. I will dwell on this a while, because there IS something here that I need to absorb.

As for the bands one was Tom Skinner and The Science Project and the other was The Red Dirt Rangers. Tom was in the same college band with Garth Brooks. I talked to both Tom and John Cooper of Red Dirt. The are honored to come next week to play in memory of Bob Childers. Judging from the rehearsal, it will be great.
Photo is John Cooper.

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