I will never forget this special moment...
Amazing things happen when you travel. Hungry, I walked into a restaurant advertising live music. The sound of distant melodies drew me inside. Happened one Saturday night as I explored an exotic land. A wonderful foreign culture that intrigued me. Entering the building, it had a fun, youthful vibe. I took a seat. Waiter came over. Super diligent, he gave me the menu. What can I get you to start with, he said. Anything without chilli, I replied. There was an attractive girl playing guitar. About ten metres away, straight ahead, under a multi-coloured spotlight. She was up the back of the restaurant. It was a dark, funky room. A groovy modern space.
The girl was talented. She had long dark hair. And a pretty voice. An experienced musician. Her band finished a song. Audience clapped. Then, she spoke into the microphone: Any special requests, she said, with a gorgeous smile. Absolutely. I got out of my seat. Walked to the stage. Hoping not to embarrass myself, I wanted to make myself clear. Be sure there were no language barriers when I made my request. Zero pronunciation, interpretation, or accent difficulties. Plus, I was doubtful she’d know the song.
Do you know ‘What if God was one of us’ by Joan Osborne, I said, it was popular in the 1990’s. Gen Y was obviously challenged. Her face looked a little worried. Ummm, she said, maybe…I think so…let me figure it out. The tanned skinned beauty in tight black jeans unplugged her guitar. Then started noodling. Fiddling on the strings. Searching her database for possible tunes in the back catalogue of an intelligent mind to satisfy my request.
“be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” - Ephesians 5:19
The audience patiently waited. Some went to the bar for another drink. People from many nations watched. The restaurant seemed a popular destination for western tourists. It wasn’t the Hard Rock Cafe, but the place had a strong reputation for quality live music. Everyone looked towards the stage as the lead singer continued noodling. Playing unfinished tunes, fragmented chords, mumbling to herself, practising the melody. Turning her attention from the acoustic guitar back to me, finally, she looked up. Dark eyes and long lashes fixed upon my face.
Do you know the words, she said. Yeah, I replied. Want to sing with me? Wow, wasn’t expecting that. She had no idea who I was. Didn’t know I was a singer-songwriter back home. Perhaps, I had an awful voice. The young lady was confident though, she didn't seem to mind who I was. Felt like we shared an immediate connection on stage, and trusted each other musically. Okay, that'll be fun, I said. You can be the lead singer, she said, handing me the microphone, and I’ll support you on acoustic guitar, with backing vocals too. That fine with you? Okay, one moment, just let me get set up and organise myself.
Suddenly, I got nervous. My voice was far from match-fit. And it wasn’t warmed up at all. I hadn’t practiced singing for months. This was spontaneous. So I hurried off stage. Back to collect my gear at the back of the restaurant. Grabbed my mini ipad. Then jerry-rigged it leaning precariously against an ashtray, a hardcover menu, and the salt and pepper shakers. Set on a table near the stage. Close to the speakers. Months beforehand, I won the computer at a work Christmas party. Handy when travelling. Next, I looked around for any potential thieves, and checked everything was okay. Pressed record.
The Polite Waiter
Walked back onto stage, passing my super diligent waiter who was standing by the side, politely observing the floor. The band fired up. They sounded amazing. The lead singer and myself began singing on cue. And I was pleasantly surprised, our voices sounded nice together. Half way through the performance, the waiter who was still standing on the sidelines, approached the jerry-rigged table. Threatening my ipad. Oh, no. He looked into the screen. Close up. His face caught on camera. The waiter looked back at me on stage, he seemed dumbfounded. Then, he did what most waiters do: Prepared a fresh setting for the next batch of customers. He moved the table. Crash.
My ipad fell. Surprisingly, the camera kept running despite a heavy fall. Miraculously, the original sound recording survived. A spontaneous unexpected event. Before I knew it, the guy behind me on percussion rang his chimes, and the song was over. My delightful duet with a beautiful girl in a foreign land, went so fast. It seemed to touch the audience too. Everyone clapped. We smiled and looked across at each other. Happy with relief.
Want to collect a ‘bunnynose’ NFT? A limited edition music collectible of my unrehearsed live recording in a foreign country. A rough diamond that captures a special musical moment. An experience I’ll cherish forever. This demo version is exclusive to Nina on Solana. And there's only one hundred minted. So take advantage of this special offer today and enjoy.
