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Hello my name is Tim Kabara and I am going to write about what I did on my summer vacation.
I filed my last BRUISER column on Memorial Day weekend. Now, I begin again on Labor Day weekend. As any long-time Marylander knows, this is the beginning and end of summer.
And what a summer it was for local music! So many great shows and sets. Doubt ripping it up and Tripper throwing it down as folks cartwheeled in the pit. Tear Sponsor bringing the summertime sadness. Celebrating “Coconut July” with the members of Muscle. Pearl and Hormone in ascendance, a shared member not slowing them down. The gang getting together and pulling off another edition of ATP, each group performing a one-time-only ten minute cover set at Current Space. I could go on, but please know I see you if you were not mentioned. Thank you all.
Did I mention the amazing New Next Film Fest that a friend and his team planned, programmed, and pulled off?
Anyways, amidst all the action, the most important thing I did was not write this column. Don’t get me wrong; it is a pleasure and a privilege to have this weekly space to say “hello” and let you know how it’s going.
But if you don’t give yourself time to pause, reflect, and rest, the balance is lost. Once you lose that, you lose sight of the point and purpose of what we underground folks are up to doing.
As the speedboat that is my writing practice slowed and I got to look around and not be in a continual hurry, creatively, I got to remember why I got involved in this business in the first place, over thirty years ago.
It is in the casual conversations with showgoers and musicians, moments of shared recognition before and after a killer set. It is in running into performers the day after in a coffee shop, back at their day job, passing on praise and support as I place my order. It is in those folks waiting outside the show to hand you a flyer to let you know about the next show. It is in the brief smile and “Hey! Wow! Thanks for coming!” you get from someone as you show up at a gleefully berserk house show in a part of town you have never been to before.
The community we create in the Baltimore music and arts underground is not perfect, but the dedication to a better way of being, living, and making art is important. No matter who wants to take us out or knock us down, we carry something within us that can never be taken away. They will keep trying and we will keep going. We will not be beaten down.
In conclusion, I had a good summer vacation and learned many lessons about community. Thank you for reading what I wrote about my summer vacation. With this sentence, I have met the minimum word requirement for this assignment. Almost.
IG: @kim_tabara
