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January 8,
2008: So Long – For Now.
“I may quit the
music business someday, but never the music.”
“I was never going to satisfy everybody, so I decided to satisfy
myself.”
Dan Fogelberg 1951 - 2007
“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”
“Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.”
“What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.”
“Insist on yourself; never imitate.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 - 1882
It was 30 years
ago when I got my first guitar.
I studied hard
both at
Hummingbird Music Camp in Jemez Springs, NM, and with
Michael Fath (who I still hit up for lessons every once in a
while; a great mentor and friend). My woodshed was my bedroom; my
study tools an acoustic guitar and a belt-drive A&R turntable. I
learned everything I could.
I played in bands
throughout high school. Rock and roll, ’80s style.
Then, at 19, I
buried it in the ground.
I lost my mind.
No, that’s not it. I willfully surrendered it, in a wholesale
abandonment of reason, and it was the worst mistake of my life. I
let somebody take my mind and my soul away, and gave 10 years of my
life to frightful Bible-based religious cult.
To this day, the
wounds to my faith and my soul continue to heal.
Now, it seems
surreal to me that it has been ten years since I left the Royal
Order of Nasty Religious Freaks, and began playing open-mic on
Fridays at King’s Court Tavern (and I wonder whatever happened to
The Bill Fox Band?). I would go to Starbuck’s in Sterling, VA and
see gigs from acts like the
Unfortunate Rakes,
Jerry Bresee and
Andrew McKnight. It was so much like the music I knew growing
up, and I knew I had to get out there and do what they were doing.
I took some
intense private lessons from two geniuses of fingerstyle guitar –
Duck Baker and
Al Petteway. I have never been the same since meeting them. What
they have taught me means the world.
From there, I
played anywhere I could, usually by myself, sometimes joined by a
good friend or two.
On my birthday, late fall of 1998, I met a girl who would come to one of my gigs. We jammed in the parking lot and felt so great that we began collaborating, eventually forming a duet called Dandelion Wine. We recorded an independent CD, "Book of Mirrors", which in 2000 was nominated by the Washington Area Music Association for the "Best New Age Album" category.
I eventually fell in love with and married that girl . . . Renee.
I recorded two
CDs on my own, released them on my own. I even tagged along with a
couple of great bands. Had fruitful stints with both The Rub and
Cerulean Groove (with both bands playing great sets at the venerable
Jammin’ Java), and recorded a wonderful CD with
Darcy Nair (played some great gigs with her too). I did some
recording with songwriter
Greg Vickers. I even served as a “pinch-hitter” for songstress
Nikki Rouse, and again played some great shows.
I played a lot of
music; rock, funk, jazz . . . even Celtic and folk. But my
strongest suit, my first love, (even before being a performing
songwriter) is being a fingerstyle guitarist.
I made some
friends along the way, garnered another nomination from the Washington
Area Music Association (2003) and an Honorable Mention in the Mid Atlantic
Songwriting Contest (2006). I have sold a handful of CDs and made a few
people happy.
Still, I do not
know if I did the very best I could do. Anybody who knows me well
knows I am often very hard on myself. It’s true.
While I am very
proud of the music I have written, I know I can do better. While I
am proud of the performances, I know I have a lot more to offer.
And I will.
First, there is
some business to attend to. My wife, Renee and I are soon to have
our first child.
I will use the
time as a new father to learn the art of life and love. From there,
all things being equal, I am confident that it will once again be
time to get out there and play the songs I wrote for anyone who
wants to hear them.
For now, so long,
and thank you all. Be blessed.
Of soul, spirit and song,
Gregory Lygon
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