Moving To Portland: 08.22.2011
I just moved back to Portland, Oregon after 22 years in Los Angeles. It's weird. I feel amphibian. I am at home again, and I recognize people and feelings and places from my past, but I am also a stranger; my perspective is so completely different.
The reasons for my move home are many. I miss my family. At the end of the day that's really it. I miss being a part of their lives up here. The kids are getting bigger. The adults are getting smaller. I want to need to be a witness to all of this time passing. The only way I can want it, is to immerse myself in it.
Oregon rains a lot....A LOT. I, seriously, am not a fan of constant rain. It shrinks your world. But I can handle it for the sake of the people I love. I also moved back here because I want to experience playing music in this town.
Portland is a vibrant city. It's very cosmopolitan. In just a short amount of time here, I have quickly realized that Portland is really fucking incestuous. It will take me a bit of time to adjust. Los Angeles is the opposite. Eventually, though, I think I will come to appreciate, and, probably, count on this community. I can see myself learning a lot from the the artists up here.
There is no "showcasing" in Portland. These musicians play because they love it. They need the music. They don't need the processed bullshit that goes along with it like many of the bigger cities seem to foster. Portland was a great training ground for me as a performer. I was lucky enough to have the support of my friends, even when I was very young. Not many of the kids in elementary school were going from football practice to rehearsal. My friends were cool. They were curious and not the least bit judgmental about it. Therein lies another reason for my move. I owe a lot to my childhood compadres. I want to show them how much their love and acceptance has shaped me as a person and as a musician. I want to know them again.
I also have an incredibly musical family. I can't wait to share the stage with them. My cousin Brian Harrison is playing guitar in my new band. He will melt your face. I am honored that he makes time to play with me. My cousin Michael Allen Harrison is a legend in Portland. The only thing more impressive than his musical ability, is his huge heart. He has carved out an amazing career for himself because of his generosity. His generosity is genuine. I share my life with a beautiful spirit of a woman. We have little need for the fame lust of Los Angeles. All we need is a plot of land and a couple of cantankerous cats. Portland is the perfect place for us to disappear into each other.
I really miss my friends in Los Angeles. To call them "friends" does not adequately describe the connection. I have a village of a family of freaks down there. My soul still lives in Los Angeles.
So...I am excited to start over in Portland. I have already had some intense experiences up here. And beyond the love and the family and the friends and the music...I don't have to pump my own gas.
Cheers.
Apw
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