You Can't Always Get What You Want

It was 1991 and I had been in Nashville for 5 years. I was coming off a 2 year tour with Leon Russell and Edgar Winter. Probably the most amazing tour (musically) that I've ever been on. It was very unexpected that I even ended up on that tour. I was a country drummer and all of a sudden I was in a rock band with 2 rock and roll legends. Still blows my mind.
When the tour ended,  we were basically let go as a band.  I took a few weeks off then started the process of finding another gig. I made the usual phone calls to my "hit list" to see if there were any auditions coming up.
To my surprise I learned of 3. They were Les Taylor (formally of Exile) who had a solo artist deal on Epic Records, Vern Gosdin who was coming off the amazing "Chiseled in Stone record on Columbia and MCA artist Lionel Cartwright.
Coming from Texas and having spent my early years in Honky Tonk bars I really wanted the Gosdin gig the most. It was in my wheelhouse. Perfectly taylored to my style of playing. I could play it in my sleep.
It turned out all 3 auditions were scheduled on the same week in the order of Gosdin, Taylor and Cartwright making it very difficult to prepare properly for the 3. So I made a plan that I would spend more time on Vern and honed in on it. That was my dream gig. I was so sure I would get that gig that I didn't spend much time on the other two.

My confidence was thru the roof when I sat behind the drum kit for Vern. He asked me to count off the first song which I did and about 15 secs into the song he waved us off and turned around and said to me "You're playing to F-ing Loud, back it down." My heart sunk to the floor and I never recovered. Totally bombed the other two songs and drove home confused and defeated.
I collected myself and went to the Les Taylor audition and was still so paranoid from the day before that I bombed that audition too.
I had to shake it off and luckily I had a few days till the next audition to get my mojo back. I walk into the rehearsal room never expecting to be there and nailed the Cartwright gig. Got the job on the spot. I was so relieved.
It turned out to be a life changing experience. Lionel was the best. An amazing musician, writer and person. The guys in the band are all still some of my best friends. My path was not chosen by me. I was not in control. I was not supposed to get the other two gigs. I landed where I was supposed to be.

Failure will happen. Don't let it knock you down. Don't fear it, Take it on, Shake it off. Learn from it and move on!  


"You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well you just might find
You get what you need" 
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)