What Leads to Magical Music Moments?
- The Pesto Boys’ first performance at Incubator Unplugged
- Scum Alliance in their improvised headlining set
- Jem Wilde playing to a room so quiet you could hear a penny drop.
These are some the moments in Incubator history that stick out to me. Moments when everyone, without saying a word, knew something special was happening. We all had different reasons to think so, but we could all feel it. For as long as the band was playing, we were in. We were experiencing something magical together.
Moments like these are hard to come by. They’re what I live for. These are the moments of real growth. Where a performer does the thing they didn’t know they could do. When they stop trying and just flow… and everyone can tell.
The question on my mind is…
What conditions have to be met in order to achieve that kind of outcome?
There are four conditions that maximize the chances of a magical musical moment (MMM).
1. You have to put yourself in a situation where you’re not sure
You’re not sure how it will go. Maybe you’re not sure if you’ll get along with your bandmates. Maybe you’re not sure if you’ll get it done in time or if people will like it. Any of these will do.
You have to be unsure so you don’t set expectations for how the performance will go.
It’s easy to avoid expectations when it’s your first performance with a new band or your first time playing in a venue. That’s why over the past two years at Incuabtor, MMMs have almost exclusively happened at a band’s first show. (Because they’re not sure).
2. The process has to be enjoyable
If the practices are a slog, you’re more likely to desperately want the performance to go well. To, you know, make up for how unenjoyable it’s been so far. So you can chalk the whole experience up to a net positive.
When you want something to be a certain way, you’re not having as much fun. You’re straining, mentally. Emotionally. When you desire an outcome, you take yourself out of the moment. Your mind is busy wanting, pleading to the universe that this experience be what you hoped it would be.
These are those expectations that get in the way of MMMs. If the process is enjoyable, it doesn’t matter as much how the performance goes. You’re just flowing.
3. There have to be elements outside of your control
When a player decides who their band is going to be and who plays what, that’s a heavy burden to carry. To have made all those decisions for the group. What if you’re wrong? How would you feel?
It’s better to not risk that. It’s better if bands are just bands. Imagine the mental space that’s freed up when you can show up to practice and not have to worry about managing the band. Where you, as a player, can simply play?
The urge to be a control freak is understandable. It may always be there. That’s why at Incubator, control is distributed across multiple people and committees in a harmonious, democratic fashion.
When things are truly out of your control, you accept them. It just is. And that, at the end of the day, comes as a relief to many.
4. You want to express something real
The previous 3 conditions are important to achieve MMMs, but not required. This 4th condition, though, is an absolute must.
You have to have something to say that can be expressed through words or an instruments.
You need the technical ability to express it and the willingness to do it in front of other people.
This is not a skill or a talent. It’s a desire. A desire to express something real within you.
MMMs don’t happen when you copy someone else’s swagger. Or when you’re trying to prove that you can play really fast and accurately.
Expressing something you feel requires vulnerability. And when you do it and believe in yourself, people will notice.
Joy is the secret ingredient
Incubator’s processes are built around joy. Joyful experiences produce joyful performances. Joyful performances produce joyful audiences.
The path to MMMs is dark and windy. It demands you give up control and give in to the moment. But anyone who witnesses them knows it’s worth it.
