Jamming with Pepe Smith

Let me begin this article by saying that playing a musical instrument (or trying to play one, rather) is quite a journey. On some days, you feel like you’re in such a slump; everything you do, no matter how much you improvise, starts to sound monotonous. But there are really good days, too. Sometimes you can actually feel that you just got smarter, musically. The notes start to flow smoothly out of your hands, the melodies fit in nicely together, or you find a new technique in playing something that used to be so annoyingly repetitive. The reward you get when you feel and hear this is quite unexplainable.

One thing my brother and a lot of our friends enjoy doing now is jamming together. When we do, we share a collective of information and we all become smarter in that sense. Everyone contributes something, and if anyone has questions about anything, chances are someone will be able to give at least a half-logical answer. The point is, when we jam, the proper blending of sounds from our instruments is a good sign that each one of us has learned something new. Sometimes you really end up learning stuff by yourself, but it really is much more fun when all of you reach a new musical high together as jamming buddies.

This I love about jamming and music: It’s out there for all of those interested, and it doesn’t belong to anyone, just like so many other things out there in this world. When trying to make sense of something that is initially incomprehensible, there is always someone out there willing to help you decipher it; whether it be a new chord, an inventive plucking technique, or even just hearing what sounds go well together. I thank jamming for much of my knowledge of my instrument.

Imagine my surprise when my brother told me that we were going to jam with Pinoy rock n’ roll legend Joey "Pepe" Smith.

Apparently, the night previous, my brother asked Pepe if it was cool for us to jam with him sometime. That "sometime" ended up being the next day; and extremely eager to jam with Pepe, we found ourselves at his place, plugging our amplifiers into the wall sockets and tuning our guitars, getting ready for musical enlightenment.

When you’re invited to jam with one of the pillars of Pinoy rock n’ roll, you can’t help but feel a bit intimidated at first. I mean come on, this is the Pepe Smith we’re talking about here, and we have the privilege to rock out with him. Your brain starts to overload and work at a heightened pace: "Am I going to be quick enough to catch on that particular riff?" "Do I have enough musical background to keep up with him?" Ultimately, it comes down to "Am I worthy?" no matter how dorky and loser-like it may sound. What can I say? I’m a really big fan and I realize the contribution he and the Juan dela Cruz Band have made to Pinoy rock.

Well I was totally wrong in assuming that I would be lost in Pepe’s musical dust because we all pretty much rocked out that afternoon, especially Pepe of course. Was it because we were in such awe of this guy that subliminally, we all began to play better just to keep at par with him? It sure didn’t feel like that. To be honest, it was just like jamming with another friend, and I think that’s what made me play better. I know for a fact that I play better when I’m comfortable with everyone around me. I experienced this when jamming with Pepe Smith. The whole image of him being a rock legend and myself being not worthy enough of being in his midst was erased. The image was replaced by a more-than seasoned musician who loved jamming and making music just us much as we did.

Ultimately, what it came down to was a confirmation of my initial perception of jamming with friends: getting together and learning something new from each other, trading information for the greater good of everyone. Even if, personally, I think I didn’t let Pepe in on anything new musically (yeah right, Pepe Smith learning something new from me), I think that that session was really much more than picking up something new. It’s true, we both became more enlightened that music is a universal language that transcends generations. Playing music with Pepe was good fun. Listening to Pepe’s old school rock n’ roll stories was very enlightening. But my brother and I achieved something more – we proved that, indeed, music provides a path towards solidifying friendships across the ages.

Rock n’ roll, brothers and sisters!

Please e-mail me whatever whatever everyone: enricomiguelsubido@yahoo.com. Thanks, peace out everyone!