Lay it Down

Hello All,

After this streak I’ve been having, I was a bit worried that I may fall back into my pattern of inconsistency, or post every few months at best. I was trying to think of what point I should make,what scenarios,parables,etc. And of course, which song should I use to tie all those together in a pretty bow with some music facts for you.

I had to really think about what has been going on lately and what I am trying to improve as to not feel like things are so bleak when it comes to continuing as musician,song writer,businessman and the other dozen or so hats that I am forced to wear these days. In my dealings with other musicians, I’ve found that many don’t realize that they are wearing the hat(s) wrong or that they don’t fit. I’m sure you that I mean they don’t know WTF they are doing. Not that I don’t make mistakes. But, I try to at least ask questions or speak up about what I’m looking to achieve. This post is on the other side of the spectrum from my post called “Tell Me what You want“.

I’m sure you’re familiar with all the clichés, “squeaky wheel gets the grease”, etc. But it’s not rare that people just don’t realize how ineffective they are at communicating your point. Especially Me. It’s a simple enough concept, but most of us don’t even realize that we’re not being straight out about what our intentions are or what we truly want. Sometimes we do this out of fear of the reaction It may cause from the person we are expressing this to. This is only fair to everyone involved, since it makes it easier for anyone to walk away with no fault, knowing that they expressed early on what they were hoping to accomplish. Even if that causes this person to distance himself from us, we’re better off in the long run. After all, wouldn’t it be better to be true to yourself than to prolong your dealings with someone who’s wants and needs don’t align with yours? Of course, there could be several outcomes to us and it doesn’t mean cutting off the person completely. By being true to yourself, and making those around you aware of that, you were also being true to them. Because, expressing your intentions, specifically, you’re eliminating any assumptions or ambiguities. That is where a lot of confusion and turmoil arises from. And some people may feel “led on” If you don’t “Lay it down” from the beginning. Hey, you knew that’s where I was going with this.

Just recently, I realize myself that I wasn’t making myself clear about my mindset and my intentions. And the sad part all is that these are people that I have known for some time, and I have no fear that they would judge me for this, not that I would care if anyone would anyway. I assumed my actions were speaking for themselves as to what my intentions are and what I am looking to manifest(but we all know what happens when you assume, you make an Ass out of U and Me ). If you haven’t figured this out by now, I am speaking about my band, Imbolg. We’ve been around long enough that I am able to predict certain problems that might further hold us back So I expressed how I felt about this, and my refusal to passively allow things to go in the direction that I know will be counterproductive. This is the first time I’m speaking of this, but we are planning to perform at an Established music festival in the Northeast(I will announce more later, and maybe give the details here as a reward for those who are actually consistently reading my posts) So I want to go in as prepared and organized as possible. I’m not asking much am I? But for those of you that are in a band, you know that this is usually easier said than done.

The song “Lay it Down” by RATT tells a story with a different connotation. However, according to interviews with Stephen Pearcy(the band’s lead singer and wrote the lyrics) the song could have a more accusatory tone, letting some know that you know what they’re after. Even though the lyrics as a whole suggest he is being more specific in wanting to lay down with a particular female. Of course most of us know this subject matter was pretty common for that genre during that time (hence why some people refer to hair metal as “cock rock”) Even though there are bands that don’t exactly fit into that sub genre who also have been given that moniker, like AC/DC for example.

I didn’t listen to RATT in their hey day. But, I got introduced to “Lay it Down” because it was played on the first season of Cobra Kai. Along with lots of great music from that era and beyond(sorry to suck up, but I do love this show and there’s a good chance someone involved with Cobra Kai maybe reading this. I hope 🤞). It was used in a transitional moment where one of the main characters played by Xolo Maridueña was practicing his karate. And much like this character, we can all learn to improve any area of our life we feel can be improved on. I didn’t want to just preach that we should “speak up” when needed and leave it at that. There are things you can research that will teach you how to communicate better, even some courses. I found some with a simple Google search, but I don’t know enough about any of them to recommend one or another.

Well, I hope this does help you in some way and that you will be back next week to read more.Thanks again and Be well

Nate, xoxo