What to do when your instrument dies
T-45 Minutes to Showtime
So I get to Indiana, ready for a week of music gigs with my friend/fellow songwriter Michael Shofi. When we play together, we call ourselves “Sofie-Shofi” :)
Music journalist Wheat Williams put it best in an article about us:
“Shofi’s sound and delivery are straight-up Americana; he sounds like he could be from anywhere in the heartland.
Zamchick, on the other hand, is a modern cabaret pop chanteuse whose sensuous sound is as New York City as they come.”
LOLLL. Love it!
Anyway, we get to Indiana with a loose idea of the setlist, but we’re using this last hour before the gig to run through things, accompany each other, lock in. Then, ten minutes into rehearsal… my VibeKAT just… dies. Powers down. Won’t turn back on, no matter how much the sound guys and I poke at it.
With only 45 minutes till doors open, I have no choice but to scrap most of my setlist and throw together something new. Thank GODDDD I play multiple instruments or I would be actually screwed—I end up on piano for some songs, borrowing Shofi’s guitar for others, and staging the VibeKAT in the corner so I can at least get a joke out of its untimely demise.
I knowwww you’re not supposed to make disclaimers before a show, just like you wouldn’t walk into an audition and say, I’m sick! But honestly, the whole thing was so ludicrous, letting the audience IN on the chaos was the only way I could loosen up. So after a few songs, I explained to them what went down.
Despite the stress, the show went well. I had Michael to lean on for emotional support lol and the audience made up of people from Wabash, Indiana, were lovely!
Next day, at our TV spot: the monitors were so distorted I couldn’t hear my keyboard. Like, at ALL. Michael and I were flying by the seat of our pants, hoping for the best. Here’s a clip. It was… what it was!
(If you haven’t already, check out our song “Kids Again.”)
Then, at our final show in Indianapolis, Michael’s guitar (which sounded great during soundcheck!) suddenly wouldn’t come through the monitors either, despite the help of our amazinggg sound guy Oscar. So NATURALLY, Michael borrowed my guitar (lol jk not actually MY guitar—the President of the Honeywell Arts Foundation, Tod, kindly lent me one of his personal guitars, since the VibeKAT was still… unresponsive. RIP.)
But once again, the show went great despite all the issues. Phew.
(Singing harmonies on Michael’s song “RV” - my new obsession!)
By that last performance, I could finally laugh about the whole week behind us. Since I really had no option but to surrender, the result was… super freeing? The music felt more grounded than ever, like the chaos stripped everything down to what actually mattered. Sometimes, when things go completely off the rails, the best thing to do is throw your hands up, say OK UNIVERSE, WHAT ELSE YOU GOT FOR ME!?!? And just let things take shape the way they will.
And the second I did that? Everything started clicking into place.
What felt like a total disaster turned into two of the most amazing synchronistic weeks of my life. I won’t get into it now, but like spiritual-journey, meeting-cute-guy-on-plane, feeling-more-in-tune-with-my-body-than-ever… that kind of stuff. I kept a running list on my phone of over 25 moments that bled into each other in a way that felt too uncanny to be random!
And out of this whirlwind of interconnectedness… comes a new EP. Today is DAY ONE of working on it. Can’t wait to share pieces of it with you as I go.
XO,
Sofie
P.S. The VibeKAT has been reborn… after a trip to the Alternate Mode factory. She’s back, acting like nothing happened.