By Dan Roark

The tour began on a Friday in August at Oskar Blues Grill and Brew in Colorado Springs. A guy from a group of people at a table between me and the bar began to drift around the empty space in the middle of the tables, dancing to my songs like someone on acid at Woodstock.

If you’ve heard my music, you wouldn’t immediately think that it was danceable music. But it happened for the first time that year in July at Townhouse Sports Grill in Manitou Springs. A couple was dancing to my song, Poet and the Lady.  Which I could kind of see. Particularly slow dancing.

But the guy at Oskar’s was dancing to everything. I was amused, and flattered in a way. It certainly made it interesting. Another guy came up and asked if I could play a song. He showed it to me on his phone and it was The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot. That’s out of my style.

Then a woman who was apparently the significant other of the birthday boy came up and ask if I could say Happy Birthday to him on the mic. I was just happy she didn’t ask me to sing Happy Birthday. Then she asked if I knew Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash. Well, no. Then – get this – she asked me if I knew anything by Journey. Hell, I could have faked Ring of Fire. But Journey? Are you freaking kidding me?

I kept talking about my new CD at the time. How would that suggest to you that I take requests? But the crowd over all was very receptive and appreciative. It was a good, albeit interesting, evening. But some people are oblivious to anything outside their own head. They just want to hear the song in their head, regardless of the style of music being played on the stage.

Keep writing the songs that are in your heart.

Peace be with you.

Paypal.me/danroark