Lunch on the Plaza with The rumors @ IUSWP Writing Marathon 2012

Lunch on the Plaza with The rumors @ IUSWP Writing Marathon 2012

     The kick drum vibrates the air long before the guitars can be heard.  The steady beat draws me with a whisper of thump, thump, thump, thump...  The bass joins the percussion.  Now, I know it is a band.  Two guitars, one lead, one rhythm, prove the sound is a rock band.  No doubt now, I hear a cover of John Mellencamp and I hear friends.  “The rumors” (the lower case “r” is a trademark) play and my ears are happy.

     The lead guitarist lets the strings ring and raises his right hand to wave a greeting.  Jon is a friend and colleague.  And, as always, I wish I could play as well as he plays. 

      Today is not for rock in a smoky bar or rock in a predictable wedding reception. Today is for rock in the sunshine and fresh air.  Today is an outdoor concert to celebrate downtown Louisville.

     The patio of National City Bank becomes the lunch time haven for downtown workers and a stage for The rumors.  The four men perform under a shaded canopy and every song continues the beat.  Every song is familiar and welcomed.

     Those eating lunches from Styrofoam boxes gather in the spots of shade.  Table umbrellas, young green tress, and cool building walls provide shelter from the sun.  Pork chops from the bank’s charcoal grill and baked beans from the cross street deli are eaten with smiles, bobbing heads, and tapping feet.  All of these strangers are nourished by the summer food and are lifted by the music.

     The rock songs change every three minutes and thirty seconds and The rumors never pause between.  The trailing major 7^th chord that signals an end is immediately followed by three drum cracks to start the next.  The musicians know people in the patio come for music, not talk, not chit chat, not stale jokes, for rock and roll.

     “Start Me Up” a cover from the Stones brings a smile to nearly every face.  The “lunchers” know they are indeed starting up, starting up at 12:08 pm.  Every tapping foot knows this truth, “I am starting up my weekend, right now!”  The Friday afternoon picnic and free concert means their bodies may return to work, but their minds will not.  The weekend has begun, has started up and life is good.  Rock on!

     And, The rumors do.