Thanksgiving 2021 - Grateful Doesn't Even Begin to Cover It
Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite holidays - and it is so often overlooked. It’s one of the only days of the year when everything is closed and there are no distractions to take our attention away from family, friends, and all of the things that we are the most grateful for. Last year, we had to look hard to find the silver lining after being dealt a hard hand over 2020. Last year, in many ways, was one of the most beautiful Thanksgivings yet, because, after losing many things, we all truly got to see what we actually have. Not things, not plans, not new gadgets or clothes - but the people who stuck by us during the hardest of hard times, the simple beauties of every day life that we got to see once forced to slow down, the wonderful things that were born of forced creativity, and the hope that all we had lost over 2020 would return in a magnificent way. This year is a continuation of that, because on Thanksgiving Day 2021, though the future is still uncertain (isn’t it always?) and we’re not quite out of the woods yet, we have gotten back what we have lost - for me, live music - and that’s something to be incredibly thankful for.
On this day last year, I was writing about loss; Mostly, my mind was on the lost Float Like a Buffalo national tour. Well, 2021 gave it back to us. In September 2021, we set out together on a five week, 10 state tour through the midwestern and southern United States. It was our first foray out into the nation in a real way. The tour had extreme highs and extreme lows, but it was an adventure - a real adventure - with 7 of my best friends who have come to be my family. We got to play in small towns and big cities across America; I got to see things I never imagined I would get to. We got to watch the bats fly from under the bridge in Austin, relax on the white sand beaches of Pensacola, stay up late with the crazy crowd in Knoxville and Nashville, see our old friends and meet new ones in St. Louis and Tulsa, and have a big Buffalo Herd ruinion in New Orleans, my favorite city on the planet. In the middle of tour, we lost a dear friend… an integral member of our herd, and through these dark days, between the moments of extreme grief, I was consumed with gratitude to have these 7 guys by my side, my family, to go through the loss with. I don’t know what I would have done without them. It wasn’t just the places we got to visit that I was thankful for though; It was also the people we got to meet - mostly, it was the people we got to meet. It’s crazy that through music, there is ALWAYS community, ALWAYS home, no matter where you are on the map. I am so lucky to say that I have friends across this country. The guys from Doctor Junior, who have quickly become some of our favorite folks, welcomed us to Tulsa once again. Our friends from Future Joy met us there. Our new pals, Guerrilla Theory, who we met as camping neighbors at Summer Camp Music Festival, invited us out to play for their hometown crowd in St. Louis. We got to see familiar faces at Circa Pub & Grill on our second night in St. Louis, and we got to experience the incredible show put on by young band Guilty Pleasures. Keep your eye on these guys - they’ve got the thing and they’re headed for greatness. We got to see our favorites, The Doobie Sisters, in Cortez, CO. We got to party with Eugene and the incredible Banshee Tree in Durango. We got to jam with our boys from Cruz Control at The B. Bar in Omaha. We got to see 40 or more of our loved ones from home in New Orleans when they all got together and brought a taste of Colorado to The Crescent City. Along the way, there was not one single tour stop that we made that didn’t offer us an act of kindness from a complete stranger. These were little things, but they have such a massive impact.
Beyond tour, we were so lucky to do so many things this year. We went on a lot of little mini tours. We played for the entire city of Cheyenne at Fridays on the Plaza and the entire city of Casper at David Street Station. We made the pilgrimage to Chillicothe, IL to play our first large-scale festival, Summer Camp, which I could write an entire blog on all on its own. We played the main stage at Underground Music Showcase. We got to play so many incredible stages back home - The Boulder Theater, The Aggie Theatre, The Animas City Theatre, The Caribou Room, The Oriental Theater, Levitt Pavilion, and Summit Denver. I could go on and on, but I’ll just say that I have no words to describe how thankful I am for all we have gotten to do and for the support that allows us to do so.
Last year, I was also writing about my gratitude for Rocky Mountain Virtual, the joint venture between Alyssa Montaño and myself that aimed to keep music alive during the pandemic through an every-Friday virtual festival on Facebook. RMV changed my life in so many ways, and it continues to impact me every day. If it weren’t for RMV, we wouldn’t have met and built relationships with so many amazing musicians and bands. Without RMV, we never would have connected with ARISE Music Festival. Two years ago, if you’d have told me that by 2021, I’d be working as a Marketing Coordinator for ARISE, interacting with massive acts and lending a helping hand with social media, street teams, and artist relations, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I love what I get to do for ARISE every single day, and I wake up every morning feeling like the luckiest girl on Earth. I can’t wait until we can show you all we have in store for ARISE, and I can’t wait to see you all on Memorial Day Weekend 2022! The ARISE team is truly a blessing. It still blows my mind that I get to work as part of this group, where every single person is humble, driven, and truly cares if you have personal success. They want to see you grow and be the absolute best you can, and this team represents the overall mission of ARISE. I’m here for it, and I’m so thankful to be an active part of it.
I can’t write an article about gratitude without the mention of 5 specific people. First of all, my fiancee (fiancee! Crazy right?!), Cory. In my wildest dreams, never could I have imagined finding someone so wonderful to spend my life with. Our lives are filled with music. Through the hardest times of the pandemic, Cory carried us. He was there to wipe my tears and to encourage me to keep going. He worked himself to the bone to ensure that I felt secure and that we kept a roof over our heads, food in our fridge, and our 4 furbabies comfortable. we’re so lucky to both get to work in the music industry full time. Yes, it’s been incredibly difficult and frustrating financially. After all, we lost 100% of our income during the pandemic. But, I wouldn’t have it any other way. A paycheck is not worth all of the happiness we have, and we share the faith that live music, our greatest love in life, will carry us through.
Next, my parents - these two people who have given me such a solid foundation and act as examples every day through their loving marriage and their drive to be better and achieve more. I don’t know where I would be without the love of my parents, and I know how lucky I am to have two people as wonderful as they are looking out for me, challenging me, and celebrating my victories with me. They are my parents, yes, but they are also two of my very best friends in the whole world. They’ve given me a passion for travel, the notion that, with determination, I can achieve anything, and an open home and open arms to come back to when needed. They’ve travelled the country to support Float Like a Buffalo and it means the whole world to me.
Next up: Alyssa Montaño. GIRL. You amaze me every single day. Not only is Alyssa an incredible teacher and educational leader for young minds in Colorado, spending 50 or 60 hours a week making sure her students and team members are taken care of, but she’s also grown so much in the music scene. She’s gone from a lover of live music to Director of Logistics here at Sonder, AND she’s started her own concert photography business, Rocky Montaño Photography. I’m telling you, if you haven’t checked out her work, do it now. You won’t regret it. Through our mutual love of music and our complimentary work styles, we’ve been able to create a brand new Sonder Blog feature: The Sonder Spotlight Series. In this series, we preview an event, attend it, and cover it afterward with beautiful photography and interviews with the partipating musicians and music industry folks. Look for lots more of those coming up!
Lastly, but definitely not leastly: Katie Loy. Katie, you are undoubtedly my rock in this crazy world. There’s nothing that can’t be solved by a glass of red wine and talking in the kitchen with you. You have seen me at my most insane, and you still love me as much as ever. I don’t know what I would do without you. You have more of an impact on the world than you know. We just talked about how it’s your goal to leave people better than you found them, and trust me, you do this more than words can say. I can’t wait to integrate you more into Sonder and to celebrate for many many years to come. You were one of my steadfast companions during Covid, and man, I hate Covid, but I sure am thankful that it brought us closer and showed me what an incredible friend I have in you.
I’ll finish this with the thing I’m most grateful for: The future. I’m sitting here watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They just had the cast of Annie Live performing Tomorrow. That song is so accurate and, though heartbreaking in parts, hopeful. I see such a bright light where 2022 is, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you. Let’s go into this next year with hope in our hearts and determination in our minds. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!