The "season of giving" that never ends

We're entering a new year, about to leave that "season of giving" that consumes us so much.  For the general public, it's a season that seems to start as early as Halloween or even the days before then when Christmas displays start popping up in stores.

Thanksgiving's even becoming an afterthought.

For musicians, that season of giving can last year-round -- not just this time of year.  For that, we as music lovers should be giving thanks and showing our appreciation to those who give of their time and talents.

One of my Northern California musician friends -- Steen Berrig, a dynamite blues harp player -- has pointed out a time or two before just how much people like him donate to charitable causes just by bringing people in who love to be entertained by a tune.  They give of their time by practicing, hauling their gear to a venue, unloading, setting up, playing, taking down, loading, and hauling back home.

That's no little task.

A reminder of what it takes to give like that came up recently when some more local Utah friends of mine were among several bands and solo musicians who gathered at the Kafeneio Coffee House and music venue in South Salt Lake for the second annual "I Feed On Sound" benefit concert and food drive.  Admission came in the form of donations of non-perishable food items.  As is found so often, musicians gave of their time and energy to help the cause.

In the music venue, there was electronic dance music from Grim & Reaper, post-hardcore from The Infernal, pop punk from One Lump Sum, rock from Sektau, and a double dose of reggae to close out the evening from Rebel Zion and Bludgeon Muffin.

There was an acoustic area out front with even more musicians playing throughout the evening.

It was musicians giving of themselves as they do so often.  Their biggest payback came in the way of shouts of appreciation, hand claps and backslaps.  Their season of giving never seems to end.