Has my absence from the blogosphere been noticed by anybody?

Some of you knew I had been practicing non-stop for a gig at Othello's of Norman on May 31. That gig has come and gone, generally a success I do believe. And, it looks like I'll be getting more dates there and pursuing other venues, too.

However, I don't believe I've told the back story.

This was my first solo gig of any sort ... ever.

Well, I should note that I've played weddings, and when I was in high school and college, I played a couple local events as just some guy in a corner playing a piano -- and playing it fairly poorly, I might add.

In fact, in those early gigs, some 20 years ago, I'd freestyle. Essentially, I knew maybe 10 songs and then, after that, I'd play chords and make up melodies on the fly. I can't imagine how boring those might have been for folks in the audience.

Right after college, I played piano for a buddy's wedding -- and that event took so long to get started that I again ran out of material, resorting to a church version of "Suicide is Painless," the theme to M*A*S*H.

Some might argue it to be an appropriate wedding song. However, for me, it was the result of having a big bag of nothing to offer.

While I lived in Dallas (1995-2005), I played with two bands and had a brief cabaret duo going with the best singer I've ever had the pleasure of working with. It was groovy and many good times were had, but I was in the background, not so much as offering a background vocal even though I could sing better than at least one or two of our available vocalists.

That's not saying much, but alas if I've been guilty of anything in my 37 years, it's of being sort of a chicken shit. No offense if the language offends, but it's the most a propos term for my artistic efforts to date.

And in preparing for this little gig at this small but uber cool lounge in Norman, Okla., I had worked myself up into a tizzy of psychotic nervousness. I practiced non-stop for more than a month. I could barely eat three hours before the show, and I sweated like Albert Brooks in "Broadcast News" up to five minutes before the gig started.

Now, I specifically sought out this gig to shake myself of all this, to give it a go. To be that "singer, songwriter" I've always envisoned myself to be.

The piano part of the equation didn't bug me a bit. Heck, I've played the piano for so long that I'm probably overly confident in that regard. But it was that bit of confidence that led me to e-mail Othello's manager.

And based on some YouTube links I sent her, she gave me a gig.

First, I have to note how nice that was of her. At first, I said I would just be doing piano jazz without vocals but then changed my mind as I became more fervent about the purpose of this effort.

What's crazy is that 15 minutes into this three and a half hour gig, I grew mega comfortable on stage, at the piano, behind the mic. Sure, it helped that all the bartenders and waiters there were so danged nice and that the atmosphere of Othello's is so relaxed.

Adjacent to an Italian restaurant and a patio full of Saturday night revelers, Othello's has always been one of Norman's top hangouts. In fact, there are only a couple venues here with as rich a history.

(Editor's Note: My friends came out to the gig, and I was promptly informed that Scott -- their waiter for the evening -- is pretty much the best waiter they've ever had. No lie.)

Now, I'm not going to lie. For a first gig, I did pretty darned well, but there is a ton of room for improvement. Learn more songs. Read the crowd better. Get serious about basic vocal technique. However, I did not embarrass myself, and that was the win in and of itself.

In fact, I made an extra $26 in tips. Not too shabby. Got one when I played "Girl From Ipanema" and another when I played and sang Coldplay's "Clocks." That particular tip probably made my evening because while I am pretty good with the jazz, I want to branch out into more pop, adult contemporary and original music.

The biggest response I got was when I played an original called "Dear OG&E," my ode to the fine electric company whose services I was without in December 2007 due to Oklahoma's hellish ice storm. That was mega gratifying as well.

But it's just a start. I'm told I'll get some spots on the Othello's calendar for later in the summer and beyond, and I plan to pursue other playing opportunities.

The nerves are gone, and strangely enough, I don't envision myself pursuing anything with a singer or group at this point. I'm going to hit this hard on my own behalf, taking the knocks as I go and growing in the process.

Then again, it's another dish on my plate, and I have every intention still of gearing up hard and heavy for a summer's worth or great (er, bad?) television reviews and commentary. The blog will live!

Thanks to my friends who came out, I have a video clip of the show, a couple of highlights, if you will. These were not my best songs, by a mile, but for the next show, I hope to set up a tripod and camera to get the whole thing on DVD. But it's a good sampling of what I did last Saturday night and, hopefully, for years to come.