From an email by DM:Soul Bus Turns 6

Whoa … Time flies! SOUL BUS (believe it or not) is turning six!

On Monday, July 1st, 2002, Tad Robinson, Jes Richmond, Gordon Bonham, Jeff Hedback, Gordon Brooks, and Henry Lee Summer played the band’s first job, at Daddy Jack’s.

Six years later, a few things have changed within the band; but the basic idea and the good vibes are exactly the same. Each week it boils down to this: Monday nights = good music.

Six is such a cute age! (Some imagination required.)

We will be celebrating our Six-Year birthday/anniversary this Monday, June 30th, at 8:00 p.m.

At Daddy Jack’s, of course. We hope you can join us.

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While thinking about what it means for a band to make it to six years old — “band years” really are comparable to “dog years,” for many reasons — I ran across some useful things (on the internet) that you might enjoy knowing about The Six-Year Old (like us). I copied them, below, and I’ve added a few annotations, in red.

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The Six-Year Old

Six-year olds have to be right. The early self is fragile when it begins to recognize the perspective of others. Six doesn’t accept criticism or blame with composure. [try it and see]

Six-year olds need encouragement and praise. [applause and tips are nice too] They need to know that it’s okay to make mistakes and how to be a gracious loser. [false! "loser" is a dirty word] Focus on being attentive and accepting to help him feel good about being who he is at age six.

Six-year olds go through a period of noncompliance and opposition to instructions. [been there, done that] They may act like they don’t hear you or dawdle before complying. [occasional long periods between songs] This period passes rather quickly and is an expression of the developing self. Don’t panic.

You may notice signs of tension in your six-year old. Help your six-year old cope with tension through talk time [on breaks only, please] to identify feelings and talk about fears. Physical activity helps tension in a positive way; cupcakes don’t. [ha! false!]

Finally, keep choices very simple; for example, let him choose between the red shirt and the blue shirt. Don’t make him responsible for choosing his entire outfit. [that means we take requests]

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