Martina Downey

Stage Fright or ‘Fright Night’ as it sometimes feels like is something that I deal with constantly. It’s this little private war that goes on in my brain. The little grey cells deceive me. It’s similar to the nervousness that I get when flying in a plane but that’s whole separate conversation. It’s the fear of failure and/or high expectations. Somehow I manage to pull it all together, naked feelings and all.

When I’m on stage there are funny feelings in my stomach and I feel like one of those drones from George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. It lasts for about 10 seconds than it goes away. During those 10 seconds all hell breaks loose in my head. Am I going to forget the lyrics? Am I going to stumble and fall over my own feet? Will I stutter? What if they don’t like me? Will I be able to open my mouth? And it lasts for just 10 seconds. I wrote a song about it. It’s called Dark Caverns.

But alas, I take my brain out of the deep freeze and do the job that I was called to do at that critical moment. I stand tall…… okay not so tall, and deliver. When I am in my element, which is when I am singing I am totally connected because I am doing what I truly enjoy the most. La Voz (the voice) takes over and the spirit of the moment is seized.

Those 10 seconds of fear are inevitable and so my goal is always how can I be totally prepared so I don’t have it to think or worry about my performance. For me that usually translates into practice, practice, practice. I can practice like a demon on steroids. No, I don’t do or condone the use of steroids but I do believe in drinking locally roasted coffee and it has to be the very best. Perhaps its part of the problem but I support my local Roasteria.

The other aspect of Stage Fright is wondering who is going to bother to come out and see me any way. It’s a Catch 22 situation. Besides, with the price of gas inching up to $5 a gallon, it’s a wonder we can all afford to go anywhere let alone to a concert. In fact, there is correlation between increased gas prices and my Stage Fright.

You see, it goes like this. If Congress had better reigns over the U.S. oil barons, speculators and better solutions to long term sustainable and cleaner energy, we would be less co-dependent upon non U.S. resources.

Taking it a step further, if our government provided incentives for businesses to build an infrastructure for a green economy, legislation that spawned new manufacturing here in the U.S, permanent tax incentives for consumers who go green, it would create new jobs and ‘fuel’ the economy. People would have new job opportunities and our dependency on oil would be reduced U.S. auto manufacturers would have fewer lay offs. We would shift significantly to cleaner energy sources that were safe for the environment. Al Gore could then go play golf on the green.

Finally, people would have more disposable income and perhaps more leisure time and could afford to come see me perform. The awareness of a potential increase in audience attendance would ease my fears, thus reducing my sense of Stage Fright. So if I procrastinate, know that it is done in absolute protest or our staggering economy…..yeah!

You see, it all makes cents now. Don’t you think?