I’ve been terrified of performing in front of people, but last night I forced myself onto a tiny coffee shop stage. My hands were shaking, my strumming went out of time, but I got through two songs and when it was over, I felt ten feet tall. Anyone else remember their first time playing for strangers?

I’d been playing solid state forever, then a friend let me crank his old Fender tube amp. The way it breathed and pushed back under my fingers — I’ll never forget that feeling. Have you ever had one of those “holy sh*t, this is what tone means” moments?