Don't Quit

by Anonymous

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest, if you must--but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As everyone of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up, though the pace seems slow--

You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and faltering man,

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor's cup.

And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt--

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--

It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

Some of you know that me and my son Joe attend somewhere between 75 and 100+ live shows each year as he follows about a dozen emerging artists on their long road to fame.

More often than not we have a reserved table at Boston's top country-themed bar, Loretta's Last Call, and know the craft beer breweries and hot spots around the state.

We don't just do the Boston and Worcester scenes, but we travel to New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island on a regular basis and even flew to South Carolina for a show with Deana Carter and Martin and Kelly.

At my age, pulling into country bars for a 10 pm show that is over at 1 am, requires a very skilled nap regimen, which I fortunately possess. It also requires the discipline to limit our range to a three-hour round trip (most times).

And of course, in 2023 we are planning our 27th annual trip to Nashville for the Country Music Association's annual CMA Fest and hope to see Massachusetts transplant musical artist Krista Angelucci and her musician husband AJ Kross perform when we are there, and maybe even the 'star' of this story, Morgan Myles.

This is a story about one of those emerging artists, who really emerged this summer and was on The Voice 'live' show this week. My family will be voting for her, not only because she is a talented musical artist, but because we think she is an even better person. Here's the story, in long form.

First Show-Patriot Place:



Several years ago, we pulled into the Patriot Place country bar formerly known as Toby Keith's to see a new artist, for us, who was playing her way up and down the East Coast.

She was talented, attractive, and just as nice as can be during the meet and greet after the show. My son added her to the 'follow' list and raved about how nice she was on the way home. Her name was Morgan Myles.

Second Show-Nashville:



The following year in Nashville, we found her again at BB King's playing in the basement, no band, just Morgan and her guitar. She remembered Joe and we hung around again after the show.

Then the pandemic replaced in-person shows with online shows and my nap frequency dropped for a couple of years. When things bounced back, we learned that Morgan was going to be playing at a small place in Scituate, Massachusetts, the Rivershed, and planned to attend, even though the trip was slightly over our three-hour round-trip limit.

Third Show-Rivershed Scituate:

We rolled into the restaurant/bar about an hour or so before the show, told the hostess why we were there and where we'd like to sit to see the show and she told us there was no show. Surprised and disappointed, we asked her to check with the manager and we got the same answer.

We returned to our car and sat. Something didn't make sense. Joe checked Morgan's web page, Facebook page, and Bands in Town web site and we couldn't find a cancellation. We sat some more, thinking about next steps.

• If we stayed a while and waited to see if Morgan showed up, but she didn't, all we'd lost was a little more time.
• If we stayed and she showed up, we'd be back on plan.
• If we left and she didn't show up, we'd get a head start on that hour and forty-minute ride home.
• If we left and she did show up, we'd regret the move.

We stayed.

About 20 minutes later a white van drove behind us and Joe announced that she was here. We quickly moved back to the entrance where the hostess apologized to us for being confused about the night's entertainment, and promptly seated us less than five feet from the stage.

Joe had a great time, hanging out while the sound was set up, hanging out on breaks, and hanging out after the show. Morgan knew she had a huge fan, and Joe knew that Morgan was a special person. Something about her determination and enthusiasm, combined with her talent, made her special, and a match for Joe's determination and enthusiasm.

Fourth Show: Christmas in Worcester

Morgan scheduled a holiday tour with her band and made Worcester one of the stops. We, of course, arrive 90 minutes early since the venue was less than 30 minutes from home.

Joe hung out with her during set up and sound check, sat with her on a break, and did the usual meet and greet after the show.

By this point we are definitely known fans, one of us is following her on social media, and we are rooting for this solo artist, on the road, as she explained to us, for about seven years, and playing hundreds of shows in small venues and country bars.

We have no idea how stars become stars or why some of the talented artists we follow are not stars yet, but we root for them all, including Morgan Myles.

Fifth Show-Hard Rock Cafe Boston:

Earlier this year, Joe bought the tickets as soon as they went on sale. It had been years since we'd been to the Hard Rock Boston showroom and were excited to see Morgan on her what seemed like 'annual' trip to Massachusetts.

When we got there, we were spectacularly disappointed. No one greeted us, there didn't appear to be any management working the restaurant, and the doors to the show room weren't open. I wondered how the place stayed in business. (Note to reader: it closed two months later. See my Weblog 'It's Hard to Hide a Good Restaurant.')

Once we were admitted to the show room that could hold about 500-600 people, we found a space near the stage, one of about five or six tables up front, and settled in. Same drill: hanging out with Morgan during set up and sound check.

When the show started, and I looked around I could see seven other people in the room. That's right, not 700, not 70, but 7. I guessed that the Hard Rock Cafe marketing person was as competent as the other management.

Morgan started playing what was, in essence, a private show. She sang her heart out as if there were 7,000 people in the room. We were the designated clappers so that after every song, before she could say 'thank you' we clapped loudly.

All I could think about was how tough it must be for an artist to have such a disappointing crowd. And honestly, it wasn't the first time that we'd been the majority crowd for an emerging artist trying to find a place to play that would take them to where they wanted to go.

If I had booked the room for a private event, it probably would have cost me several thousand bucks, plus I'd be out another grand or so for the band, and here I had an event that cost me two $25 tickets and another ten for soda water and Coke. What a deal.

After the show, Joe hung out with Morgan and we worked to cheer up what must have been a big disappointment, and in the world of 'loyalty' she was glad we were there for her. Little did we know that from the depths of that disappointment, that the next time we heard from her, would be a high point of her career.

We Interrupt this Weblog for an Important Message:

Sometime over the summer Joe learns from social media that Morgan will be on The Voice this season, in fact, since the show is taped in advance, he knows the date she will appear. Contestants are sworn to secrecy and have to avoid tipping people off about the results.

Empty Hard Rock to the Voice: quite a difference. Of course, we watched the show. Of course, we were delighted that she was selected: all four chairs turned around almost immediately. You can watch her performance here on You Tube.

Sixth Show: Big E West Springfield

The Big E is touted as the largest county fair in the country, and I assure you that you are unlikely to find two dozen food trucks offering deep-fried Oreos in one place, other than there. 2022 attendance was 1.6 million admissions with 177,789 people visiting in one weekend day.

Morgan is scheduled to appear on a small outdoor stage, one of a dozen at the venue, and of course we are there 90 minutes in advance, and of course I scavenge a chair and we are in our self-created front row. And of course, Morgan hangs with Joe before the show and after the show the two of them have a private moment where I'm sure he reminds her of how great she is, and she thanks him for his support.

Seventh Show-To Be Determined:

We don't know the next time we'll see Morgan Myles in person. But we do know, she will be different. She'll be more famous, maybe have a record contract, won't play to an empty Hard Rock Cafe show room, or a small stage at the Big E. But we both suspect one thing won't change: she will still be as nice, and as persistent, as she was the first six times we connected. Vote again, for Morgan Myles on The Voice. (Details Below).

November 14: NBC Live Voting Begins

Here are the voting guidelines for this round of The Voice:

You can vote with The Voice Official App.

The Voice has an official app that can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play Store. You can cast up to 10 votes using this method.

Vote on NBC.com

Go to nbc.com/VoiceVote and register. Then simply click on the artist you want to vote for and give them the number of votes you want to cast. Then click the “Sound” button. This voting method will allow up to 10 votes per email address.

NBC Voting Window

The voting period begins when the live show starts at 8:00. ET on Monday evenings and open until 07.00 ET the following day.

Including links to their web pages, or Instagram or Facebook Pages.

Martin & Kelly

Whitney Doucet

Annie Brobst

Ayla Brown

Lizzy Marquis

Samantha Rae

April Cushman

Backyard Swagger's

Diane Ferullo

Krista Angelucci & AJ Kross