Working in a cell phone store in 2016 was a particular thing. Working so closely with the public has its ups and downs, but the positive is how the Universe can put people in your orbit. Chris came in, a fellow East Coast transplant. He bought his phone, and we talked music and set a date to jam. He definitely had a flair for the intricate musically; I only gravitate toward complexity if it's of my making! He told me about the other musicians he was playing with, all as young as him, equally musically skilled.

The three of them were each very different. Chris, on guitar and a Tim Minchin fan, had a dark, satirical sense of humor and was totally unafraid to say just about anything. He once told someone 'Of all the drummers I’ve ever played with, you're one.' Chris seemed to enjoy jazz the most, the difficult kind. He introduced me to Joe and Austin, the bass and drums respectively. Joe, with less than 2 yrs at the instrument, had a command of the double bass by hand and bow, along with so much of the 'bag of tricks' knowledge for a bassist. Austin, so reserved, he drove a van that looked like it was solving mysteries when not hauling a drum kit. I remember telling them, 'I'm going to take a quick break, and you guys can have some fun.' They would play jazz I just couldn't keep up with. When we played together, there was so much discipline between them. I thought this is what it is like to play with musicians all schooled in a way that supports playing together as opposed to the 'classical piano' I learned that was all solo all the time.

Human Error was the band name, with a tagline of 'It is always human error.' We got a weekly gig at the Blarney Stone Pub, another local dive bar. The band lasted less than a year, never meeting its full potential, with people moving and life interfering. The experience of a weekly show over a period of months was both a joy and a profound learning experience. In San Diego with Human Error is where several songs found their inception, only to be recorded with other musicians in other cities.