“Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.”
Music has always been my primary passion. Some of my earliest memories are sitting in my mother’s kitchen, banging on pots and pans with spoons and forks. Unlike technology, I didn’t stumble upon this passion. My infatuation with percussion is DNA infused, as is my “play by ear” instinctive ability. My desire to play was as natural and powerful as wanting to eat – and I couldn’t get enough of it. Without knowing it then, I’d discovered the power of passion, which I define as harnessing your innate abilities to accomplish your desires. It stands to reason that anything you love to do, you’ll do often. And that which you do often, you do well. My Dad put it this way, “if you love what you do, you aren’t working – you’re playing – but they pay you for it”.
“People with great passion can make the impossible happen.”
It wasn’t until my early fifties that I discovered an undeniable link between passionate musicians and passionate technologists – but that’s another blog for another time. The discovery sprang from my experience with the Rock and Roll Retail music event, in which I was a founding member and their first drummer. In summary, every year since 2010, a group of retailer musicians gathers in New York City to perform for a charity music event at the world’s largest retail trade show – the National Retail Federation. The musicians get one hour to practice, which is good because most have never played together – then they hit the live stage. These are some of the most passionate people I’ve ever met. Most work in retail technology and are well-respected experts. All epitomize the Power of Passion.
Check out the following for more information and performance videos:
The Story Behind Rock and Roll Retail – YouTube
RocknRollRetail – YouTube Channel
David Gruehn performance videos
Band Members:
Renee Paul (Epicor)-Lead Vocals,
Jake Sherard (Revionics)-Lead Guitar,
Marc Hafner (Revionics)-Rhythm Guitar,
Robert Fort (Guitar Center)-Keyboards,
David Gruehn (Microsoft)-Drums,
Tony Harder (tekServepos)-Bass,
Nikki Baird (RSR Research)-Backup Vocals,
Dave Weinand (RIS News)-Producer.