Heather’s HOME! It’s a relief to have her. Last night we met up with one another at the Music Café in Damascus for their open mic night. It was the first time we’d been there, though I’ve been hearing about it for a while. A lot of the artists at the Haiti Benefit a couple of weeks ago really pointed to this place as a great place to play, and sure enough – a LOT of familiar names had posters on the walls. And not small names either. Artists that I respect had their names and faces plastered everywhich where with future dates and median covers.
Kristen and I got there first, as once again, snow began to fall. Damascus was picturesque in the grey and swirl of gentle flurries, but after a long, trafficky drive, it was really the smell of their kitchen that made everything better. Located next door to an animal hospital, I was vaguely afraid that the night was going to be accompanied by half-heard yelps and mews – but the venue was cozy with a good stage and decent sound system.
When Heather got there it was just such a relief to see her. It’s been about a month – which may actually be the second-longest time we’ve ever been separated. Certainly the most number of gigs I’ve played without her though. I was especially unnerved playing the Quarter without her. It was like the low-half of the band was missing. Well… the low-half of the band WAS missing. And the upper-half of my voice. And half of our setlist.
For as much as ilyAIMY is technically ME – the soul of it really is the two of us and well, as above, I was really glad to see her walk through the door.
However, our reunion was cut short by the host looking at his list and saying “REALLY?!” Apparently he’s been fans of ours for years online but had never actually seen us and was really excited to have us. (made us feel like rockstars)
We played, and we played well – though my throat’s been giving me some trouble and I was feeling under-aired – it was the first time Heather had encountered the electric cello – but I soon became aware of the fact that we were in very, very good company. A lot of the acts were professional-grade, with fantastic voices and some particularly amazing guitar-players. (I want to be a Kerry Disciple).
A lot of it was bass-driven and I certainly had no problem with that. Some good drummers came out of the woodwork, a good reggae act came out of nowhere. But really, the best part for me was admiring Kerry’s guitar playing. Banjo-influenced, making free use of pinch harmonics and tapping on his acoustic guitars, I watched wide-eyed, taking it all in. I don’t know where to begin, but I NEED what he’s GOT.
A good night – and a great way to welcome Heather home. (thank you Lady of the Highways, for her delivering her safely)
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