Two different shows. Two VERY different shows.
Friday night we were back at the New Deal Café in Greenbelt, MD. We were a full band, we were LOUD (possibly the loudest stage volume I feel like we’ve been at for a while, it was actually a little oppressive) and people danced and frolicked and weren’t very chill at all. I was sloppy. Sound was rough (for being the place that introduced me to my favourite ever board, it’s generally a little chaotic-sounding there). It was quite a night.
We felt like we had a LOT to say so we nixed our usual format: no opening act Friday night. We dropped three 45 minute sets in favour of 2 80 minute sets, cutting out one of the breaks, and cutting that last break short. God damn we had a lot to say, I just wish we’d said it better. Spring meandered. I lost some lyrics on a couple of songs, I’m sure… and God knows my head was in Take It Down when it SHOULD’VE been all up in the Ask For Me.
I need to practice my public speaking, my introductions need the be better thought out. In the bar scene where it doesn’t matter what I say, I’ve gotten lackadaisical about my stage banter, assuming it’ll just come when called, when actually the organs are rusted from disuse. Frankly, we’ve not been on the road much and that’s where the banter comes out to play.
Great show. Great photographs from Chip Py. Great hang with the band in the parking lot afterwards. Hugs all around, drive home and watch nothing on television with Cinnamon Toast Crunch on one side and Kristen on the other. Repeat till sleep.
Saturday night was the opposite. Small crowd. Carefully balanced sound. Chill. Playing sitting down even. Singer/songwriter triumvirate with Mike Duck from Bethlehem, PA and Kosi from New York City. I’m not sure how make these into bigger affairs. I was frustrated that there weren’t a lot of people to witness, but it was sure as Hell better than the last one!
Solid performances by all – I was absolutely shocked to realize that Mike (“Not For Coltrane”) had STUDIED for the show! Like… he had PARTS for Baliset and Elephant Joke and it was kind of awesome. We jammed on Kosi’s stuff, I soloed aggressively on Mike’s stuff, Kosi sang on our stuff. It was a good cross-pollination and Kosi crashed with us last night so we got a lot of fun bonding time in too.
Autumn is truly all up in our shit, yo. By now we’re rounding the DC Beltway having just dropped Kosi off at the train station. She’ll head south into t he city as we make our way West around the city, and the wind is pushing the car around pretty enthusiastically. Leaves are making maddened paths across the highways and rattling against the windshield, red and brown and dead against a brilliant blue sky.
Racing at speed to a cousin’s house for a Pre-Thanksgiving celebration full of food and cautious conversation (“I THINK it’s okay to talk politics?”), I’ll be re-engaging my mental filter in t-minus…
