Monday is of course open mic night. At Teavolve this week we had an absolutely packed night AND Rowan came up! Gino Abellanosa popped up (it seems like forever) a guy in the back named Black Acoustic decided he needed to jump on the list after seeing my black acoustic.
Rowan Corbett at Teavolve in Baltimore. 
I’ve missed Gino! Black Acoustic at the Teavolve open mic.
Wednesday afternoon we played at Montgomery College. Last time we were here we sort of mostly got ignored as people rushed between classes, but this time they put us in a frankly much SMARTER location and we were quite surprised at the enthusiastic response. Pros : college students enthusiastically signing on to the mailing list! Cons: spectacularly racist and homophobic commentary espoused by a kid at one of the front tables. He left once we started playing, but as we were setting up we were treated to “I don’t get gay n*****s, I mean, I wouldn’t go gay bashing or nothing – I guess it’d be a good thing cause it means more black bitches for ME – but I don’t LIKE black bitches!”
Yeah.Â
Keep it classy.
After that as our kick off I lamented the possibility of enjoying ourselves here, but again – the rest of the students were really into it and had a good time.
Friday night we performed at the 8×10. I have a LOT of affection for this place, and we were fortunate enough to be invited to perform there a couple of months ago.Â
UNfortunately – we were invited to perform on a bluegrass night (have you HEARD us?) which is regularly on third Thursdays but this ONE TIME was going to be on the FOURTH Thursday – I mean, our fans weren’t coming out to pay a ticket price to see just a couple of songs from us plus a bunch of bluegrass bands (in hindsight – it was MOSTLY jam bands anywho!) at a venue where you can’t sit down anywhere NO MATTER how good the sound is (possibly the best in the city) or how springloaded the dancefloor is (possibly the springloadiest in the city)…
And they did NOT disappoint, those fans of ours… the night was dead and ilyAIMY did their part to ensure this with a draw that I could count on the fingers on one hand without having to use anything opposable.
We were discouraged. We were sad, The owner came up and I told her to just give our ticket proceeds to the touring act and she was just… really really flattering. She talked about how amazing we were and how we just did that THING that so few bands could do : we just played REALLY FUCKING GOOD MUSIC. She said she had another band that she’d like us to open for – I explained that our fan base probably was never going to perk up to the place and she said that that was fine – she’s put us in front of people WHO do come to her place…
I took it with a grain of salt – but tonight that show finally came to pass and … well frankly it’s the first time I’ve felt believed-in by anyone in the industry in a very, very long time.
We opened for a Grateful Dead cover band called Better Off Dead and everything our friend Susan has been telling us about this community for YEARS was dead on (haha).
OUR fans rolled as expected (e.g. elsewhere) but THEIR fans LOVED US. We spent a beautiful night playing to them and then listening to B.O.D., hanging out on the roof and generally enjoying ourselves.
I really, really, really needed this.
Getting set up at 8×10 in Federal Hill. Better Off Dead being amazing. Thank you Brennan! We on da roof. ilyAIMY all up in the 8×10. Here’s some joy – what a beautiful place to take in the Baltimore night. aaaAAAAaaand we’re done!
Saturday one of the weirder formations of ilyAIMY performing at the Catonsville Festivus celebration – a local fundraiser for the local trails and parks.
Cause I haven’t played with EITHER of these guys in FOREVER – and everyone else can’t come!!! Took Joey cat hunting at the local asylum, like you do. AND back at Festivus – Sharif’s new kid : Finn’s FIRST ilyAIMY experience!
Sunday : New Deal Cafe for a Ben Jealous (Maryland Democrat for Governor) fundraiser. I will probably token vote in his direction even though the incumbent is a) not totally fucking up and b) is so far ahead it practically doesn’t matter – but I WAS pretty disappointed listening to him speak. However – his running mate Susan Turnbull spoke less like a politician and more like someone with ideas… ideas that she had SOME idea of how to implement.
You know? Scratch the above. Not an unenthusiastic token vote. I’m votin’ for Turbull.
Ben Jealous speaking at the New Deal Cafe in Greenbelt, MD.
