Muhahahaha. Music on the Heights, with its managerie of animals (both stuffed and not), beautiful house-concert-worthy house and Loverly presenters was just – a JOY. I swear, there are audiences you work for and others that don’t care and others that are receptive… very rarely do you run across an audience that just seems to CLICK. Everything from finding the one other person I was able to have an intelligent Robotech conversation with to the joy of the dogs to the fact that there just happened to be a root beer left over at the end – it just felt like a night custom-made for us.
Carolyn, the woman who runs MotH (shame they never call it this) and I had booked this date nearly three years ago and the night had been canceled, moved, and lamented numerous times. Tonight felt HARD WON.
She’d also met Joey at one of her FIRST house concerts and had really encouraged me to bring him along. I was very, very wary of this because Joey, my friend Jillian and Jeff Miller (huh, what is it about Js and MotH?) had all remarked that it was a very small Living room – but Carolyn insisted that it would work and Joey himself swore up and down he’d be able to make it work – there was more space than I was expecting and honestly Joey outdid himself with playing tight riffs at lower volume.
Also, now I think I’m going to question any size estimate from anyone whose name begins with “j”.
And we ourselves were just in fine form. I know when I’m on, I know when I’m faking it, and I definitely know when I’m off. Tonight we were all our finest selves and, whether that was the space, the chemistry, the stuffed bobcat, the chocolate cookies, the joy or the people – or most likely a combination of all of the above – I should be able to capture that feeling of EXISTING and being FULLY present and yet also damned charming – of honesty and power – for every show. Most nights there’s some masking involved.
But tonight felt real. And we ended with my new song Good Enough – and damn I felt that intensely. Cause damn it – I’m good enough!
