I’m still not 100% and that’s frustrating to an extreme. I actually have the gravel that I ENJOY from my sick voice, and most of my breath, and I really Loved the feel and sound of my voice at the Royal Bean last night, but I was horribly aware of the nasal congestion and the fogginess that comes with a strong decongestant – and today both Heather and I are paying the price for our exertions last night. We both have grit to our speaking voices and need a nice Sunday off.
Last night’s show at the Royal Bean in Raleigh, NC was a LOT of fun. We had a tiny little crowd but unlike a LOT of tiny crowds these all sat up close and we made ourselves a nice little ilyFamily. We sold a good number of CDs (one of the GOOD things about being away for so long is people’s collections all shelved off at Fifth Circle [!]) and drank smoothies and even hung out with friends afterwards! We NEVER have the energy or inclination to do that!
When we’d first arrived at Royal Bean, the bar next door was having an Earth Day party, the parking lot was full and the band next door was loud enough to make us fear that we weren’t going to be able to play at all… but after chatting with the manager from the bar, we went on a little late, they got off a little early and everyone came away happy.
Heather had snuck over after a particularly awesome version of Bill Withers’ “Use Me” and left a note on the keyboard players piano saying that they should drop by after their set – and they did! I didn’t know until later that the harmonica player was one of the guys in the audience – I should have invited him up to jam with us because, if what I was hearing through the wall was any indication, the guy was an absolutely killer harp player…
So it feels good to be back in North Carolina. Despite the heat and the humidity of the past two days, Sunday finds us cooler and moister – and sure enough all the locals are running around in sweatshirts complaining about the freezing temperatures. Sigh. Sixty-five degrees and drizzle. It’s delicious outside!
Random thought – as Louis Armstrong comes on the speakers of the coffeehouse we’re inhabiting… what do you think HE sounded like with a cold? Holy crap.
