Sharif finally gets a real piano on the new album. A baby grand, but a grand nonetheless. It’s amazing what a difference it makes, not just in the sound, but in his enthusiasm about the instrument. It really translates into the recording beautifully – “Speaking Louder Now” especially is just amazing.
I feel bad when we’re whirlwinding like this. People will ask me “so, where’d you play last night”, and I won’t even be able to pull the city’s name out of the top of my head. It’ll sit there on the tip of my tongue, and to some people it’ll make me look stupid, and to other people it makes me look arrogant (“Oh, well, you know… we’ve been to SOO many cities…”). But it’s not affected, I genuinely have trouble keeping it all straight.
Finally, a Dan Blakeslee poster of our very own!
We just left Whitney’s yesterday morning, right? Which means we were in Boston last night. And if we played in Boston that means we played the Lizard Lounge, and if we were playing the Lizard Lounge it must’ve been Monday.
Finally. Sorted out where I WAS. Now where am I? Woke up cold… could be anywhere… woke up in the dark… which narrows things down. DEFINITELY not Boston anymore, but any of my art school friends would have heavy black shades over their windows creating a pretty disorienting lack of night and day… footsteps upstairs means I’m DOWN stairs, and I’m pretty sure I’m on a couch.
Me eating Heather’s hand or something. It was kind of funny playing absolutely surrounded by the imagery of Dan. It lends a particular passion.
AND he got my Zentraedi and Beastmaster jokes!!!
I’m at the Space in Hamden, CT – home of the big silver mannequin that watches over me as I sleep. We rolled in just in time to do a quick sound check yesterday after staying in Cambridge long enough to catch “Pan’s Labyrinth” with Whitney. Beautiful movie, I dound it depressing. Heather says that’s because I’m cynical. Go see it. Decide for yourself. It’s well worth seeing – but falls into the category of “The Fountain” for me, as it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was good to see it with Whitney though, even though we didn’t have time to hang out and talk about it afterwards.
Danny and I wrapping cables after our show at the Blue Mermaid in Portsmouth, NH. I can’t really call him Danny, but his wife keeps calling him that, which is weird to hear, but I’m trying to get my earballs molded around the sound.
Yesterday was simply very harried – Heather and I got up and swiftly got out the door, hussling down to Harvard Square to eat eggs and Italian Wedding Soup for breakfast at a streetside cafe made up to look like a greenhouse. We finished just in time to meet Whitney. We finished the movie just in time to walk back to Cambridge. We got back to Cambridge just in time to load the car. We got out of Boston just in time to miss rush hour, and we got to Hamden just before we ran out of gas. We got to the Space just in time to get the last five minutes before doors open as a really good sound check, and the first five minutes after doors open as a kind of rushed sound check.
It was a really good night. I Love the people at the Space, and we got to meet up with Keren Lee again, who’s up in New England auditioning for bands. He played with us as one of the featured artists for the night (one of the TWO featured artists – the other guy, Rob Szabo from Canada, was really quite nice – there were a couple of songs that had me entranced – he can be a very powerful storyteller) and it was very cool to let the Spacians see us in a different format. The power trio set up can be pretty monstrous.
Everything outside was covered in ice in northern Massachusetts after waking up at Dan’s house. Thank goodness for a warm breakfast of eggs and potatoes and pancakes and sexy sausage.
Jacob Holler in the foreground, playing an absurd yet finely crafted song, with Ryan Fitzsimmons in the background adding tasteful guitar and smiling at the lyrics at AS220 in Providence, RI.
Will Schaff got an evil monkey for Christmas. Of course, I guess it’s not inherently evil, bt it has been used for evil – Will has the remote control and it watches me with its soulful eyes (says so on the package) as I mix a Live recording of Molotov Swell.
Battleship Cove outside of Providence, RI – a ghost ship and a ghost bridge looming out of the mists. We simply had to stop and admire, though my water fears loomed large in the mist and I had some trouble walking out on the boardwalk. I got some other pictures of the water and some ducks and then retreated back to the car. It was one of those rare, amazing mists that not only grey and blurred outlines, but made them fuzzy, softening lines in a kittenish, beautiful way. It was beautiful.
Unfortunately, as usual at the Space, we were plagued by technical difficulties. I don’t know what it is here – I Love the sound, I Love the people, we always get a sound check – but something ALWAYS goes wrong… last night there was some compressor issue on my guitar that distorted it on the last tune of the night (Drown). Aaron, the soundguy, who otherwise I was really, really impressed by, apologized for it later, but it sort of sucks that so far we have no night here unblemished by string breaks or technical faults.
Our friend John from back home sent us Sara 3 – a lot of new fans showed up – all in all a very good night, and we did very well financially as well (especially considering we were the SECOND feature of the night – people generally don’t like digging into their wallets a second time to tip people…).
Steve allowed us to crash at his fine, fine venue again, and Keren stayed with us – his presence simply increasing the impression of the Space as a New England Jozarts (minus the emotional highs and lows, I suppose). I think Keren beat us all to consciousness, and I’m sitting here typing, listening to “Mexican Moon” by Concrete Blonde, debating when I should throw on the overheads and get Heather moving.
It’s time to go to Radio Shack!!!
Entering Boston, which is kept obscured by Section 7.
Our friend Chris, who we met at AS220 – playing the open mic at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was a pretty amazing night fo talent…
