It’s been a hard week. Let’s not even bother talking about the world at large. Shootings and assassinations and failed government coups. That’s been crazy – but I’m retreating to the personal level, thinking about this week and my place in it. We’ve been playing loud and hard the whole week and this Saturday is a complete, full, utter day OFF. So far me and Mosno have sat and watched the original Clash of the Titans, Dark City… I know he’s got a gig and then later it’ll be time for Mr. Robot.. it’s good to be doing NOTHING.
Three gigs in a row and then racing home for Sunday – had a marvelous open mic at West Madison. I hope it’s the sign of what’s to come and not just a fluke, but we had also been a) celebrating our return from Pennsylvania, b) celebrating Kristen and my’s engagement (I know that’s not right grammar but it’s my DAY OFF!!!) and c) it was Kristen’s birthday – so it might’ve just been marvelous night because we were celebrating marvelous people.
Monday it was time for Teavolve’s open mic night. Another fun night, great music, great people – played ferociously and did a second late night set due to DEMANDS from the staff…. Good times had.
Tuesday was busy, but at least it was still a night off – Wednesday was when the grind REALLY started : playing outdoors at Barley and Hops in Frederick, MD – outdoors on a day that started at over a hundred degrees and only ever got down to the high 80s by the time we were wrapping up at 9pm. Very fun, we rocked our little hearts out in the setting sun.
Thursday? Thursday we played a couple MORE hours out in the setting sun. There’s nothing quite like heat and humidity to undermine one’s calluses and though we took breaks to jump in the fountain, two hours in the bright sunshine keeping the energy HIGH for an audience of kids and chaos was fun, but grueling. Grueling enough that when too many children were throwing water near our gear – after seeing their parents scold them half-heartedly once or twice it was time for me to say something and I probably could’ve been nicer about it. Still.. had the suspicion that if one of these kids threw a bucket of water on my board destroying it they weren’t going to cough up $2000 to replace and it and if we got electrocuted through our rig – well – it wouldn’t have mattered what the parents were going to contribute to our funerals…
Meh – exhausted, but having caught many a Pokemon (I even took a couple of minutes during one of our breaks to fight a 12-year old for control of the local Gym – I was slaughtered quickly and then had to learn about healing my pocket monsters…) I came home, expecting to sleep the sleep of the dead… you know the rest of THAT story…
And then on Friday, a four hour bar gig, outdoors, more Pokebattles during the break. By the time we were driving home from Broadlands, VA I felt sort of like I was ready to die, and by 2am I’d been conscious for 41 hours, and had only gotten 4 hours of sleep in the previous 24. Last night was some of the BEST sleep. Period. And today? Yeah – my fingers are roughed up, my body’s a little beat – sitting on the couch, typing and hal-heartedly watching television? That sounds just about perfect to me. Next week? Just my two open mics – the rest of the week will be a lot more chill. Recording time!
