It’s been a really lush week of playing while surrounded by visual art. The past several days at Julie and Ty’s in Asheville surrounded not just by their work but by the collection of (literally) two lifetimes. Skulls and bugs and pots and paintings. Birds and sketches and two iguanas and every moment something new. Leaving Asheville didn’t mean leaving art. Last night we played in a woman’s home-turned-gallery – Suzanne – the artist and owner, apparently used to Live illegally in her art gallery, and now runs an art gallery illegally out of her home, so it’s all good. I certainly did NOT realize at first that all the work was hers as the paintings seemed to wander from style to style somewhat with some very finely realized in an almost classical style, others in a more vibrant, expressionistic style with brush marks and scrawl marks fully-visible.
Our new friend Tanya Allen was at the show at Suzanne’s Gallery taking photographs…
art art art… 
Beyond being an AMAZING member of the audience, Monique was singing with Topher tonight! 
Our host (and the artist behind most everything around us) Suzanne.
A fun night with friends (Topher!) 
Topher James and the Biscuettes.
Again, thanks to Tanya Allen for the above shots.
The house concert itself was ill-attended. Whether that was the threatening storm (promised but never delivered) or the rain or the Thursday night, when we showed up we looked at the bright side of the intensely-crowded space : that it wouldn’t take much to make the place look full – and then the place never came close to looking full.
And yet it was probably one of our best performances ever. I’m worried that this is becoming almost a psychosis with me. Contrarily giving my best performances to practically-empty rooms as if to passive-aggressively rub it in that people have missed something spectacular – except only the people in the room ever know so maybe I should look at it the other way around as if I’m really, really understanding that the deck was stacked against ANY audience being here at all and it’s my responsibility to reward them hugely…
Something like that.
Unfortunately, we don’t get to spend much of ANY time in Columbus this time around. We’re staying well outside of the city limits, and after a stop at one of the only late-night food joints in the area we retire well-fed and if not happy, then at least physically exhausted.
In the morning we’re off to Findlay!
