21 Feb – 10 High (Atlanta, GA)
with Shannon Tanner, Amerigo Poppy
Right now it’s 10:30am and I’m coming to you live from the food court at Northlake Mall, where I wait for Sears to put four new tires on my car. I think I’ve pushed my current tires about as long as possible without a blowout on the freeway.
Last night was rough. Chris and I rehearsed three times over the past week or so, but two of them were complicated by my inability to sing with this cold. But he had the stuff pretty much nailed already, except for the ones he hadn’t really heard before. My voice was in and out all day, and I spent the time before the show drinking lukewarm water with lemon and hoping for luck.
For the show itself, I never really felt in sync with it. I think I’ve talked about it before, but sometimes I’ll play a show where I feel I’m a step or two behind mentally from what’s going on. Last night I suppose it’s no surprise I ended up feeling that way. I think my voice did better than I was afraid it would, though I know it failed me in a couple of spots. I had planned on a 45 minute set but with the rest of the benefit going on it got whittled down to about 30, which I was actually grateful for. I think the format itself (me with Chris playing a stripped down kit) works well, I just don’t think I had a very good show. Just a combination of the cold and some poor planning on my part. I haven’t played a straightforward acoustic show in a while, and forgot how careful I have to be about planning out the set and giving my hand a breather between difficult songs, so near the end of the set I was playing a little ham-fisted. But I’m looking forward to trying this setup again now that the first attempt is finally over.
I was thinking on the way home how, a year ago, a show like this would have been a huge deal for me, playing an acoustic set at 10 High, and I would have been really depressed afterwards. Now it’s just a blip. I know some of that is because I have a band together and know that the acoustic thing is more of a sideshow now. But I imagine it also has to do with feeling confident musically, even if I don’t want to have to admit it.
I also managed to get some good shmoozing in, I talked for a while with the soundman that’s in a band called the Bibles, and he’s been really complimentary to me over the past few months whenever I run into him. Last night he asked me if I’d be interested in doing some backing vocals for them when they record. I also talked with Russ T (he produced Alastor’s last EP, and a few others which hopefully I will remember to look up online before I post this), who I knew I’d met before, he used to run sound at the club and was there helping with one of the later band’s sound. He gave me his number and wants to come out to a show. I also got to talk a little more with the new booking person for the club, who at this point I cannot say enough good things about. I’ve only been to three or four shows there since the turnover, but she’s been at every single one, which just amazes me. Last night she told me now she could believe the hype (the soundman apparently had been talking me up to her). I think the fact that we played “Xanadu” won her over.
Finally, Chris was really good. I’m glad we set this up, and I’m looking forward to doing it again with less pressure.