12 May – Eddie’s Attic (Atlanta, GA)
with Alastor, weaklazyliar
The entire show seemed to go off without a hitch, really. Alastor opened with an acoustic set. Actually, it was just Elizabeth and Scott (who used to be in Alastor), but I haven’t seen them play together since last September, so that was actually really good to see again.
Then we went on. I felt really relaxed last night, and I couldn’t even begin to explain why. We rehearsed just before the show, but we’ve done that plenty of times. Maybe it’s the room, because Eddie’s is an odd room to do an electric show in, a small stage, less intimidating, but we’ve done a show there before and I can’t recall feeling that at ease. But whatever the reason, my heart or my shoes, I just felt really good. One thing I have noticed… I have always felt that a good deal of the success I am having with recording and with band shows is having surrounded myself with people who are extremely talented. I know it’s what you’re supposed to do, but when you have my mentality it’s hard to shake the feeling that the credit lies largely with them, since I’m the same guy who shortly beforehand was just playing solo at Borders and feeling very despondent. But lately I have felt a bit more like I am a part of it as well, some sort of sense that my abilities are growing, too.
Of course, one bad acoustic show will crush that right back out of me. 🙂
weaklazyliar played last. I was sitting in back talking with people, and talking about how tight they are. I think I am getting repetitive about them, so I’ll try to just sum up: they really went out on a limb for this record, and I know it was a beast to get it done. But it really is amazing, and the fact that they’re keeping the arrangements for live shows is just great. I know it probably can be daunting at times, playing songs that are sparse and quiet like that in a club, but I think it works, and if I had stumbled on them out of nowhere I would have just been blown away. I sang backup on a couple of songs with them. I keep telling them I’d do it on everything if they’d let me but so far they haven’t taken me up on it.
They seemed to be enjoying themselves, I hope I’m right about that. It was a fun show to watch. After the main set they played some older songs, a couple of them with other people doing the vocals. Elizabeth came up and sang “Rocketpop” and I sang “Secondhand.” Then we all did “American Girl” and drank a lemon drop shot (which, by the way, was really disgusting. I don’t know what’s in it). Then there was an encore song and Elizabeth and I tried to do parts on it even though we weren’t really prepared, I think we did okay, she played some guitar and I tried to find a backing vocal part on the fly.
It occurs to me that the last time the three of us all played together was last September and I remember feeling really great afterwards, and that was even me just playing acoustic. Clearly we should do it more often. For my sake, if nothing else. These are two bands who I want to see succeed, who I think are amazing for so many different reasons.
On a side note, I saw what is pretty much the final design for my CD last night. We went through one design already, which had a lot of things about it that I liked, but some things that didn’t work for me. Then, with the Daemon Records thing happening suddenly, all the plans went into the air, but now that they’ve sort of landed we’re back with more or less the same design specs, so we went back to tweak the last design. They brought it to me last night (they being Lauren and Rama at goodsforyou.com) and I just love the damn thing. It’s right on the nose of the feel I have wanted for the CD since I first started planning it back when recording on Slumberland was wrapping up.
It feels like things are happening. It’s fleeting at times, and still I remain overly cautious, I suppose. But when my negative tendencies are tired or weak, I can almost sense momentum of some kind. But I’m trying not to jinx it.
I forgot to mention one thing… after our set, Michelle Malone came up to say hi. She missed the actual set, I think, but said she had heard a lot of great things about me, and was working with her manager to set up some opening spots, so I guess that may actually come to pass. I am assuming Linda has talked me up to her, which would make one more thing I owe her for.