Tag: Gentle Readers

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3 Feb: Atlanta

3 Feb – Eddie’s Attic (Atlanta, GA)
with Cowboy Envy, Gentle Readers, Susi French Connection, Michelle Malone, STB, Kate Simpkins

We rehearsed on January 19, and we rehearsed just before the show. This is a mark of both how good my backing band is and how difficult it is to get into a rhythm with them because scheduling rehearsals can be so difficult. We rehearse at Rob’s studio, and the sound is good, except that I really can’t hear my vocals when we rehearse, so I have to really belt it out. By the time rehearsal is done, my voice is usually shot. That clearly is a bad thing if I then am supposed to go play a show.

While I was driving to the club, I got a call and apparently Susi French Connection had intended for me to reprise my role (singing “The Air That I Breathe”) in their set from the last show. I wasn’t aware of it, and they were already into their set at the club (and asking for me, apparently, which is why I got a frantic phone call). There wasn’t much I could do other than keep driving there. I ran through the song in the car, and couldn’t hit the highest parts to save my life. When I arrived I rushed up the stairs, two guitars in hand, and could hear they were already playing the song. I walked in and they saw me from the stage and waved me up. I went up and received a cheer as I was walking up, so they must have mentioned more than once that I wasn’t there yet, it was sort of funny. So I sang a winded version of the rest of the song, and still didn’t nail the high parts, though not as badly as in the car.

A quick synopsis: I missed Cowboy Envy and Gentle Readers. Saw one more song by Susi French. Saw Michelle Malone (who I haven’t seen since the eighties. She appeared just before she played and was gone the moment she was done). Saw STB. We played. Saw Kate Simpkins.

It was heady company.

Our set went well, though I had my moments with my voice. The songs actually sounded fairly tight, the bonus of rehearsing just beforehand, but also they’re starting to become locked in memory. I was surprised by how well some of them turned out. We had a heckler yelling for Journey songs, quickly verbally dispatched by Rob to the amusement of the crowd. I tried to appear more comfortable on stage, which hopefully came across. But how the hell would I know?

Lee from Gentle Readers ran up and hugged me just after we finished and said she loved me. Linda (also from Gentle Readers, and the host for the evening) told the crowd she’d switch teams for me.

They can both submit requests in writing to have these comments removed from this post. But I do love them Gentle Readers. And, while I’m at it, I think STB kicks my ass. And I think that Kate Simpkins is absolutely amazing and you should go see her if you can. You should go see them all, and me. We’re all very poor!

The End.

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9 Nov: Atlanta

If Coffeehouse (Atlanta, GA)
w/ Kate Simpkins, Eva Sotus

This was a good weekend for feeling like a musician.

Friday’s show went well. More amazement at hearing Kate play. She and Eric are really good, and I’m glad a lot of the people who came to see me got to see her, too. I sang with them on a couple of songs, our voices seem to blend well, though I wasn’t sure how well my choices went, but it seemed to work. Actually rehearsing (rather than coming up with ideas in my car singing along with her CD) would probably be a good plan, but we didn’t have the time for it before this show. When I came up afterward, she had to leave but really wanted to sing along with “Forget the Forget,” which I hadn’t planned on playing, but, who am I to turn down the chance to hear her singing along, so off we went, and she did an amazing job, I thought.

I played a set, and after writing these lately I’m not sure what to say about it specifically. The in-between banter was okay, a quiet crowd is always tough to work off of, but it seemed to go well and they got somewhat more responsive to my endless self-deprecation toward the end. I suppose dancing like a monkey has that effect on people. I kept getting told afterward that I had been really “on” and I certainly didn’t feel very “on” but I suppose there are those who will tell you that I never do.

There was a lot of lingering after the show, which is always good, getting to talk to people afterward. If you’ve got the time to kill and the patience always feel free to stay after a show and talk. My ego is so needy, people, you should really make use of it.

Saturday rolls around and it’s time to rehearse with the Million Box. Normally I wouldn’t bore you with the details except that it was part of an entire schedule of events this weekend. We don’t rehearse again, sadly, until the day of the show (Nov 29) and that’s a little frustrating, but it’s just trying to work within everyone’s schedules. It’s the tradeoff I decided was worth it, and this is the price I pay for it. Whether it becomes a price I grow unable to deal with is hard to say. But rehearsal is good, nonetheless, with the extra bonus of suddenly deciding to stick a hidden track on the upcoming CD. It will actually work out well, since the song is pretty upbeat and pop, and the way the CD ends (very darkly) it’ll be a nice counterpoint.

Saturday night I head down to the Hard Rock where weaklazyliar are playing. Hop up on stage to do backing vocals for them on “Snow.” They played a great set, given the weird acoustics of the place from the stage they give no sign that it affects them at all. A really strong set, and they seem to be getting much stronger overall. I love watching that. Gentle Readers played next, and played a number of songs I hadn’t heard them do before. Talked with them after the show and they want me to open for them at Eddie’s on Dec 20 (which I agreed to immediately, even though I have a show there 3 days later, but I don’t care and neither did they). Chances are I’ll do a song with them (they’re playing in their seventies cover band incarnation the Susi French Connection) during their set.

I thought that was the end of the weekend, and planned on writing this Sunday night, but Sunday morning I get a call from Rob asking me if I can stop by the studio later that day to track some backing vocals for Lithp. I end up going there around 8pm, Josh is recording a Christmas song and I do some high backing vocals and some hand claps.

Twice this weekend I have referred to myself as a “vocal whore.” I really would love to be able to supplement myself by doing vocals for people, it’s something I enjoy and I seem to be relatively good at it (quick, if nothing else). I just have no idea how you go about doing that kind of work, short of what I’m doing now, which is that I’ve been around Rob long enough that he knows me and brings me in when it comes up, and that I meet other bands and let them know that I’d be happy to work with them if they ever need it.

Anyway, there’s my busy (musically speaking) weekend. I can’t say I’ve had one like that in a long time, if ever.

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30 Sep: Atlanta

Benefit for Oakhurst Recovery Program (Atlanta, GA)
solo w/ Sue Witty, Dave Dault, Emily Saliers, Gerard McHugh and the Crafties, Gentle Readers

I don’t want to become repetitive, so if you were to start avoiding these show reports I can’t say I’d blame you.

But this was another good night. I admit, I’m still not crazy about playing acoustic, I never really hit any sense of comfort when I do it, and I never really feel like I handle the dynamics of it like I want to. When I rehearse I’m much more subtle, I think, than when I play live and I tend to clutch the guitar harder and play with less flair. That said, it was a good show. There was a crowd of 200 people or so and they were all into the show and very enthusiastic. Playing acoustic shows can be depressing at times, playing for small crowds who aren’t listening, so it was a good feeling having that kind of response and made it very easy to play off the crowd in between songs. I can be funny on stage, but it’s damn hard when no one’s reacting. As usual, I can’t recall anything I said during the show today. That’s pretty typical.

From a personal standpoint I didn’t really commit many errors, and the ones I did have went unnoticed, I think. And my voice held out all night, which always makes me happy. It’s always the guitar playing I dread, it’s the thing I don’t feel confident in and have to think about constantly. Singing just feels good, though, for the most part and I almost always enjoy it.

My one complaint toward myself is that I wish I were more able to join in when others are playing. I can’t think as fast on my feet as I’d like vocally. And as far as guitar goes I’m nearly incapable of jumping in and improvising like that. The first part of the show was a “writers-in-the-round” format with myself, Sue and Dave Dault. I’ve played with Sue before but had only heard of Dave. Both of them are extremely good at the acoustic thing, and they had played together before and were familiar with each other’s stuff. So there was a lot of interplay between them on their songs while I sort of tried to slide off to the side a bit so I didn’t look like a big goof. Sue did play Radiohead’s “Creep” and I did the extremely high bit near the end of the song, and that seemed to generate a lot of applause and they made me do it again at the end of the song.

Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls) played a short set after us, with the band they’re currently using in the studio. The drummer played something which I have tried to look up online to name but haven’t had any luck. It was basically one long floor tom with a pedal that hit the bottom of it lick a kick drum and he played at the top with a set of brushes. He had a hi-hat and two small crashes and he was amazing. I used to always say if you can’t say it with a 4-pc kit you should really shut up, but I may have to edit it even more. He was unbelievable.

I’d never seen Gerard and his band before, either, and they were a lot more retro-pop than the stuff I’ve heard from him before and were very tight. Candi Jiosne in is his band, I know her peripherally, she was a victim in Radiant City’s last abortive recording sessions. I doubt she knew who I was, though. And I have extolled the Gentle Readers here before, but I will reiterate that every time I see them lately I’m blown away. They’re one of the few bands Radiant City played with that are still around, and they have become so much stronger, adept and subtle. It can be rare to actually get to see a local band develop because they so rarely last that long (it’s one reason putting out a second CD is so important to me), but they are just incredible.

The show was a lot like the previous show at Eddie’s, too, in that there was a lot of interaction between the musicians, and whenever that happens it always feels good and actually makes me feel as if I’m in the “scene.” It sounds so stupid, but what can I say?

Sold CDs, a page and a half of new signups, not a bad night.

Back to the studio on Tuesday. More soon.