May and June, Two Thousand Eight
It’s been a busy several weeks since my writing last graced (?) these pages.
It was noted in the May 2 entry that I wouldn’t be playing at Googies, above the Living Room in New York. Well, that afternoon I arrived in New York, checked my email, and there was a note asking if I was still interested in playing Saturday night. Of course I was! I made arrangements to borrow a guitar (thanks Sasha Zand!) and set to emailing as many New York folks as I could to let them know the show was on.
Backing up, Friday night’s Mother Hips show was fun, if a little disappointing. Their merchandise booth had copies of “Later Days,” a Hips album I’d been looking for for quite a while. Unfortunately Tim, the Hips’ lead singer, was sick so their set wasn’t as great as some I’d seen in the past. But that’s okay. Part of the fun of seeing live music is the spontaneity of it. If the lead singer is sick, odds are you’re seeing the band do things it wouldn’t normally do.
Saturday’s set at the Living Room was fun, if a little shaky (literally) at first. They had these tall stools on the stage, and I hate to sit on tall stool while I’m trying to play guitar. I always feel like I’m about to fall off; something echoed by a performer I saw last week. Anyway, I was up there trying to play, feeling nervous, and my leg, because of the position on this stool, would not stop shaking. After a couple of songs I made an adjustment and was fine for the rest of the night. Some friends came out, the room was fairly full – something not to be taken for granted by a basically unknown artist – and one table in particular was very supportive and vocal. It was a really fun night!
On May 14th I did a show here in the DC area at St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub in Alexandria. New York’s Matt Keating was the headliner. Matt is a veteran performer and songwriter and is releasing a new album this summer. Matt came with Jason Mercer on stand-up bass.
One of the cool things about the May 14th show was that I got to try out my new PA system. As a solo-acoustic performer, sometimes I play in places without sound systems and, in the past, I’ve had to pay for and make due with rentals. Now I have something nice to play through whenever I need it. Another cool thing about that show was that I got to hear Matt and Jason play though it so I know that it sounds really good.
As for my performance, tried a couple of new things. First, I did a couple new-ish tunes, “Days Don’t Last Forever” and “When I See The Light”. I’d debuted these in North Carolina in April, and it was nice to play them for some local friends. Second, I stood up for a show for the first time since I started performing again. That may sound like a minor thing, but it forced me to break out of my comfort zone and made me do something different. Basically it’s another color on my performance palate, one that I haven’t used for quite some time.
In early June it was time for the Pot Luck Conference, formerly Tape Op Conference, held down in New Orleans for the first time since Katrina. Every year at this conference producers and engineers and musicians get together and talk about how to make records. I run a panel on Home Recording and this year I had Nick Luca, Tracy Shedd, Chris George, Chris Gooseman, and Chris Stamey on the panel. As usual, I learned a bunch and had a great time. I’ve been going for so many years now that it’s like a sort of family reunion. I count as friends now some people who were behind some of my favorite records.
One of the great things about the conference is the live music. In the past I’ve been fortunate enough to be treated to a poolside performance by Calexico, DeVotchka, and John Vanderslice, as well as small club performances by J Mascis, Barbara Manning, Rebecca Gates (using my guitar!), Richmond Fontaine, Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3, Mitch Easter, American Music Club, Cracker, M. Ward, Jason Lytle, and several others. This year was no exception as we were treated to a fine show featuring (yep) the Blues Magoos, Chris Stamey & Mitch Easter (& friends), and Calexico, all appearing at New Orleans’ famous Tipitinas. A great time was had by all. Plans are already underway for next year. If you’re into recording or the technical side of music making, you owe it to yourself to come.
Since I’ve been back I’ve been playing at the Friday night open mic(-less) at the café downstairs from Politics & Prose, the great bookstore located on NW Connecticut. I think open mics are a great way to meet other musicians and to practice playing in front of an audience. And, truth be told, the crowds are often better at Open Mics than they are at regular shows.
Thanks to Dave Criddle for mentioning me on the Homemade Hit Show podcast. The HMHS is a show devoted to nothing but music recorded at home. Check it out on iTunes – there’s some great stuff being done out there.
I think I’ve covered everything and brought things up to date. I should have more news soon. Cheers!
It was noted in the May 2 entry that I wouldn’t be playing at Googies, above the Living Room in New York. Well, that afternoon I arrived in New York, checked my email, and there was a note asking if I was still interested in playing Saturday night. Of course I was! I made arrangements to borrow a guitar (thanks Sasha Zand!) and set to emailing as many New York folks as I could to let them know the show was on.
Backing up, Friday night’s Mother Hips show was fun, if a little disappointing. Their merchandise booth had copies of “Later Days,” a Hips album I’d been looking for for quite a while. Unfortunately Tim, the Hips’ lead singer, was sick so their set wasn’t as great as some I’d seen in the past. But that’s okay. Part of the fun of seeing live music is the spontaneity of it. If the lead singer is sick, odds are you’re seeing the band do things it wouldn’t normally do.
Saturday’s set at the Living Room was fun, if a little shaky (literally) at first. They had these tall stools on the stage, and I hate to sit on tall stool while I’m trying to play guitar. I always feel like I’m about to fall off; something echoed by a performer I saw last week. Anyway, I was up there trying to play, feeling nervous, and my leg, because of the position on this stool, would not stop shaking. After a couple of songs I made an adjustment and was fine for the rest of the night. Some friends came out, the room was fairly full – something not to be taken for granted by a basically unknown artist – and one table in particular was very supportive and vocal. It was a really fun night!
On May 14th I did a show here in the DC area at St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub in Alexandria. New York’s Matt Keating was the headliner. Matt is a veteran performer and songwriter and is releasing a new album this summer. Matt came with Jason Mercer on stand-up bass.
One of the cool things about the May 14th show was that I got to try out my new PA system. As a solo-acoustic performer, sometimes I play in places without sound systems and, in the past, I’ve had to pay for and make due with rentals. Now I have something nice to play through whenever I need it. Another cool thing about that show was that I got to hear Matt and Jason play though it so I know that it sounds really good.
As for my performance, tried a couple of new things. First, I did a couple new-ish tunes, “Days Don’t Last Forever” and “When I See The Light”. I’d debuted these in North Carolina in April, and it was nice to play them for some local friends. Second, I stood up for a show for the first time since I started performing again. That may sound like a minor thing, but it forced me to break out of my comfort zone and made me do something different. Basically it’s another color on my performance palate, one that I haven’t used for quite some time.
In early June it was time for the Pot Luck Conference, formerly Tape Op Conference, held down in New Orleans for the first time since Katrina. Every year at this conference producers and engineers and musicians get together and talk about how to make records. I run a panel on Home Recording and this year I had Nick Luca, Tracy Shedd, Chris George, Chris Gooseman, and Chris Stamey on the panel. As usual, I learned a bunch and had a great time. I’ve been going for so many years now that it’s like a sort of family reunion. I count as friends now some people who were behind some of my favorite records.
One of the great things about the conference is the live music. In the past I’ve been fortunate enough to be treated to a poolside performance by Calexico, DeVotchka, and John Vanderslice, as well as small club performances by J Mascis, Barbara Manning, Rebecca Gates (using my guitar!), Richmond Fontaine, Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3, Mitch Easter, American Music Club, Cracker, M. Ward, Jason Lytle, and several others. This year was no exception as we were treated to a fine show featuring (yep) the Blues Magoos, Chris Stamey & Mitch Easter (& friends), and Calexico, all appearing at New Orleans’ famous Tipitinas. A great time was had by all. Plans are already underway for next year. If you’re into recording or the technical side of music making, you owe it to yourself to come.
Since I’ve been back I’ve been playing at the Friday night open mic(-less) at the café downstairs from Politics & Prose, the great bookstore located on NW Connecticut. I think open mics are a great way to meet other musicians and to practice playing in front of an audience. And, truth be told, the crowds are often better at Open Mics than they are at regular shows.
Thanks to Dave Criddle for mentioning me on the Homemade Hit Show podcast. The HMHS is a show devoted to nothing but music recorded at home. Check it out on iTunes – there’s some great stuff being done out there.
I think I’ve covered everything and brought things up to date. I should have more news soon. Cheers!
posted by Rob Christensen | 4:05 PM
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