PM @ MarVell Event Center, Durham, NC
This was an interesting show and something we really haven’t been a part of before. It was a benefit show for a local magazine and also part birthday party for the sound guy/show booker Justin. A free show! Before the bands started they played 5 short films about various subjects (I think there was one about the Black Panthers) and I only caught the last one, which was about how love is revolutionary and anti-capitalist and other crap like that. Love wins over all! Love is anarchy! Whatever. I thought the premise for the film was pretty lame and the supporting argument was really weak. The filmmaker didn’t make a good case for their idea, I thought. I did like the part where the chick got shot in her car, in the neck with blood gushing out everywhere, and she still managed to call her husband…but he sadly never picked up the phone because he was too busy working in his cubicle (with a frame picture of President Bush on the wall!) to hear the phone. And she died, and it was SO SAD. Actually, it was totally hilarious and I was laughing loudly. I think the only one in the place laughing at that part. Anyway, bad film.
The Durham Ukulele Orchestra opened the show and they were pretty good. Lots of fun and they did good versions of a wide range of cover songs. The audience was super quiet and completely paying attention to them (justifiably), but once they ended the conversation at the bar went up to 11 and it never decreased one bit while we were playing. I’d guess that there were 10-15 people who were actually listening to us. So, if you’re reading and you were listening to us…THANK YOU! We appreciate people who actually pay attention rather than talk loudly at the bar.
Let’s see, the set was: Abused’s Song, The Storm, 10K, Surrounded By Trees & Lady Pilot. As usual at the MarVell, the stage was super duper hot and I was dripping sweat everywhere by the time Surrounded rolled around. The heat, whatever, you deal. The loudness was a bit frustrating, esp. during The Storm where I couldn’t hear Jenn’s guitar too well and we got off rhythm. Otherwise, while I was playing my thoughts on the “talkers” were just to not worry about it. Just have fun and play well for the people who ARE listening. I thought most of the songs went well. Minor timing issues in Storm and a sloppy solo in 10K, but mostly they were solid. Abused’s was solid, I liked that one. Surrounded…holy crap, I screwed the pooch on that one. I missed a ton of notes. My problem with that one especially is that I don’t practice it standing up (yes, you’ve heard this before) and playing it standing up at a gig doesn’t work for me. I have to rely on my eyes, rather than my hands, and the lights combining with the shadows on the strings messed me up a couple of times. I just couldn’t see what I was doing. The only fix for that is to just not look! Even with all of my mess ups, I thought the rest of the song went well enough. When we were on, it sounded good.
Lady Pilot was the closer and it got a bit more emotion and energy than it normally might because I was pissed off about my performance in Surrounded so I went with a general “balls out” attitude for it and that really worked. I thought it sounded great. I really loved my improv and then Jenn tore the damn roof off during her vocal bit. She’s *never* sung it like that. Absolutely awesome.
I thought she did great for the whole show. Her guitar playing was solid and her vocals sounded great, with no assistance from lyrics on a music stand. We still have a lot of tightening up to do, and a drummer is needed for us, but mostly it was a good show. Frustrating at times, but for our part I thought it was fun. A really important point for me - I think I’m over all of the “being nervous” crap. I was a bit nervous about 20-30 minutes before we started, but once I got up there to set up the gear everything was gone and didn’t show up once during the show. It appears to be over, thank goodness. I was getting quite tired of it.
No shows currently lined up, so my focus is on writing new material and finding us a drummer.
NP: Frank Zappa - Easy Meat
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