Hallows’ Mess!

Wow, wow and wow. I just had to write an entry here reacting to last night’s show. First of all, would someone please get Risa and James some capes, because they were like super heroes last night. Now I know that it’s a rule when using technology in a show that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. For that very reason, I make it a rule to bring more than I need when I’m playing, which allows for improvisation and last minute rigging, but at one point during sound check last night, I really thought that this would be the one time that things just didn’t work out. Risa, radiating calmness and faith in the way the universe works, was making calls trying to fix one situation with this confidence that, if I didn’t know her, would have irked me. I’m pretty irk-able when technology decides to show me who’s boss. It was as if she was watching a movie that she had already seen (in way, I guess she’s seen this all happen many times) but didn’t want to ruin the ending for me. James, in light of very ugly sounds coming out of my mixing board, was very clear thinking - trying many different solutions to the myriad of problems I presented him with (hey, you try to stay calm with loud abrasive static & fuzz screaming out of a PA system and see how easy it is) and finally, making everything sound golden. And so, as always - though my faith was really shaken about this belief last night- things worked out just fine. Ah - the power of improvisation and good people!

Now, forget about the fact that there were (for me, at least) severe technical difficulties. Last night’s show was marvelous. That was one thing I wasn’t doubting at all - I knew that the performers would be great, and the audience equally so. But besides the quality of acts and patrons, there were several special moments. First of all, it was a really amazing experience for me to play a show with two family members. Though I couldn’t see most of it, I thought my sister, Melissa, did a wonderful job choreographing her numbers to the music and the projections - and as Will Ferrell (as Bruce Dickenson) would say: “She really explored the space” - dancing from the front of the stage all the way to the back of the room. Of course, playing a song with my father is always a very meaningful occasion … he’s the man who got me into good music, the man who first played Charlie Parker for me, the man who I used to listen to at BBQ’s jamming on his harmonica with some of his guitar playing buddies. Not only was it a family affair, but also a reunion of sorts for Omari Newton and I (Omari, who played in Kobayashi with me a while back was back on the mic and sounding great). And let us not forget that it was a birthday evening. At the stroke of midnight, the DJ who played with me, Andrew Kushnir, turned 18! Lots of good vibes in the room.

I’m often too distracted before and after I play to really enjoy other acts … but the folks doin’ their stuff last night were impossible to be distracted from. In light of all the stress I had had during sound check, I didn’t know what I needed more, a laugh or a beer. I got both. John Hastings made me laugh (actually out loud, which is somewhat rare) and helped me forget the previous stress. The amazing Todd was exactly that. Me And Mary Jane was an unexpected treat. Unexpected because I didn’t know who it was that was playing under that moniker - but it was so great to see Luca - OOPS!, I mean Kurt Cobain playing … hadn’t heard him in a while. The Hallowe’en aspect of seeing a dead rock star on stage was neat, but tunes didn’t need a gimmick - they stood on their own, which is so important. I really dug both of The Fabulous Miss Vigneault’s routines, though I saw the second one much more clearly. I love the fact that both characters were so different from each other. Oh, and upright bass makes everything better. Everything. Seriously, everything. What can one say about Dom Castelli? All I know is, I now want to join a marching band. It was great to hear more hip hop from More Or Les… wicked flows, great subject matter. Oh yeah and the costume! And finally, It’s A Living Thing … the people who stuck around to hear them play got a treat… really interesting tunes and sounds, and honestly, they sounded like a band with more than 4 people. They did a lot with 8 hands, and it sounded sweet. So, if they already sounded like more than 4, imagine the beautifully chaotic sounds emerging when they invited anyone who wanted to (which I thing ended up being everyone) to get on stage. Two words: Ray Bradbury. Yeah, those who were there know what I’m talkin’ bout.

I got very little sleep, but my 6:30 alarm found me feeling more positive than I usually do at that ungodly hour. Despite my hangover (come on! a bandmate turned 18 last night, do ya blame me for imbibing?) I walked to work with a smile on my face knowing that last night, I was a part of something special.