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| were quickly allayed. It turned out to be a terrific crowd, and by the end of the first set, we were all having a great time. I'd considered opening the first set with a new song, Pink Lemonade, but after some thought, I decided to scrap the tune completely. I turned instead to The Beauty Pool, which was marred by some technical difficulties (the guitar kept cutting out). I forget to switch on the new sound I'd concocted for Light Me Up, but I remembered to keep the tempo down and it came together nicely. Jeanne joined me for an upbeat version of So Lone, Angeline, and I offered up Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill for the second straight show. After Self-Portrait in Your Colors and Jim Infantino's She's Dead, I debated with the crowd over whether or not to play Angela's Carolina in My Mind request (she hadn't yet arrived). After deciding I would get credit one way or the other, I asked Jeanne to sing backup on the James Taylor classic, which I continued into Friend of the Devil. I'm a huge fan of the Dead, but I'd never covered them live, and I was very pleased with the result. Something Simple and Joking closed out the set, and I set about working the room, which was now fairly well full. I was surprised to see many old friends in attendance, including Marc Abramson and his cousin Dasi and Dave Janowski, the lead guitarist from my college band, Mad Buick, and current member of the Howlin' Thurstons. Everyone seemed to be having a nice time, and I was really looking forward to a full set with Dan and Jeanne. Dan and I kicked things off with a really satisfying version of Snapdragon, which is becoming a real strength for us. We kept the energy going with a fast-paced run through Damsel, with Jeanne adding some melodic backing vocals and Dan commenting with tasty licks throughout. We were a little apprehensive about playing I Wanna Be the One without Bill, so I put it to an audience vote. Much to my surprise, they chose the original over a Britney Spears sing-along, and we obliged with a leisurely but enjoyable version of the new tune. We took it slow. Before launching into Upper East Side, 10 a.m., I redubbed it Upper East Side, 10 p.m. - this is another of the new tunes that is really hitting its stride. I invited Charles up to help me out with The Jayhawks Save it For a Rainy Day, and he was solid as a rock despite some mic troubles. All of This Will Stay and There were their dependable selves and I really enjoyed playing them so late in the set for a change. Dan has been eager to have a go at Radiohead's Fake Plastic Trees, which had twice been a casualty to time contraints, first at Kenny's and then at Sidewalk. We finally squeezed it in, and I think it went over well, though it may be time to hang it up for a while. Britney Spears won out in the second audience vote, and we had some laughs with ...Baby, One More Time. I agreed to break out Monday Morning (last played at DTUT in September) for Jess and called it a night. I think this show has the makings of a turning point. I had more fun on stage than I've had in years, and the music is beginning to feel right again. I'm taking some time off while I await the results of the Match, but I'm looking forward to playing often this spring. There are some new songs in the works, and I hope to debut some of them for you in the near futurre. Catch you on the flip side! |
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| Michael Novick's Gig Diary |