Don’s Gig Journal

Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Red Light Cafe Open Mic
Atlanta, GA

So this was my 2nd appearance at the Red Light since I moved back to town. What I’m re-learning that I loved so much about Open Mics is that not only do you start to get to know faces and vice versa but every week there is a new built in crowd. New faces of people just there to hear some local talent. They pay 3 bucks, sit down, have a beer and hang all night just hearing what’s going on. What a great thing. It’s something that I feel I took for granted when I was doing it all those years ago and now, I’ve grown to really appreciate it.

My set last night was great fun. Earlier in the day I had a really awesome phone conversation with Bert Wray and it really livened me up and made me feel inspired. There’s something about talking to a good friend that makes everything just feel good ya know? I felt inspired going into the Red Light last night and immediately kicked it off w/ The Rain for my old friend. I felt a bit shakey on this one because right after I kicked into it, I realized “Hey, I can’t slop through this like when I was in the band”. It’s like I said before, I felt like that while I LOVED being in a band, sometimes I felt like I could get away with being a bit sloppy because I had all the other instruments to cover it up and make it sound full but when it’s just me, I can’t be THAT sloppy so right away, I was a bit tense and aware. I doubt anyone could really tell but I could feel it a bit. I loosened up A LOT going into “Impossiblities” and everyone really seemed to enjoy that one. That’s one of those songs on my long “I forgot how much I liked this one” list. It’s a fun song to play and sing. I closed out my set with “Back To When” and you could hear a pin drop. I LOVE that feeling. The feeling of knowing that you have captured everyone’s attention and they are completely focused on what you’re singing and playing. It was also really great to play that song again the way that it was originally intended to be performed. It’s a very contemplative number and I always felt that it was stripped of it’s emotion a bit when performed in a band setting. It was a nice way to reconnect with this one.

I had a great chat with the host Mike (at least I hope that’s his name) before I left and it was a great conversation. I really felt a kind connection with him. We talked about music, John Madden and Danny Kahn who are no longer with us and he even mentioned to me that I reminded him a lot of Neil Young. Talk about a HUGE compliment. I really enjoyed my time with him and I hope to have many more like that. What a great way to get aquainted with someone new and get re-aquainted with myself. This is a great experience.