Saturday, March 12, 2011
Jessee’s Coffee Shop & Bar
Carrboro, NC
Who said “You can never go back” obviously wasn’t at Jessee’s in Carrboro. I’ll be honest and say that I really had no huge ideas or expectations for this show. My only expectation was to share a night of music with my dear friends Something Candid and maybe a few friends who would be in attendance. What I got on this night was far beyond my expectations. Jessee’s was packed wall to wall with people and it was standing room only! WOW! Just WOW!!!! I saw some great old friends not seen in a while and made some new friends as well courtesy of Something Candid. My adrenaline was pumping at maximum and trying to get my focus to perform was a bit harder than usual.
Around 8:30 I finally found my focus, approached the mic and the audience was so attentive and quiet I could hear a pin drop. I addressed the room and opened with “Lying In Our Bed” which seemed to be a great way to open. This is the point of a performance that I call the blackout phase. From this point I literally go into a somewhat of a meditative state. Call it cheesy if you want but I think that many performers can attest to this. It’s almost as if the music and songs just take over. This is a great feeling though but it makes it hard for me to really accurately recount all that happened. This is why I record all of my performances so I can go back and see what it’s like from the audience side. Anyway, after the first song I was so overwhelmed by the applause and love that I felt so welcomed and I just knew it was going to be a great night.
Since the last time I had played in NC, I had four brand new songs to share with everyone. “You Built A Wall’ seemed to get a great rise out of the audience while “Crosby, Nash & Me” and “I’ve Gone Walkin’” also seemed to engage them but it was “Fart Proudly” that definitely won them all over. Everyone just laughed out loud and hooted and hollered as the song carried on. It was so fun to see them reacting to not just the songs but my stories in between. It was also a great treat to FINALLY have my friends Chris and Anita present to hear me sing the song I wrote about their kids “Brother and Sister” complete with visual aide in the form of a photo of the kids. It was also fun to use my Fairy Wand that their little girl Chiara made for me. She wanted me to use it at my concert so I sure did. All of this together just made for an amazing night but the highlight for me was having my dear wife L present. It was so awesome to look over and see her singing my songs. That is something that never gets old.
After my set, I spent some time catching up with some dear friends and I checked out an amazing set by Something Candid. Seeing them perform just made me so happy and their songs just blow me away. Seeing my former partner in crime Elana so happy and playing music with Sabina makes me smile endlessly. These two have a definitely musical bond and kinship that is unbreakable. Their performance was stellar as always and after the show we spent time catching up, laughing, drinking and hugging. It was a magical night of music, fun and friends both old and new. I also realized that I have truly grown as a musician, songwriter and performer. I don’t mean this in an egotistical way but for me to be able to recognize this growth is huge. I’ve spent so many years being hard on myself as an artist but I finally feel that I can look at where I’m at and say, “Hey man, you’re actually pretty good at what you do!” I feel this comfort in my skin as a solo folksinger and by listening to all the greats like Arlo, Tony Joe and Kevn I’ve learned how to just be myself. Real can be engaging, entertaining and funny.
All in all, this was an amazing night for me. It was so amazing to be back in NC and it actually made me miss it a bit. I had many great years in NC and I have many great and wonderful friends there as well. Luckily, these friends are so amazing that they all keep in such great touch with me that it felt as if no time had passed. I got to see and catch up with them and I even got to meet some new friends as well. Who says you can’t ever go back? I did and you know what? It was friggin’ awesome. I love you all so much and thanks for having me back with open arms!
