Tony did not disappoint. While he admitted to being sick, he still sounded great. I could tell he's just like the rest of us though: he's the ultimate perfectionist. And so I could also tell he was a bit disappointed playing with a "broken instrument," but despite the few miscues, this is a man that can clearly belt some great tunes when he's 100%. And like I said, if it were anybody else, and the bar weren't so high, this would have been considered an almost flawless performance.
I had the chance to briefly introduce myself after the show and am looking forward to grabbing coffee with Tony when his schedule settles down a little bit over the next two weeks. It's funny how a complete stranger can seem like an old friend...but that's what song does to you. Tony writes about loss, sadness, and loneliness. As he said last night, sometimes it seems cliche, but it's not when done right: it's what brings those of us that feel the same pain together. And in this way, I've found a new brother.
I don't want to forget to mention the other bands though. Le Wrens opened the show, and boy, did they impress me. Their simple folk tunes came across gentle as the breeze but powerful as thunder. I can't wait to see the young Gundersen siblings grow and mature in their craft...because I'm already impressed. :)
The other band was Lowlands, and I thought the core of what they did was good, but not great. It wasn't until the last two songs when the rest of the band dropped away that I felt the sincerity and emotion behind Tom and Joel's music. And I really wish it had been there at the beginning because I think it would have shaped my outlook on them very differently. As it was, I really did enjoy their unique songwriting. It's sort of folky progressive...with some pretty interesting arrangements and chord progressions.
When it was all over, I was heading to the bus stop...when it passed me by. I muttered something about it, and my new friends Brad and Kim offered to give me a ride to my place...despite the fact they were headed in the opposite direction to the Conor Byrne. I was so thankful for the gesture and finally caved. I hate putting people out, and I know people want to be helpful, but it's always a struggle to accept help. I'm working on it, folks. :)
Anyway, on the ride home we had a great conversation about music and people and life. One of those moments that are my favorite. Brad is another tremendous musician who writes some powerful Americana/roots/blues songs, and I think it's just insane how good his voice is. It's always spot on and thick and rumbling. Like the imagery of his songs, it's a freight train comin' right at ya. So of course, it's nice to talk music with other people that get that about me. It just left me in a good mood for the night.
Oh, and then I had free pizza for dinner. :P Almost forgot that part! So here's a little PR for Pagliacci's because that's where I ordered and they gave me the free pie just because. Apparently they do this randomly just as a nice gesture for their customers. I couldn't have been happier about the way things went that night!
And today, I finally signed up for a Bandcamp account...and I really don't know why I was ever fighting it. It's an amazingly simple and fun way to get your music out there (and, let's be honest, monetize it). But what this means is that I need high quality recordings of the songs I've been recording. And I've sorta given up on ever achieving that in my apartment, no matter what I buy to record with.
But this is a good thing!
It means I have another incentive for pushing myself to finally record with a studio and producer. And sometimes you need an extra push here or there.
So I posted my first song over there, titled "Summerfall." It's a free download, so go check it out and grab it if you like it. I can't wait to post more "final" stuff over there so people can actually download it easily. But don't worry, I'm still going to be posting my rough drafts on here to just see what people think.
Speaking of which, here's the latest (well...actually, I wrote this back a while ago but just never finished it). I think I wrote it sometime in December '10? Be careful at the end...it gets loud and there's some heavy clipping.
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