#58 Naked Lounge on 5-24-11

photo by Jill Carmel

We left the Bay Area later than we should have, but fortunately it was a quick drive to Sacramento. We lost Wayne and Francis the day prior, so this was the first show that Michael and I would have to do on our own.

We pulled in town at dusk and were surprised to discover how beautiful parts of the city were. The venue, Naked Lounge, was a coffee shop with a side room for music. We were playing with Campfire Crooners and MRQ, a blues/Americana band and another bluesy/jazzy band which I thought would not blend well with us, but I was assured by the booker that it would be a good night.

Having been off coffee for some time, I drank really strong stuff in SF. Combined with the anticipation of a 2-person Active Set trial I was jumping off the walls. We relaxed in the van for a bit. When it was time to set up, it all took so much longer than expected, so much that the sound chick kept asking if we were ready.

We butchered the first song and had to stop several times (why am I telling you this?) but then got our groove going. It was a lot more of an intimate performance between Michael and I, and I felt exhilarated and very free and unrestrained. Something about the unpredictability of the night was very freeing. 

We had a decent sized audience made up of some friends, family, fans and strangers. It was a well-rounded evening.