Show Diary: Pianos, 11/11/09
We played lesson one of An Autumn Symposium at Pianos last Wednesday. A lot of great moments and a lot of great energy. A couple people commented that it was the best show we’ve played. I think there were moments that were the best moments I’ve been experienced with. Certain pieces of songs where I wanted to leap out of my skin. And just participate in the energy in a manner that wasn’t bound by my body or my perception.
It’s a big band at this point. A lot going on. We need three DI boxes and then 7 mics to cover everyone. There’s Stan on sax and flute, Dan Levine on trombone (although Clark Gayton played this gig and did a great job), Katie on oboe and English horn, Flavio on viola, Noah on guitar, Bronwen singing backup, Paul on laptop, guitar and signing, Matt on piano, Rob on bass, Rich on percussion and congas, and Marc on drums. So that’s 12 people if you include me. That’s a small army.
The trick with managing an army of people is to use the moments and to shift the emphasis appropriately. To create standout moments for everyone in the band to play a part and to move the spotlight around. I think we’re still learning how to do that to maximum effect and I’ve definitely been working with the band on dynamics. We’ve been trying to get each song right and to get the point of emphasis right so that everyone’s not playing at the same time.
I think a lot of that work paid off on Wednesday night, even though there’s still room to grow with each song and room to explore. I’ve tried to strip out parts where they weren’t needed. So, in “If You See Something” having a focus on Stan’s flute in the 2nd verse instead of flute, oboe and trombone all at the same time. And in “Dirty White Coats” leaving the acoustic guitar out until the very end.
We’re getting there. As Paul wrote me earlier this week, there is an undeniable energy and goodness that comes out of the show. There’s room for growth but it does feel very much like something special is happening up there. A couple moments that stand out in my memory.
- “Hold My Heartache”. We’ve reworked the tune slightly. Well, rework is a perhaps generous. We’ve extended it. So the outro goes for a bit and Stan blows his solo and then the song dies down and typically that’s where it would end. But then Marc rips out a fill and we come back full boar. This was that point, in that outro, after Stan’s honked out another beautiful jam and we’ve come back with the full band. It was simply beautiful. I wanted to leap out of my skin. I felt very happy to be up there.
- “Valentine’s Day”. We’d really been struggling with this tune in practice. It was missing something. I don’t know what it was missing but it’s clear that we found it on Wednesday night and that maybe we were overthinking things a little bit. The new part that Matt wrote on the piano somehow creates a continuity of energy that flows through the rest of the tune. And everybody was feeling it. It came together and had a beautiful and gorgeous driving beat. It felt good and everyone liked it and that was a good tune. The lyrics got even more personal than I normally get. Oh well
- “There Is A Light”. This was a new tune that we’d only played a few times. And Rob and Matt had never played it but I brought them in after sending them an mp3 of the tune from rehearsal. It came together. My guitar playing is never perfect but it was passable and it felt full and rich and Bronwen’s singing was a perfect compliment to mine and it felt good. I have reservations about the song. The changes and the tune and some of the lyrics aren’t terribly innovative, I feel. And I worry that it’s a little too conventional. But sometimes that’s just how it goes. You can’t fight beauty.
In other news, I got a hernia on stage. I’ve been having this pain in my lower abdomen when I sing and stand and play guitar all at the same time. And something definitely ruptured or burst when I was up there. To the point where I thought I might have to cancel the gig in the middle of the set .
The problem is that this was the first gig since the Lipstik days that I stood (I normally sit). And standing had a big and positive impact. It was more fun and felt more natural and I got more air and could sing a bit better. So I don’t know. Might have to just suck it up.
Anyway, it was this hot pulsing feeling right above my private places. Saw the doctor and it looks like I’ll need surgery. It’ll have to wait until the next gig after the Rockwood show, though. Some things take priority.
