We went into the Hub around 7:30. All business and ready. We had spent the afternoon resting, changing strings, putting together a set list, practicing some tunes, and then got to enjoy an amazing dinner of homemade sweet onion soup, days-ago caught salmon, garden-picked mustard greens, and homemade bread, broiled in olive oil with fresh parm and rosemary. All consumed on the front porch beneath a rainbow. (Totally serious. It was beautiful🌈) We felt confident enough to take on whatever may come our way…which, due to our “work” the night before, was surprisingly little!
The usual “are you the band” questions came in the parking lot while we were unloading. I always laugh at these inquiries. I want to say, “Nope. We just don’t like to leave all this music gear in the car when we go in and drink.” But, I just say, “Yep! Hope you can make it.” To which both people just looked down and got into their cars and left. I wondered if this was an indication of the night to come.
But, honestly, not the case. Not one funny look, not a sideways glance, not a lowered voice whispering some comment. Just “Hey guys!”, smiles, hugs, “so glad to see you again”, “can’t wait to hear you play”, and even some, “Wow! I love your hair!”
Around 8:20, we kicked into a soundcheck and 5 cellphones went up to film. At SOUNDCHECK. People all were staring. The pool game stopped. The burger guy quit chewing. The conversation about bait and tackle quieted. Ok. So we’ve got your attention.
The bartender, Jordan, kept profusely apologizing for the lack of attendance. She cited the holiday weekend, weather, too much partying the night before (duh…we were there!😂) and all kinds of other reasons, both frustrated and not surprised by her small community. We didn’t care. We were just so glad to have some friendly reception.
The 15-20 people who DID come in and out of the hub over the course of the night were ALL cool. Every one of them. Dancing, singing along, buying merch, and drinks, and drinks, and more drinks. 😂 By the end of the night, the owner was so happy with us and, of course wanted to chat. She lead with, “I shot my husband and he didn’t die from it. I should have gone to prison but I said it was an accident. But I AM a widow now. And married again. Write a song about THAT!” Man…that’s a lot to unpack ma’am. I may need a minute to chew on it.
That’s what is so interesting about our music. When we get done with a show, people are READY to talk. Share, over-share, share real close to our faces. It’s a good sign though. It means they listened. They listened so deeply that they feel like they really know us and now want to have us know them. It shows that they trust us. We showed our vulnerability, now they show theirs. We told where we are from, now they share about everywhere they’ve lived for 30 years. We talked about our kid, love, heartbreaks, and now they want us to know about a missed prison opportunity. It’s all in the balance…and it’s worth every second.
Looking forward to doing it all over again tonight.
(Forgive the quality. These photos were screen grabs taken from video that a fan named “Pirate Dave” took of the show.)
