My debut at Nitida Ridge (07.11.08)

Despite being well-planned and well-coordinated by the amazingly organized Bree Birke, my first show at Nitida Ridge did not start with a bang. First off, there were like 100 shows happening simultaneously at 6:00 on Friday in SL. Okay, maybe 20 shows -- I'm prone to exaggeration. But in any case, there were lots of live music acts for people to choose from, and I think we spread the audience pretty thin. Next, I noticed that I didn't receive the notices that Bree had sent, and sure enough, there seemed to be some difficulties in the "blue notes" going out. Pretty typical in SL from time to time. So I resent some notices about two minutes before I played which actually went through; thank you, ye gods of Linden.

But in any case, when 6:00 rolled around and I got to the mic to play, there were only about 5-6 people there. And then, adding insult to injury, my stream computer starting acting wonky, and sure enough, it cut out twice within the first few songs. LOVELY! My favorite thing, he said with a sneering sarcastic tone.

But then, everything fell into place all of a sudden. The computer/stream decided to behave, and by 15 past the hour, we had another 10-12 people saunter in, making it a decent enough crowd to feel like I was doing a worthwhile show. Beyond all that negative stuff, I felt like the music itself was really going well. Voice felt good, playing felt good. So, despite the weak start, I finished strong and I think the folks who were there (as well as Bree) had a good time. That's all that matters!

I should add here that Nitida Ridge is a gorgeous build. While I'm claiming that this was my debut at the venue, I actually did play there once before, as part of the premiere party for the "Get It Together" project, but that was only a half hour and didn't really represent my full show, so this was indeed the first time I played there on my own. Anyway, it's very pretty and lush, and hats off to Bree Birke for her artistic eye on creating the place.

Song Sample: "She's Always A Woman" (Billy Joel)

Here's the set list:

California (Joni Mitchell)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Wonderwall (Oasis)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
She's Always a Woman (Billy Joel)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Old Man (Neil Young)
Free Man in Paris (Joni Mitchell)
Sex & Candy (Marcy Playground)
Soul Kitchen (The Doors)
Driven to Tears (The Police)
Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)

Thanks to the following folks who supported my show:
Tessa Rhiadra, katy Ballyhoo, Carter Liveoak, Funkyfreddy Republic, sable Valentine, Keary Flanagan, Gillian Carthage, Triana Caldera, Chestnut Rau, and most of all, Bree Birke!