141 - Fair Bean
Photo by Amy Zamarripa
Hadn’t been to Fair Bean in a while so it was good to be back. It started off a little bit of a slow night but several folks showed up midway through and it ended up being a pretty full list by the end, though those of us left still got to squeeze in another song or two.
One lady in the audience told me after my set that she liked my voice and would love to hear me cover “Passionate Kisses” by Lucinda Williams. I’d only ever heard it done by Mary Chapin Carpenter, but it was one my Dad had thought I should cover years ago, so maybe that’s a sign that I better actually do it!
Songs - Round 1: All or Nothing, I Know, Rain Song. Round 2: Keep Telling Me
133 - Fair Bean - Unofficial SXSW Showcase
Photo by Amy Zamarripa
Saturday was fun. In the morning I took the bus downtown to check out the MPress Records party at the SoHo lounge, which really deserves a post to itself! I got to stay for the first few acts and then hopped on the bus to get to Fair Bean in time to see The Lovely Brigade’s set.
Things were running a little late but Amy said I could go ahead and do my full set, so I did 45 minutes. It wasn’t my first long set, but they are still rare enough for me that the difference between 45 minutes and even 30 minutes is noticeable for me, mostly in my voice I think, but also in terms of having more songs memorized and comfortable. Good to know. Another muscle to build. But in any case, I can now say I played a showcase during SXSW! I don’t think I would have believed you a year ago if you told me I would. :-)
Gary Graves & Tom Harvey were after me, so I stayed to listen to them and then headed over to Austin Java for the showcases there hosted by Killer Artist Agency and KC Turner Presents. Which also deserves a post!
132 - Fair Bean
Photo by Amy Zamarripa
It was a pretty mellow and sweet night at Fair Bean, so we got to play two rounds. It was also a good thing because Amy had a gig at Flipnotics later that night, so I think she was able to take it easier before that show!
I headed straight to Flips after Fair Bean and caught Rod Picott doing a set. I hadn’t heard of him, but I HAD heard one of his songs that he co-wrote with Slaid Cleaves - Broke Down. Someone, maybe more than one someone in “my” folk circles covers that song and it’s been driving me a bit nuts trying to remember who that is! Great song in any case!
After Rod was Kaiser Sose, then Amy, then Amanda Hickey & the Bruises. The crowd was small, so I think the photographer there wasn’t shy about taking all sorts of pictures at neat angles of Amanda’s set that came out really cool, I bet she’ll end up using them for promo material.
Songs
Round 1: All or Nothing, Rain Song, Shoreline of Alaska
Round 2: I Know, Tea for Two (cover)
121 - Fair Bean
Photo by Amy Zamarripa
It was fun to bring Gilberto back to Fair Bean. He came with me back in August and really likes the Spanish Tortilla they have there. He discovered them on a business trip to Spain last year and actually introduced them to me at Fair Bean, I’d never tried them before! They are kind of more in the realm of quiche than the flat bread you wrap around a burrito, but in fact there’s no crust at all, just eggs and thin sliced potato and sometimes other veggies like onions and red peppers.
Fair Bean is such a sweet and comfortable place to play and there was a nice mix of poetry and music, as there often is there. Jeremy Lauritz stopped in on his way home from work and borrowed my guitar to play his set. Fun to hear what she sounds like with someone else’s style, (as long as I trust them of course! ) :-)
We had enough time at the end for everyone who was still there to do one more song, so I ended with Rain Song which was fun for everyone to join in together. I want to write more songs like that, easy for people to sing along, because it’s pretty fun!
Songs
Round 1: Anchor, I Know, Jonah’s Whale
Round 2: Rain Song
117 - Fair Bean and Blame Sally!
My Friday evening, February 10th, in two parts!
PART 1: Fair Bean
I felt pretty lucky when I checked out the bus schedules for Friday night and realized I could get to all but the last 30 minutes of the Fair Bean open mic AND to the Blame Sally concert at Skinny’s Ballroom afterward. The only trick was, I didn’t want to cart my guitar downtown to a show that I was there to watch! Luckily Amy Z has a sweet little guitar she will let people borrow, but I did for a minute feel like I was re-enacting Jana’s “Sh*t Folk Singers Say” video - “Can I borrow your guitar? Can I borrow your tuner?” I didn’t have to ask for a capo since it was already on the guitar, but did have my own pick at least! :-)
Photo by Amy Zamarripa
Songs: I Know, All or Nothing, Keep Telling Me
Part 2: Blame Sally
I was looking forward to checking out Skinny’s Ballroom as I’d heard of other bands playing there but never been, and I was reaaaally excited to see Blame Sally since they’d been recommended to me from several folks. Skinny’s was sweet, definitely a long and skinny room, and Blame Sally did not disappoint! Skinny’s has an open mic on Mondays that I’ve never been to because that’s my group practice night, but they are doing a thing where they choose their favorite act on Monday to play a 7pm slot on Friday, so there was an opening act guy. He was good, but not necessarily someone I’d choose style-wise to open for Blame Sally, so I felt a little bad because most of the folks there just weren’t paying attention to him. C’est la vie!
But yeah, Blame Sally. Wow. They’ve been playing together for 11 years now I think they said, and they are tight! The harmonies are amazing. It’s a good reminder of how polished and pro things can be, especially after getting so accustomed to open mic levels, which are a mixed bag of awesome and not so much. It’s also good to imagine that they were at open mic level however long ago, and that through time, work and persistance, you get “there”, whatever that means! It also made me wish I could play multiple instruments with ease and had a band all the time!!!!
#109. I love Fair Bean. Love the Red Symphony.
Sweet, low-key night for the most part. Some folks decided to leave/had to go right as I was getting up to do my set, which meant they ended up having a conversation of goodbyes right next to me. I wavered for a second between waiting for them to leave and starting, and decided to go ahead with Jonah since I feel pretty solid with that one by now and thought I’d be able to get through it without them rattling me too much. They were gone by the time I started my second song, the new one, so that worked out.
It’s a tricky balance, playing in a coffee shop where people may or may not be there to listen. You’d certainly hope that at least the other performers would be respectful even if they can’t stay for the whole evening, but some of the patrons really don’t care that you are there at all and you can’t begrudge the venue their business! So you have to not take it personally, but also not shrink back into total un-obtrusiveness. Claim the space and be centered and hope you can command some attention for at least a little bit, which did happen.
Since most of the folks left after their first set, and there was still time left, the few of us who stayed got to do a second round, which felt even better. A mom & her two kids came in and I could tell the little guy, who was probably 2 or 3, was really into my guitar. A few of the folks there for coffee actually looked up and listened for a bit. Another nice gentleman came in to listen for my last couple songs and told me after that my “presence was uplifting”, which was pretty awesome to hear. :-) So yeah, sometimes it is just in the timing!
Songs:
Round 1 - Jonah’s Whale, Split in Two, Anchor
Round 2 - Shoreline of Alaska, Sister’s Prayer, Wings
