Travel update part 1
The lack of blogging isn't because there hasn't been anything going on, just the opposite. My latest adventures have included a very quick, but wonderful road trip to Athens, Ga., my sister's old college town, where I spent a good bit of time myself in the mid- to late nineties visiting her (among other things).
Clare and I drove over from Atlanta two weeks ago to see the excellent Aimee Mann at a new club called The Melting Point. The theater has been excellently designed where there are no bad seats in the house and the small size of the place really makes the performances feel very intimate. I was expected to have to fight through a crowd like I've done before at Athens clubs like the 40-watt, but this was a sit down place. They served food, excellent draft beer and had an great sound system. For Birmingham folk, the place is like a smaller version of Workplay with a beautiful bleached brick exterior as the building is in a refurbished warehouse called Athens Steam Co.
I don't know how to put into words how great this show was. It began with a very fine local act called Tin Cup Prophette (see first picture) who amazed and impressed us with violin, glockenspiel , accordion all played together with a bit of delay petal magic.
Mann, playing to a crowd of about 75 , told the audience at the beginning of the show that she wasn't happy with the set list and was would be perfectly fine with the show being requests only. She played 'em as the crowd called 'em out. The songs she was shaky on she would start, sometimes stop, other times b.s. her way through them -- all with total grace and informality, like we were watching her play in someone's living room.
The highlight on the evening was the set she did from the "Magnolia" soundtrack. I'm not embarrassed to say that at one point I had tears in my eyes. That just is what kind of songwriter Aimee Mann is.
More photos of the show are here.
Comments
Isn't that the best? That's exactly how I felt that time I saw Glenn Phillips, Griffin House and Kim Ritchey. I love those off-the cuff shows. I just saw one last night. My friend, Billy (Vic Thrill) did kind of an impromptu thing where he read some passages from his book, played whatever songs he felt like, showed some video, told some stories. It was clear that it was almost completely unplanned, which I think made HIM uncomfortable, but everyone in the room loved it. It's amazing to watch an artist just create something from nothing right before your eyes.
JAMIE!/ So great to hear from you. What a cool Aimee Mann story. I have always loved Micheal Penn as well -- they are such a matched pair. I am getting around this fall like I haven't in years. I just got back from visiting my cousin, mother of three, so I have an eye witness account of the mayhem, but if any woman is going to do it it would take someone like my cousin or you. I say when those babies are 8 years old, they come stay with me for a weekend for their first concert. I will not disappoint.