I was recently invited to play at The Bite of Seattle 2012 — both as a solo act and with my full band — and I’m proud to say that it was a success. Thank you Seattle for the hospitality!
FRIDAY:
I battled Tacoma/Seattle traffic to arrive on a cloudy Friday afternoon where I played a two-hour solo set on the Jazz Stage at the Wine Garden. In all, it was a nice, intimate evening of song but between the traffic-ridden drive, loading in at one corner of the park, parking at another corner of the park and then playing at a stage on the other side of the park, I was spent. That said, rather than hit the town on my own, I found myself ordering a pizza and a growler of Mac & Jack’s African Amber to go and retreating to my hotel for some much needed R and R.
I will add, however, that there was one very rewarding experience. A fan that has been following me for nearly a decade (since Rhetoric Tuesday), but has yet to see a show (due to his remote location), made the trip and finally saw a show. By my understanding, in addition the extensive driving involved, he had to take an hour-long fairy ride to get to Seattle. That is dedication and it meant a lot to have him make the effort (and show up with all of my previous CDs in hand for signing) — it really makes you feel like you’re doing something right. Thanks Aaron.
SATURDAY:
This was slated to be a different kind of day. With the rain clouds now fully disintegrated and only sunshine in view, I arrived at The Seattle Center early to make sure that the logistics were in order for the arrival of my full 6-piece band. We were scheduled to play on the Fisher Green Main Stage at 2pm and there was much to figure out before then.
Once all six members had arrived and our gear had been transported to the staging area, we enjoyed some of the amazing food that the festival had to offer and awaited our turn.
After a brief sound-check we were off to the races and performing in front of a very kind Seattle Center crowd. The set list was crafted to be more upbeat than my typical sets and I think that was a wise decision, considering the wide open outdoor nature of the event.
THE SET LIST:
The Road
Great Man’s Funeral
Lover Things
Leaves Blow By
Babysitting the Cowboy
That Moon
The Arsonist
This Too Shall Pass
Best Laid Plans
The set was certainly a thrill. I feel like we brought a positive energy to the festival and despite playing each song a few beats too fast, fun was had by all — and the crowd response was warm. Thanks again Seattle.
SATURDAY NIGHT:
While I don’t need to go into the dirty details, after spending Friday night all by my lonesome self, I was then joined by most of the band for an evening on The Town. In short, it was dubbed The Band Bender and more than a growler of Mac & Jacks’s was consumed.
Although I stayed at a nicer hotel on Friday night, here is the view from the window of the “budget” hotel in which we stayed on Saturday night. Classy!
SUNDAY:
Hazy eyed, I awoke Sunday morning with work still to do. What you might not know is that while I’ve been tracking my new album Some Days I’m a Lion, I’ve also been tracking a more produced “alternate” version of This Too Shall Pass at a recording studio in Seattle.
All of my work had already been done in previous weeks so this session was not about me — I wouldn’t have been much help at all — this session was for the icing on the cake, harmonies. Luckily, miss Jenna took it a bit easier the night before and was able to add some lovely harmonies to the now completed song. Stay tuned!
With the busy yet fun Seattle weekend behind us, we hit the road (and more traffic) and eventually landed back in Portland, safe and sound on Sunday evening. Looking back, it was memories in the making and extremely rewarding. Thank you again Seattle for your hospitality — we will be back.