As usual in LA there was a lot going on last night, so it was hard to know how this show was going to turn out. Honestly, the last time we played at
2nd St. the turnout left something to be desired, so we all decided to turn it up a notch with the promotion and it seemed to work out.
Marisa was able to get
Happy Frejo to play with us at very short notice and with
FreeQuinSeas spinning, the bill was complete.
I hadn't yet heard Happy perform even though she and Marisa are roommates, so it was great to hear her blend of soul and hip-hop with a lyrical focus on insights into her personal life and the issues facing the indigenous people in the United States. Some people have a hard time blending the personal and the political in their music, Happy did not have this problem. I'd like to see what she does with her live band as last night she was accompanied by backing tracks as well as herself on guitar.
I felt good about our own set as well. After
Cisco gave me a scare and everybody else showed up on time, we did our usual thing. "Intoxicating" started a little fast, but after that we settled down to a decent tempo on the rest of the songs. "Leave the Weight...", although not an obvious "big ending" was actually my favorite live performance of the song to date.
After making good on my threats to my co-workers to let them know about my shows, some of them actually came this time, so now that work/personal life barrier has been broken.
This week we continue on getting
Marisela mixed. I can't wait for that to be done, then we can really start getting out there with a recording that better represents where we're at right now. Let's hope some of my fears regarding the direction it's going don't come to fruition....
