Last weekend was a good time. I reflect on it now as it is once again indeed.... the weekend. Why do I find it necessary to write about last weekend? Why was it any different than any other weekend? One answer could be because I am supposed to be doing other things right now, and what's a better time to do something like this when you have other obligations?? Another reason to write about it is to reflect on the rare and important event that occurred on Saturday night. Wait, Choking Beaver Project is going to play? I've always been a firm believer that the best musical performances are those of your friends. It's easier to share something as personal as the songs you write with the ones you are close to. Choking Beaver Project released Captured Man and then stopped playing music together. I don't think they realized how much it was listened to. It's like when an artist struggles their whole life to get known... and only when they die do they get the recognition they wanted, or deserve (on a smaller scale). There's something about basement shows. 91 is a great spot for them (thanks boys). Something about the dank smell, the asbestos ridden pipes, the shared claustrophobic feeling of being compressed by the low ceilings, picking spider webs out of your friends hair, and spilling beer when it doesn't matter so much... you know, things like that. When we got there it felt like a pack of sardines while TIm, Aaron, and Mike played an intimate acoustic set. We were moved, it felt great, but trying to get a basement full of people on a Friday night to stay quiet is not easy.... no matter how loud you think your SSSSSSHHHHHHHH's are. Then came White Woods. White Woods is Garth Clarks latest. Big group of very talented musicians. And god damn can Garth still write a great fucking song. They started out slow and picked it up quick. We all sung along to what we knew and it felt good. Then the cops came.... We tired to be quiet so we didn't have to leave, but everybody SSSSSHHHH'ing in between talking doesn't make it quiet. The unsatisfying thought that we may not be able to see CBP tonight struck. The house got a noise ordinance, but after a bit it felt time to start again. White Woods finished with a bang.... Two words for their set. Killed. It. Watching Aaron Lipp play the keys is so exciting.... Almonzo's Plow presents, the Choking Beaver Project ... Garth, Mike, Mike, Aaron, and Tim were together behind their instruments once again. They hadn't practiced since their last show, but that fact wasn't evident at all by the performance. I think the majority of us lost our voices, I know I did. There were times when Garth or Mike found it feudal to try and sing over us. For a moment we all forgot where we were and forgot that we actually can't sing very well. It was the ultimate tension and release. AND the cops did not come back. I wish you were there if you weren't. We all lost our minds. Riley came in just in time. I wonder what would have happened if they actually decided to call themselves "Riley and the Timlins"... I wonder if a show like that will ever happen again... I hope. IN OTHER NEWS::: We may be playing a show or two this winter in the big bad city of NEW YORK. We will post more when we know. I've been talking to Aaron Adams about releasing an album of his on Lonely Grimoire in the future. Thats exciting stuff. I plan to start a new album while I'm all alone in the winter. The New Year is coming.... I love reading all the "best of" lists. Cheers until next time. We'll try and be more productive.
