Well, I have to admit, I was a bit anxious in the days and hours leading up to Friday night's show at the Press Club. We haven't played live much recently (I think only 2 shows in the last 8 months or so), so we were anticipating this one a bit more than usual.
Our set consisted mostly of newer stuff. Some very new, and we stacked those songs near the top of the set. I've also added some new gear to the arsenal, so the show was sort of a reboot for us. I'm playing more electric guitar now, and I've added a "foot piano" into the mix too. So, yeah, I was basically nervous that something would go wrong somewhere along that chain. There were a lot more things that could possibly go wrong than usual, so I figured that if we didn't fall on our faces at any point during the set, the night could be considered successful.
Ryan Partridge started the night by taking us through the "Subway Rider's" commute. Dusting off his sampler, he dropped the occasional beat (which is a good thing, of course), like sitting on a crowded car, somehow solitary inside the warm envelope of your headphones chiming in with the soundtrack to your isolation in a crowd. On stage, Ryan donned headphones from time to time, and he was by no means isolated. Headphones notwithstanding, the soundtrack was shared for all to hear. I know it was part of a work in progress, which made it an even more outstanding set from my perspective. He tried some brave stuff, and it came off really well.
We followed with a not too disastrous set. So, by my standards, pretty good. The new stuff felt really good, and we kind of settled into a nice groove. I'm not going to say much more than that. I'll let the people that were there be the ultimate judge.
Nick Zubeck followed with his cast of always sublime co-conspirators: Darren Wall, Robbie Grunwald, and um, oh yeah, Marshall Bureau. Every time I hear these guys, it seems like they try something a little different, whether it be a different keyboard sound from Robbie, or a different bass part (Darren didn't play any electric bass, just upright). The music is always epic, and Friday was no exception. There were huge climaxes in "Tip Of My Tongue" and "Cherry Sunshine" and slow burning mood pieces with payoff hooks in songs like "Track and Field"
Thanks to everyone who made it out. See you soon.
P.S. both photos were taken on an iPhone, which explains the somewhat poor quality, but also means that we're cool
Dave