Sunday, November 19, 2006

snapshot

Vox Pop is a groovy little place to play. You are surrounded by books and friendly people who are all about being political and progressive. They serve fair trade coffee, beer, wine, salads, sandwiches, and (second hand report) an out of sight veggie burger. The crowd was friendly and lively. Added to that a few friends from work and a few friends from way back came out to show their support. I was nerrrrvous and it was great to see friendly faces in the audience. Not everyone was a fan of the sound system but I liked the set up there. The sound in the room felt very warm. Very yellow like the walls. And at the back of the tiny little stage was a sort of padded couchy bench I sat on. It was almost like practicing guitar on the bed at home. Very comforting association but at some point I am going to have to start playing while standing.

The other acts were pretty outstanding.
Jeff Harms came in from Chicago. He has a deliciously low voice and a skewed worldview. His album comes with a really funny activity book and a pencil. And he has a song about a sailing ship. I am jealous as I have always intended to write a sea shanty or a boat song it just hasn't really come together yet.

Stacy Rock has an astounding technical virtuosity and polish vocally and musically. And she's gorgeous to boot. Imagine Fiona Apple's work crossed with Tori Amos/Sarah McLaughlin vocals. Now imagine all of that music coming out of Famke Janssen. That's Stacy Rock.

Both of these acts were very good. Much more professional than me. And then it was the Lunamarys from Indiana. oh. my. god. They made my night. They were seriously fucking amazing. I am considering making them my new religion. With Jane on backing vocals and on guitar and Mel soaring and growling and singing and wailing on vocals. It was transcendent. Mel has a vibrant and vital voice - clear and crisp and incredibly elastic in range and capacity and her stage presence is so focused and powerful. Every motion, every gesture, every change in expression picked up and amplified out from the stage. The song writing was smart and vivid and genuine.

The tunes on myspace do not do justice to any of the acts of the evening particularly the Lunamarys, though go see them live.

And for today I went to the library, paid my late fines, and got new books! Yay!
I visited three coffee shops while wrestling with my pathetic nanonovel wordcount. I am at 10k now. I am supposed to be at 35k by this coming Wednesday best get cracking on that. In the first week several people commented that they wrote through 10-15K before getting to the point where they were actually starting to tell the story they intended to tell. Which I thought was kind of odd but I am finding that this is my experience as well. I didn't really know where things were going but I started by writing a scene that would be at the middle of the whole story. Then I went back and started the whole thing in a haphazard way. And now I am about at the point where things start taking on a shape. The three characters in that scene have all been introduced. They are all acquaintances of the narrator. She can certainly create a situation in which they all meet. She has coffee with one of them which will allow us to estabilsh why he do the things he do. The rest of up to them.

Of course plot bunnies could swoop in at anytime. Not that it will really matter in my case cause much like last year ... there's really no plot to speak of.

The RM's cat was nestled into my shoulder purring like mad. He smells like shampoo. Which is weird. He smells like a pretty girl. But he's just a fluffy kitty.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wish I could have been there, it sounds amazing. Next time.

Spilled Ink said...

Go, Sooooz!! Roarin fer you from out west XO,G