I played last night/this morning with Yacht Rock Schooner at Zydeco in Birmingham. It's the first time we've played there.
The room itself was pretty crappy. Low ceiling, hollow stage, plywood floor. The sound was vastly different depending on where you were on stage--where I was (downstage left) was pretty good, but the drums and the opposite of the stage were evidently PAINFULLY loud and washy. The hollow stage made for some weird low end harmonics. It was just flat hard to hear for most of the guys in the band. Actually, the dressing room behind the stage was probably the best place! I hung out there on the tunes I wasn't playing, and I could hear everybody well.
The total number of people was around one hundred fifty. I guess that's good for the first time--if they all tell two people, next time…they were pretty enthusiastic, though, which made up for it. A big burly guy in the audience passed Mike Bielenberg a note that said "I love you." The same guy later encouraged Mike to take his shirt off. Not a normal Yacht Rock audience! As soon as we finished, a couple of party girls burst into the dressing room and invited to a "party." No thanks.
I played pretty well--the usual batch of Schooner tunes, so I was comfortable. I probably could have used more monitor, but I could hear the main PA well enough that I just worked off that. The saxophone must've been louder in the middle of the stage, because I got some positive feedback from the main vocalists, though I couldn't hear myself that well at my position. Overall, the band sounded good in spite of the stage sound.
I used my hard cases and key clamps for this trip. Lately I've been concerned about the cold dry air, and coupling that with a bouncy ride to Alabama, I thought it best to try and stabilize my horns as best as I could. Plus, I've been kind of clumsy dealing with my horns when I'm wearing gloves. Hard cases protect me against my own stupidity!
We got back to Atlanta around 6 AM. I slept most of the way back in the van. Dozed? Probably more like it. I can sleep anywhere, but I woke up a lot trying to get comfortable. I was in bed at 7 AM.
I'm checking out the new album by Bob Reynolds called Live in New York. It's really good--sounds like much more accessible Chris Potter. Kenyon Carter better get busy transcribing!
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