With SoS at NH

Show went well. Smaller audience than I expected, but generous and fun. A good evening. Really enjoyed the Surge on Smith set. Kelly did well and I like the stripped down snare and kick with an upright bass set up.

My guitar teacher sat in on a couple tunes -- three actually -- for the Jonathan Reuel and the Brilliant part of the set. This was a lot of fun. A highlight from the evening for me was the end of Where Nothing Remains the Same where we traded guitar leads. While we were both drawing deeply from blues roots, his solo was well-constructed, well-executed and just plain good. Mine was messy, chaotic, and full of noise. I thought they worked together perfectly. We did some improvising at the end and the rhythm section took off and took over which was great. Nothing like not being able to shut your band down. But when they're brilliant that can be a good thing.

I talked to a guy whose musical perspective I value after the show. He said he enjoyed it. Why? (I asked). "Because there is something great about three musicians just making noise together. The audience was wondering part of the time whether those notes and sounds were supposed to be there and I liked that. And the art had some anger in it." (I'm not quoting him well, but it's the essence of what he said.)

Several people talked about questioning my move from acoustic music to this, especially now when there is such a large surge of energy in that area. The iconoclasts like it though. From where I sit I've been waiting to do this for over two decades -- I'm just happy to take this opportunity that opened up by divine kindness -- and damn the torpedoes!(Nod to the general and Tom).