Sunday April 2nd stress and roll.

Sunday Mornings are never EASY :-P
there is a bit or rock and roll thrown in there.

Although to be honest I was TERRIFIED because for the first time I was playing a ustream-only show. That means that not only could people see exactly how bed-headed my hair was but also I didn't have the "safety net" of playing in Second Life, where at least 10 people show up on a regular basis...

that's ok. being terrified. It just makes me want to get better :-)

The set list this morning: Cuando te vas, It Seems Just Like a Dream (What a Day), Dreaming Without You, Parking Lot Kings, Gone, Ruby Red Hair, Little Lion Man (Mumford & Sons cover), Plain Jane, One Hot Second, Stay (Faraway, so close!) (U2 cover), Ash Wednesday, Fantasy.

Monday Night Originals

so every other Monday (or so) I've been playing the "All Originals" set on FCMC radio, streamed into Second Life at The Loft and of course live on ustream.tv.



it's kind of awesome



and some days are really tiring and I'm willing the clock to go faster and other days I look down to make sure I'm hitting that Bm chord correctly and BAM it's 20 minutes later. Tonight was one of those FUN AWESOME "Time really DOES fly when you're having fun" nights.



I love those. And I love when people watch/listen. So, THANK YOU to every one who did. This is what you heard:



Year; Cuando te vas; Ruby Red Hair; Fantasy; Oh Canada; Stormy as the Sea; Para que no tengas sed; Lessons Learned; Fortunes, Forecasts and Lucky Charms, Black Sails; How Do You Spell L.O.V.E

my first attempt at a "highlight" video

So - I send my music out over the (airwaves?) all the time, streaming shows live from my basement and I just figured out how to make a "highlight" of one of the live shows, specifically the one last night :-P

It's "Stormy As The Sea," one of the best songs I have ever written. and you can watch me play it here:



feel free to share, comment, etc.

thank you

Friday Night @ 303 Cafe, East Boston

what a day.

yesterday, as often happens when you have two kids, was exhausting...I got up early, went into school to tutor, came home to run some errands, make some dinner (which in all honestly was awful, and I never cook anything bad), and headed over to 303 Cafe in eastie.

Growing up in New York, I have never been to East Boston. In fact, I bet half of the people I know in Boston have never been to East Boston, except maybe to go through Logan Airport on their way somewhere. It was cute. And dilapidated. And trendy. And seemingly alive.

It reminded me of downtown Brooklyn a little - the Carroll Gardens area - where gentrification is slowly coming in, but there are enough stalwarts of the old school to keep it legit.

So, I get a spot directly in front of the place (i ALWAYS get a spot in front) and walk up. It's an awesome space, brick walls on either side, art collection hanging on the walls, huge open-air-to-the-street windows. The place had an excellent crowd, which was made even more excellent but friends new and old showing up to listen.


Now, due to a lack of communication (mostly on my part - never make assumptions! you only make an ass out of U and Umption. and poor Umption never did anything, did he?) it was a truly acoustic night, but you know, it was kinda cool that way. The intimateness of the venue allowed for the intimateness of an almost living-room performance, and I wonder if amplified music would have been almost intrusive to people's dinner conversations.

As Always, Casey Sullivan was great. Aaron Gage played a beautiful cello along with her. Casey's music is thoughtful, simple yet intricate, and mature beyond her years. (I feel a little bad saying that because I'm sure she hears that a lot, but she is AWEsome and a much better songwriter than people five or ten years older than she.) The only drawback to the quiet music and dinner-crowd-discussion was that she didn't feel able to play her quieter songs. Next time, we'll remember to bring the mics.

But, the intimateness allowed for a certain low-key casualness. After she played a set, I played a few songs and then Casey (and Aaron) came back up to sing a bunch of tunes with me. "When did you guys practice?" I was asked. Haha Casey is just THAT good. Overall, I tried to play the rockier songs to fill the room, but even the quieter songs were received well. And I think that when you have a bar/cafe in Eastie singing along with originals, you've done at least one thing right.

We had a great time and the food was awesome. Thank You, 303 Cafe. I can't wait to go back.

peace,
Dann

the set list:

Parking Lot Kings
Fortunes, Forecasts & Lucky Charms
Dreaming Without You
Waiting For The Dawn
Sigh No More (Mumford & Sons cover w/Casey)
Falling Slowly (The Swell Season cover w/ Casey & Aaron)
Nowhere Man (The Beatles cover w/ Casey & Aaron)
High & Dry (Radiohead cover w/ Casey & Aaron)
No Pain
Ruby Red Hair
Paris
Her Majesty Cry
Year
Don't Say That
It Seems Just Like A Dream (What a Day)