I made sure that ‘daddy’ took a nap between the 275 mile haul to Mays Landing and back this morning, and it was a good thing. I gathered myself to drive a big 2 miles for this gig at St. James Gate pub at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem. Its a bar gig, but pays well, and I get to play with Ansel for three sets. Its a strange gig.
It starts off with a packed bar, with folks eating and talking before heading out to a show (Yes, and Procol Harem tonight). Very little notable response, but understood. The audience proceeds to dwindle, with folks drifting in for food and beer and chatter. The evening winds down to a nice, listening atmosphere.
I’ve done this gig several times, and its hard, but, strangely, satisfying, in that I get to afford some very nice musicians who can put up with my musical tastes. Tonight, Ansel Barnum sat in on harp, a gentleman with extremely good ears, great tone and sense of play that makes each gig a treat for me. When we play together, I play well.
It’s hard to know what effect we have on this audience – especially comparing it to the immediate and visceral response I got from this morning’s audience – but as Ansel and I talked on the elevator to our vehicles, a man in the elevator commented that he really liked what we were doing. Our response was, “Really?” Really.
That was the moment that punctuated the evening.
Farmers’ Market tomorrow winds up this flurry of gigs in this deep heat.