A Bar Gig!!!
I got a call from a gentleman from a brewery in Easton on Wednesday, wondering if I could fill in for this Friday’s act. Well, well, I just happen to have that open. (no kidding…) So, I signed up for a three hour (7-10) evening at the Boser Geist Brewery at the re-purposed Simon Silk Mill site. 
It’s a relatively new brewpub with food, a selection of home brews, a hip staff and Tom, who likes folk music. I was made to feel welcome, set up at the end of a long, high-ceiling arena with a long bar. No TV!! (This didn’t dawn on me until about an hour in to my set.) So, I set up my small system, mandolin and guitar, got a Coke and took it all in.
The acoustics were cool, with an industrial reverb for my voice that sounded great. My small amp did the trick again, with just a vocal and guitar, but I can get remarkable coverage and good tone for a bigger venue like this. It was comfortable.
There were only a couple of tables filled and various folks at the long bar. I just played what I thought would sound good in this room for these people. Folks liked it, as did the staff and Tom (who booked me). It was a good gig, and I got to play comfortably in a nice room.
Of course, I got one particularly odd request. I find that once you play a song that they know, they’ll come up with a request, since I knew that song I just played. One woman came up and asked for Sweet Caroline. Oh, no. A stadium song….. I said that I didn’t but “that’s a good song!” She was pleasant, and, when they walked out the door much later, I launched into “Sweet Caroline, don, don, don don.” The woman laughed and then went into the other hooks in the song. Good night…. It was funny.
One lady who loved the Irish tunes asked for “Norwegian Wood”. That one I should work up.
A long night – three sets – but it’s really good to be working on my repertoire and get to crank it up.