I picked up a quick fill-in gig at Art Quest’s “bar” Pallet and Pour on Friday. I quickly asked Kris Kehr if was available and he jumped right on it. It is a three set gig (something I’m not accustomed to, these days) from 7 to 10 pm in an open space on the first floor of the Steel Stacks building. It’s pretty strange in that it’s a large gathering space that folks headed to other events in the building pass through, so I’m always amazed that some folks actually hang out for our music. The good thing is that a sound engineer and quality sound is provided.
I’m still in my recovery stage from my recent bladder operation, feeling considerable fatigue and related pee concerns, but I am driven to get out and perform, just to see where I’m at in my recovery and for the benefits of simply playing music again.
My daughter Rosalie happened to be in the house for an Improv Festival with her buds from RI, so it was great to have her come up and give me a firm hug. The foursome caught the first set before they had to go on stage upstairs. Several other couples hung out for the greater part of the evening and I took some time to thank them for sticking around, and get some back story on why they were there. It was a good way to get grounded in this large space.
Kris and I played well, especially considering my rust and several months between gigs together, but, I can always could on my good friend for playing with his “ears” on and head in the game. I truly love his ability to knock off leads on his bass, giving us a chance to stretch our sets over a three-hour span. We did a fine job.
The gig did set me back physically the next day, but I came to realize how playing music helps in my recovery.