Drom...

Just posted the last in a series of blogs on my main web page about my set up with my laptop.  Been reviewing all the research I initially did and realizing the whole time that there is still more to know about the equipment and software that I use.  I've been bending it to suit my needs but that only covers what I have imagined I can do with the software and hardware I own.  The wealth of ideas out there about what can be done is astounding.  I guess now that there's a lull after the album release parties I can start to delve into them.

Oh, the show the other night at Drom.  Incredibly fun.  We made it into town with plenty of time to make those three stops I mentioned and get to Drom minutes after 4:30pm.  Jeff, our bassist and the producer of the album, was already standing outside waiting for us.   Alec and Tony, were not far off.

When I walked in, I was blown away but what a nice venue it was.  Down a flight of stairs from street level and under a sushi bar, through the door and behind a curtain, there was the dimly lit lobby area filled with leather couches and chairs.  Beyond this seating area, the high ceilinged restaurant and bar area and the stage, raised up and in the far corner with a full lighting rig, projection screen, PA system with on stage monitors.   The sound guy was real nice and helpful and we had everything set up and miked in a matter of minutes.  We tested out the video projector as well for the video premiere and at one point he flipped a switch and a beautiful projection filled one of the brick walls beside the stage.

Afterward, we were shown the green room, accessed through the kitchen to the left of the stage, and up a flight of stairs.   The band then split up to grab dinner.  Alec, the drummer, and I hit a ramen place around the corner on 4th Street and we made it back in time to shoot the breeze at the venue.  Lacy was holed up in the green room until the show started so we were up there discussing logistics of the set and  the like and getting our drink tickets.  At some point, when discussing how to open, the idea came up to start the show with her song Dancing out of the Dark, but have the band start first and have her walk out to the song.  After that we didn't deviate from the set list too much and everything went fairly well, despite a hiccup with the video projector when we took a break to premiere the video.

It was so good to get up and play again with a full band, both in Philly and in NYC, but this night was particularly fun because it was the biggest venue I've played since playing at Pianos with Teletextile back in November of 2010.  The big turnout we had helped.  Also, having had the chance to become so familiar with the music and iron out all the instrument changes and technical aspects of playing with such a diverse array of equipment, made it all go smoothly enough that I was easier to enjoy the experience of being on stage and not be so stressed that everything is going to work.  I can only imagine it's going to get better the more we perform.

Now we are turning our thoughts toward forming a New York band and finding time and a space to rehearse regularly.  Should be fun.  And hopefully now, that I've bridged the gap between having all this equipment and software and barely knowing how to make it all function, and actually being able to play a show using it all successfully with almost no hiccups, I can start working on writing and eventually performing my own music.

Anyway, we had the whole show filmed and there should be pictures as well from it.  A few have surfaced on the web. I'll try and find them and link to them at some point.  For now.  It's back to the grind.