There are some shows that feel like pure magic. The energy just seems to flow note to note, from song to song, with an unbroken connection between the band members, crew, and audience. It’s a hard magic to capture and repeat, there’s just so many factors: The physical and mental health of all the band members is a big one, but so is the sound of the room itself, the comfort level of the venue, the local music culture, if our gear and the house gear is all working, the vibe of the audience, etc., etc. Of course you hope to always be prepared, but conditions change so much night to night that it’s impossible at this level of touring to prepare for everything. And even if you’re at the level of Madonna and have a huge crew and can bring your own stage and P.A., some nights are probably still just better than others. It’s an ineffable thing.
At any rate, the other night at The Orange Peel in Asheville was one of those magical nights. The Orange Peel itself is one of my fav venues to play in the states (along with the 9:30 Club in DC, where we’re playing tonight) and Asheville is a resilient and music loving community, who we felt honored to play for after all they’ve been through and the subsequent mutual aid and collective rebuilding there.
We had two other very special reasons to motivate us to play extra good: the incredible Angel Olsen was there to sing the encore (!), who is always inspiring to hear or be around. And it was our much-loved long-time tech Max’s last night on tour with us. I definitely shed a few tears saying goodbye to Max, after the years of living together in the pressure cooker that is a tour bus. He will focus on art and family and his own music more now, and I’m so happy for him, and just glad to know the incredibly sweet, caring, source of light that he is. There aren’t enough good men in the world, but Max is one of the best I’ve met.
Yesterday we had a rare day off in one of my favorite music towns, DC. Over the years I have spent a good deal of time here, often to play and record with my good friends Janel and Anthony. Janel is a virtuoso cellist, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and weaver. Anthony is one of the most amazing guitars I have heard and somehow gets even better every time I hear him. I have played in various projects of both of theirs, and sometimes get to play shows and record with their band, Janel and Anthony. We always have so much fun when I’ve been in town to work with them and stayed at their place over the years, listening to and playing music, cooking (mostly Janel, who is a master), and just having the best hangs. They are instrumental players (pun half-intended) in the DC music scene, and have helped to build a vibrant and heterogenous music community here. I am so inspired by both of their commitments to making their own paths, combining the ethos of the most positive aspects of punk with the dedication to craft of player/composers in the new music and jazz traditions. I think of them as DIY virtuosi.
I let Janel know I’d be in town for a couple days, as I always do when I’m coming to town. Lately we’ve been striking out because they’ve both been on tour when I’m here. But this time I had the amazing luck of catching both Janel and Anthony in town, and even better, getting to see them play as a band as part of Porchfest! They have made some of my favorite records and played some of my favorite shows, and yesterday’s was so beautiful and so special. They ended their set with a few pieces by Susan Alcorn, the brilliant pedal steel player whom we recently sadly lost from this plane, and who Janel in particular was close to. Their set was what I needed to hear, and helped refresh and recharge my spirit. After Janel and Anthony, Anthony’s band the Messthetics played, a power trio with Joe Lally and Brendan Canty (well-known collectively as the rhythm section of Fugazi). This is a band that I have long wanted to hear live, and finally got the chance to yesterday. It was such a satisfying and fun set, and sitting beside Janel and listening together to Anthony let loose, laughing in loving disbelief at the amazing things he was pulling off was so heartwarming and joyful. My gratitude to these two for their friendship and musicianship is immense, as is my love for them both.
As I write this I am sitting in the green room of the 9:30 club in DC, my favorite venue to play in the country. I am excited to be here and to get to play in one of my favorite music towns tonight. I am also in my feelings a bit to be here in this current climate. With confusion around federal ‘bathroom bans’ targeting trans people in this town, I don’t feel psyched to go to the great museums here like I sometimes do, which bums me out. I don’t mean to preemptively give in—the legal waters are murky at best as christo-fascists try to legislate us out of existence and some brave souls try to block them—but I’m also on tour and don’t need any extra hassles on a show day and frankly don’t have much emotional reserve to deal with any potential harassment. Such is life in troubled times. I am not at all alone in being a member of scapegoated community, and many others are dealing with much worse than I am. And I feel so much solidarity with and from so many that my spirit feels full even on anxious days. I will have a nice day seeing some friends and playing a show for a strong community in a beautiful city regardless, or maybe in spite of, the bigots currently in power. Our joy is our resistance, and our resistance is our joy.
Tonight: 9:30 Club, DC!