When you creep up on less than 24 hours to your first gig in a month and realize that the laryngitis from the cold you've had for two weeks isn't going away...well, you start to get a little nervous. A few nights ago I was driving back from Dallas and found myself struggling to speak clearly. I don't even know how many shows we've done where I woke up in the morning unable to project much of anything, but every time I guess I've been blessed enough to get my voice back just in time. This time I was starting to get concerned, though. I got home a little after 10pm and went to my music collection for a little inspiration.
After some searching I settled on a few selections from one of my more recent favorite bands, Manchester Orchestra. What a catalog of music those guys have created. I don't know if it's what they intended, but very few musical acts can give the same level of quiet intensity. An example that comes to mind is the track "Apprehension" off their latest record Simple Math. Every time I hear that song it affects me so much that it literally makes me feel nervous and, well, apprehensive. There's this sparseness and foreboding that builds throughout the song that makes me think about looking around every corner. That's such an easy illustration of the visceral way Manchester Orchestra's music affects me, though. Their song "I Can Feel a Hot One" grabs me by the gut - I'd love to play it but I have yet to make it through without crying. Check out this sweet music video:
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There's only one Manchester Orchestra song we cover at our shows, and that's "The Neighborhood Is Bleeding" from the album I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child. It's become a favorite for all of us, and when my voice "miraculously" returned around midnight that's the song I found myself leaping around my living room playing and singing at the top of my lungs. After two weeks of not being able to sing, let's just say it was kind of an ecstatic experience. I don't think there's a music video for this one; otherwise I'd definitely post it. It's such a great song. And it sure got me back in the mood to perform. I played for a good two hours that night and broke a decent sweat. That's what listening to great music does to me. It puts me in the mood to get on stage and just go crazy.
The next night we had one of our best nights at KE Cellars yet. Even though it was a Tuesday (which in the past has been a slow night there for us), lots of our friends showed up and I think we made a good impression on a lot of folks unfamiliar with our music. I do know that we were louder than we've ever been there on a weeknight. I'm excited to tone it down and get a little bit rootsy Friday night playing at the Purple Pig with Walker, and then my dad and I will play another totally different style of set Saturday at Java Jams. But our first show back was exactly what we needed. Lots of energy, lots of motivation for the next few weeks.
Oh, and here's one more beautiful music video from Manchester Orchestra for "Simple Math"...
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