Back at Oasis, which has become a staple gig for me regardless of the kind of music I play there. I first played Oasis with Bert Wray Blues (band). We did 5 shows over the course of a year. Then in March I played a solo acoustic show inside the market. This time I was back for a Friday night on the patio with my PA.
On arrival I expected to find a bluegrass jam that was happening between 5-6 before I was to go on at 6:30 with my show. The jam never happened an older cat with a washtub bass and a big hat was sitting on a chair outside the market. My preternatural senses told me that he was the only person to show up for the jam and that he was hoping to jam with me. Onside, Jackie confirmed that this was the case, so I asked her if he was any good to which she confirmed that he was pretty skilled at playing the homemade instrument. SO with a sigh I went out and arranged for him to sit in with me, and I even used a Sure 57 mic to amplify his playing a bit. It turned our that he was pretty good and could tune the notes with a lever. Just by ear he played 1-4-5 type blues and rags pretty sweet. ON the slower more melodic songs it was a bit weird sounding. Eventually he got bored after about 12 songs and split. I took the opportunity to switch to my 12 string Guild which I'd brought along for nostalgia and simply because it had been so long since it had seen a gig. It really takes me back to the Frederick MD coffeeshop days when I would play it around Maryland, PA, and West Virginia.
My guitar playing was good, especially the strumming. I ran the sound real low and created a nice tone for the guitar. I put a touch of reverb on the vocals and set the mic volume to where I could sing a bit away from the screen--the EV mic does this well. I remembered 95% of the lyrics to the 24 songs on the list. A couple of songs featured mashed up choruses or mangled lines in the versus. I captured some good videos of the music by setting the tripod up low in the performing area and using the selfie camera so I could monitor the view.
The audience was small but a few appreciative people were watching through every some. There was a nice outside vibe with the sky a mix of blue and puffy clouds, the shopfronts of Chatham Street and the cool murals on the walls of Oasis. A humid breeze blew across the market grounds. One older couple who were traveling around watched 3/4 of the show, funding bottle of ice cold water from the market. They even gave me one. At one point the man, a big, long-bearded dude, thanked me for doing all my own songs. he said it allows the artist to get into it more and he digs it. I needed to hear that as it gets hard playing the same catalog of original songs when many people just don't want to take the chance on your songs. Writing my own music begins with making it for myself, but there is always an audience in mind, and without some positive connections it can tax the artistic spirit. So thank you bearded-one for your kind comments. A few people drifted in and out alone as they had some food or drink form Oasis. Another couple settled in and watched the second set. It was a quiet night for Oasis and Siler City except for the music that I played. The recent artistic movement in downtown Siler City is inspirational and I always wish it and its purveyors the best.
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