1/29/05

Uncommon Ground

To everyone who has missed these stellar journal entries, my apologies… the muse just wasn’t there. Well, that, and it’s kind of hard to write about fainting without sounding like you’re coaxing pity. So, since we last met…

… there was a rockin’ Halloween show…

… and a fun show with Mr. Brian Sharpe opening with us…

… and then this Saturday, with a Quinn’s Uncles first…

SRO.

Standing Room Only, baby. That’s right. We sold out. No, not to The Man. We sold out the backroom of Uncommon Ground.

I’m not going to belittle this accomplishment with details of the size of the room or that technically about another 10-20 people could’ve fit in.

I’m just going to take it for the great accomplishment it was.

You know, last night I was in Barnes & Noble doing what all geeky English majors do to kill time before an 8:50 movie (Million Dollar Baby – if you haven’t seen it, go. If you go, stay. If you stay, be prepared… it’s a rough one), I came across an article in Q (no, not GQ) about the band Keane. I love this band. They’re one of the few new bands I can get into… however, the main songwriter/keyboard player said the one thing that annoys me more than anything – he said something to the effect of “I was really annoyed by the people screaming. It’s kind of nice, but sometimes, you want them just to listen.”

Dude, I beg to differ.

I like listening. Sure. What songwriter doesn’t want their ego rubbed by having people hear and respond to lyrics or cool melodic moments or great guitar solos? But, come on, dude… put out the album and then hang out at home if you want solid listening.

Because nothing… NOTHING… beats the sound of people cheering, laughing at antics that have nothing to do with the music, singing along, etc.

We perform because of the response.

I actually hope and pray for ear piercing screams every time I walk on stage or pick up a guitar.

And we had a night like that on Saturday. The kind of night that makes us feel like rock stars. We played well, too. That’s always nice. When we got to the end, we wanted to keep going and going and going. I think the audience was still with us, too, but how great to leave with everyone wanting more, including us.

The original Meade duo showed up for the show, all the way from the great beyond known as Michigan – Billy and Johnny Mike. The ones who started the Meade Brother tradition of being the best of buddies and the oddest of pairs (the good news is that both me and Tim have height advantages over our counterparts). Aunt Marcia and Mom were there, with their hilarious husbands, enjoying every minute of it. Truly, special guest stars.  For them, we played “Wake Up, Little Susie”… from, once again, a brotherly duo.

So, tonight, we salute brothers… and the crazy women who love them…

Thanks to everyone for being at the show. We really appreciate your support… whether you drove in from Florida or walked from down the street… thanks for being there.