The longest I've smiled in ages

As I mentioned in yesterday's entry, earlier tonight we went to see Sarah and Ben, in their guise as The Camaraderie, play at the Deep South Bar in Raleigh. They were the first of four bands and the only one I had the chance to see. (We had to leave not long after their set due to some previously committed and important early-morning obligations.)

I know I'm biased, but still:  Their half-hour set was great.  I enjoyed every song, they were tight, the mix was well above average for a club, and they made very few missteps.  Each time I hear them, they get better.

Seriously, if you live around here, you'd be doing yourself a favor to catch them any time they're playing out.

The club had also done a good job of turning a somewhat run-down space into a neat performance venue by simply painting the walls solid colors and then writing on those walls snippets of band lyrics in mostly bold, white letters. 

Sarah came up to me before the set to point out that she would be playing on a stage whose front contained a few lines from one of her favorite bands, The Hold Steady.  Check out the writing on the black riser in the lower right of this photo.

As always, click on an image to see a larger version.

The full text may be hard to read, so here it is:

and I'm pretty sure we kissed
gonna walk around and drink some more

I had to point out to her the Jim Morrison lyrics that you can see in the upper right of this picture.

Yeah, I liked the place.

About halfway through the set, as I was listening to the music and watching them play and sing, I realized I had been smiling for some time.  The smile stayed on my face for almost the whole time they were on the stage.  I realized that seeing my children excel at something they love is a tremendous source of joy for me.  Watching Sarah on that stage was simply wonderful.

You may have noticed that I said the smile was on my face for almost the whole set.   The only time it wasn't came when they finished the song, "The Ladder," and in rapid order I remembered 

My mother loved that song.

My mother would have loved to see this show.

My mother is dead and never will see Sarah and Ben on stage together.  

My vision turned watery for a moment, and my heart felt slow and heavy, but then I recalled the times Mom got to see Sarah perform in orchestra concerts and in recitals.  I reminded myself that Mom loved Sarah and Scott, and she was incredibly proud of them.  She missed this show, and I am sad for that, but she saw a lot. 

I also know for certain that she would have understood exactly how I felt, because even though we couldn't really afford it, she somehow managed to scrape together the funds to take me to see Richard Kiley in the road show of The Man from La Mancha when it came to the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg when I was a teenager.  She and I loved that show, and she gave me a gift that on that night helped define me, that made me always and forever want to be a better man.

Then Sarah and Ben started a new song, my grief retreated to the hole it will probably always occupy in me, and the smile returned to my face. 

Where you should be Friday night, August 10, 2012

(which is tonight as most of you read this) is, if you live in the Research Triangle Park area, the Deep South Bar in Raleigh. The reason is simple: Ben and Sarah will be performing there as The Camaraderie. 

I'll be there to catch their show, so if you come, be sure to say hi.

The concert at our house

Last night, as I've mentioned in a few previous posts, we held at our home a house show featuring Levi Weaver, a fine Nashville musician. Opening for Levi was The Camaraderie, which in its current incarnation is Ben and Sarah. The crowd wasn't as big as we had hoped, but it was still more than two dozen people, which isn't bad.

The show itself was delightful. I know I'm prejudiced, because my daughter is one of the performers, but I thoroughly enjoyed the music these fine folks made for us.

Ben and Sarah opened with a set that included a few numbers I hadn't heard before. As you can see in this iPhone photo--I have to apologize for its poor quality--they were literally playing in front of some bookcases and next to our dog crates (out of the frame on Sarah's right; the dogs were on a sleepover).  Each time I see them perform, they get better.  If you get a chance to catch them, take it.

As always, click on an image to see a larger version of it.

After a bit of a set change and some setup, Levi came onto the stage.

He played for about an hour with songs in a variety of styles, but almost all personal and heartfelt. My favorite by far was "Dark Clay." I would have happily done all the work behind tonight's show for that one song.

Definitely check out Levi's music.  You'll be glad you did.

After the show, many folks bought merch--as they should!--and we put out a ton of desserts:  rich, dark brownies; tart and sweet lemon bars; yummy, chewy cookies; silky and whipped-cream-covered key lime pie; and, of course, six different flavors of ice cream from The Parlour.  

After the show, as Levi was tearing down his gear, we talked about some of those things that always trouble artists of all types:  the quality of your work vs. the fame and/or success it brings you, how those noises in your head only hurt you, how all that really matters in the end is the work.

I'm truly glad we held this show, and I thank Levi, Ben, and Sarah for singing for us.  I wish you all could have been there.

Want to hear live music at my house on June 6?

Yeah, you read that right:  we're hosting a small concert of sorts, a house show, on June 6.

It's a first for us, but it looks like it'll be fun.

The opening act is The Camaraderie, which is Ben and Sarah.  I am, of course, biased, but I can honestly say that they play good music that I thoroughly enjoy.  I'd enjoy their music even if I didn't know them. 

The main act is Levi Weaver, a Nashville singer/songwriter. I saw him once before and quite enjoyed his performance; you can read more about that show here.  After buying all his CDs and signing up for his mailing list, I learned that he was looking for a venue in Raleigh on June 6.  We offered to host him.

We all read all the time about the music industry going through drastic changes, about artists finding alternative ways to support themselves.  Well, now you can witness one of those options firsthand, have a great time listening to live music, and visit with the musicians (and me, if you'd like) afterward. 

We've set up a Facebook page where you can read more about it.  We're asking for a donation of "$10 or pay what you can." We'll be selling soft drinks and bottles of water for a buck a pop, with any profits going to the acts.

As if all of that wasn't enough to tempt you, after the show, at no charge we'll be providing dessert for all who are there.  We'll have homebaked goods and possibly even some local-made ice cream.

If you'd like to come, email leviinraleigh@gmail.com, and tell us how many of you there will be.  We'll get back to you with the address. 

I hope we can fill the house, help Levi make a little money (as the donation should make clear, no one's getting rich from this), and all have a grand time.  I'm positive the last will happen; the first two are up to you.

The Camaraderie perform: Sarah and Ben on stage

Click on the image to see a larger one.
Sorry about the white eyes;
I ran out of time to correct them.

Last night, the Broad Street Cafe in Durham hosted the debut of Ben and Sarah performing on stage together. Ben's "group," the Camaraderie, has been for some time him and any other people he happens to be working with at the time. (You can pick up his debut EP here; I recommend it.) Last night, Sarah joined Ben as part of the group.

Ben played guitar and was the lead singer. He also wrote most, if not all, of the songs. Sarah, as you can see in my not-very-good iPhone photo, played violin and sang back-up. They did a half-hour set as the opener for another act.

They were very good. As I always do in clubs, I wanted the sound mix to emphasize the vocals more, but even with the more or less standard mix they received, the sound was good. I knew most but not all of the songs from either the EP or hearing Ben perform them on his own, but they were newly interesting for the inclusion of the violin. Had I not known either of the performers, I still would have enjoyed the show.

Of course, with one of them being my daughter, I enjoyed it even more. I was proud, as you'd expect me to be, but it was more than that. As I do with Sarah's writing, I took a special joy and pride in seeing her pursue an art that she is passionate about. I couldn't help but at times feel again as I have over the years, watching her perform in an orchestra or walk on stage at school, that my body wasn't big enough or strong enough to contain my feelings, that everyone around me would see and be embarrassed by the sheer intensity of the love and pride I felt for Sarah. No one noticed, of course, but parents everywhere understand what I mean. Our children don't get it, not really, not yet; how could they? If they one day have their own children, though, then perhaps they will think of how we felt about them when their own feelings threaten to overcome them.

I was so very, very proud and happy for Sarah, and for Ben.

At the end, they sang a tune about living apart and getting to see each other only occasionally. They've held their relationship together over two years of that and then another semester while Sarah was abroad, and the joy they took in this song and in those days being behind them was evident in the performance.

Ben and Sarah will be playing at least a few more gigs locally over the coming months. I'll alert you about them here. If you get a chance, go see them. You'll be glad you did.