Forgery League

Julian came by to record last night, and we laid down a demo version of “Gold Thieves”. It’s a good ole hurtin’ song. Who knew we could be so country?

“Suit Impostor Prophesy” may take a little longer. We have yet to decide on a “fast” song to kick the demo off - maybe “Idiot Grin” or “Threshold Interrupt”.

Julian and I hit the open stage again tonight - we played “Ruins The Story” and “Threshold Interrupt”, both songs we hadn’t touched in a while. For “Interrupt” we got the house drummer to sit in, which was a first… Both Julian and I played and sang with freakish intensity, spurred on by the loudness. I have no idea if I hit any notes at all, but damn, we had energy, and damn, it was fun.

Plenty of kind words, especially from our host. It was a pretty darn good night all round. The Oasis is definitely my favorite of the open stages we’ve played at. It has lots of great performers, while being unintimidating for newcomers, and the variety of different acts keeps things interesting. Possibly best of all, several instrumentalists are on hand, willing to sit in on a song or two - it’s all very free-flowing and inviting.

I think it’s time to start writing out chord charts so people can play along with us. Yay!

It’s been an impulsive day. I went out shopping for a mirrored cabinet for the bathroom. A rare item in these parts, it seems: I came up empty-handed.

On the way, however, I happened on an HMV. Now, HMV isn’t my usual haunt for record shopping - I prefer to shop at the little independents - but on a whim I stopped in. For a good while I wandered around from section to section, checking out everything that caught my eye, desperately trying to remember the name of an apparently amazing acoustic guitarist someone recommended. Rather lovely jazzy-bossa-trip-step somethingorother on the store speakers. (Jazzanova, I think?)

I picked up some Prokofiev, since there wasn’t any in my collection yet. Also got the new Sarah Slean album, Night Bugs after hearing bits and pieces on the radio - the harmonies on the poppy closing track, “Bank Accounts”, nearly had me in tears at the listening booth. (So did “L’autre valse d’Amelie” from the Amélie soundtrack, which I must also get sometime.)

Bay station - an older fellow was playing accordion there, something slow and sweet. He seemed even a little surprised when I dropped a loonie in the tray in front of him. Funny: in the days surrounding our move, I was reserved, even distant, shutting myself off from everything while I got my head wrapped around this new lifestyle, living mostly in my head. It feels like I’ve returned, now. I’ve found myself making more contact with people around me, noticing them more, starting up conversations with people panhandling on the street…

(Man! That Sarah Slean tune is still going through my head. And I just realized that one line in the chorus ends with the harmony and main melody a major seventh apart. Yow.)

In the afternoon J came by and we practiced a bit before heading to the Oasis for the weekly open stage. I’d never been there before, and I was immediately impressed - by the comfy surroundings, the smoke-free back room, the diverse tapas menu, the sound, and the diversity of the acts. It was a nice change from the parade of acoustic guitars at other places we’ve been. Oh, there were guitars, including ours, and they made some great sounds in the hands of our fellow musicians. But there were several duos and bands (the stage setup generally includes a drum kit), one woman who sang to prerecorded accompaniment (much better than that makes it sound), and a rather odd fellow who did a sort of stand-up comedy (I had to wonder if it was an act, or whether he was Really Like That). As with any open stage, the acts varied wildly in experience and skill, but regardless, it was always fun.

J and I played two of his: “My Apology” and “Suit Impostor Prophesy”. I played better - miles and miles better - than I’ve ever played on stage before, and stayed fairly relaxed all the way through. Partly, it may have been that I was playing better, but generally, I just wasn’t worried any longer about what everyone might think of us. Before I would have cringed every time I squeaked on a high note or played out of key. Now, I just let it flow - easier now that the music is coming much more from my hands than from thinking about each note. It’s like learning to crawl, then walk, then run.

At this rate, I should be airborne soon. I wonder what that would sound like…