I learned back in the Goodlife days that - if you do your due diligence in rehearsals - the band probably sounds better than you think it does.
We were pretty psyched for the Jammin' Java show last night. The band has come together very quickly (I've only been rehearsing with these guys since September) and on the strength of our Iota show we decided to make good use of the club's Pro Tools setup and record the gig.
The pressure skyrockets whenever tape starts rolling.
We had a little trouble with the stage mix - lots of brick reflecting the sound... we didn't want to blow away the folks at the tables but then there's no turning down the drums. Mike and I had a hard time tuning into each others' vocals in the monitors. Right from the soundcheck I felt out of sorts.
But I learned at a New Year's Eve gig ten years ago that there's no point getting sour about a bad start. I let a bad start get to me back then and wrote off the set halfway through (it even showed in my face in the photos), then a few months later heard the mixdowns - they were pretty good. A few songs even made the CD we released that year. I wished I hadn't given up on things halfway through.
So last night we powered through the anxiety. About halfway through the first set we all started to click, and by the second set we'd settled in to a comfortable cruising groove. We all felt a little off but the crowd response was great (forty people or so, but the applause was explosive) and everyone we talked to really enjoyed the show.
I think when Mike mixes the tracks down they'll sound pretty solid. Maybe we won't have enough to release a live EP, but I'm still looking forward to hearing the results.
And in better news, Billy Zero played a couple of Mike's songs on XM Unsigned yesterday. Thanks, Billy!