Kysia
Singer
Posts: 7
(3/18/03 1:41 pm)
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3/12/03 - CBGB's (New York, NY) Solo Show
With the cancelation of the Virginia show and such, I was no longer driving out to the East Coast and took the opportunity to utilize the convenience of a quick flight. Wednesday morning started at 4:30am with one hour of sleep. Thanks to a ride from my friend Sam, I was at the airport in Detroit quite early with no tickets in hand in order to find a decently cheap flight out. Spontaneity in the presence of determination was the primary driving force behind making this New York show happen. Soon enough, it was noon and I was being dropped off at the door of CBGB's, bags in hand. Without a place to settle, I left my things with the venue and set out to explore the Big Apple. Such an amazing city. So big, so complex, yet so easily maneuverable. I guess coming from Detroit, one of the few big cities with no mass transit, the convenience of a subway system is not taken for granted. So after calling up some local colleagues to find out a good place to get some equipment for the night, I made my way on the train to Times Square. The visual stimulation there was like non I had ever seen before. It was there I really realized how small I was in the world. That was the moment I really wish I could share with the rest of the guys in the band. I really didn't want to be there in the big city alone, without them. With all the time on my hands that afternoon, instead of exploring the any further, I spent much of it at the guitar store sampling some of their high-end acoustic guitars, and well, practicing my licks for the night. It was there that I decided what cover I wanted to do later that night. Later I met up with Kevin, my host for the week. I got a bit of rest and headed back to CBGB's. I had just missed an earlier showcase of local beatboxers that I wish I could have caught, but the venue was pretty full of patrons there from that show slowly filtering out. As they began to depart, new faces began to filter in for the singer/songwriter showcase. The crowd was steady at CB's 313 Gallery, the section of CBGB's that I was playing that night. A look at the head count on a sheet at the door was a bit discouraging. Next to my name on the list stood one check for people there to see me. That one check was me, not even a single paying patron there for me. I worried the crowd would grow sparse once the other acts finished, and with me closing the night, there would be no one left in the room by the time I played. Luckily, that wasn't the case and as it became later, more and more checks began to appear next to my name. It was a bit of a surprise, with only about 8 or so people there that I knew coming out to visit and support me. By the time I took the stage, there was a nice crowd settled into their seats and ready to see me acoustically interpret the six or so Greenstreet songs I picked for the night. After getting the recording equipment going back at the sound booth, I returned to the stage to start things off with a jazzy lick I was playing back at the music store earlier that day. I greeted the audience and slipped into the first song of the set, Never Say Goodbye. After gauging my voice on a few of the tricky parts of the song, I knew I wasn't going to have too much trouble with the rest of the set and hit a groove. I felt comfortable enough to go right into Jason Mraz's, You & I Both, which is a solid song that challenges vocal range and inflection. The execution went unexpectedly smooth, and with the exception of a semi shaky acoustic version of All for You, I went through the rest of the set with relative ease and confidence. After closing with Sanity, the sound guy requested that I play one more. Making a bold move asking the crowd for any requests, which can blow up in your face when performing in front of people who have no idea who you are, a group of girls in town and on break from school in South Carolina requested Matt's Song. Not exactly a song I planned on playing, let alone closing with, it played quite well and capped off the night. Directly afterwards I started getting calls from people back home who checked out the live webcast which was really cool. Mike and Scott from the band caught the set with some friends on their computers. Happy with the set, I was even more surprised to see that my name at the door had recieved a total of 22 checks tallied for it out of the 50 or so that were at the show. It's great to see that Greenstreet has gained some attention out on the East Coast and I can't wait to return with the full band next time. The days following the performance I was able to enjoy the city and get some much needed R&R. I'd really like to thank native New Yorker John Pinamonti for lending me his guitar for the show that night and who was also apart of the showcase. Everyone who came out to the show, I really appreciate your support and please keep in touch so we can let you know when the band is coming back. Thanks to Erin who was sweet enough to show me around the city. And a very special thanks to my host for the week Kevin and the rest of his roomates, Eric and Scott, who put me up and were very accommodating. I can't wait to come back to New York!
Set List -
Intro
Never Say Goodbye
You & I Both #
Save the Worms
Remembered
All for You
On the Weekend
Sanity
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Matt's Song
# - Jason Mraz
-= Kysia
Edited by: Kysia at: 3/18/03 1:49:03 pm
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