Thoughts On The 1 Uppers Gig 4/17
Friday night the 1 Uppers took the stage at Conor Byrne in Ballard. It was an opportunity for us to perform a number of new original songs. My newly simplified guitar signal chain (guitar + 1 effect + amp) really sounded and felt good. I had a minor challenge with my output jack on the tele which seems to be problematic… may need another go-round with the guitar doctor. The set went very smoothly and I enjoyed the way the new material flowed. It’s difficult for six musicians to play together without creating a muddy dense sound and I think we’ve gotten into a good habit of leaving plenty of space for interplay and dynamics.
As always, Jon Hyde and Kris Geren positively rocked the house. Those guys are both incredible players, and they fully deserve the accolades and attention at our gigs. Conor Byrne is the kind of bar musicians love to play… it’s comfortable, the bartenders are easy-going, the band gets drink tickets that can be redeemed for awesome microbrew beer (most bars restrict the band to crummy beer), and the regulars are supportive of live music.