John Hendow

On Friday night The 1 Uppers played at the Rendezvous in Seattle. Among my favorite aspects of this venue is their dinner menu which includes a fabulous Mac and Cheese. I freely admit to having a pathological focus on my lifelong quest for the ultimate Mac and Cheese, and the ultimate French Toast. Everybody has a mission, and this noble cause is mine.

Almost immediately upon loading our gear onto the stage and beginning a quick soundcheck, there was a disheartening “pop” followed by the smell of smoke. Caben’s bass amp apparently decided to take the night off. Fortunately our practice room is a short car ride away, and he successfully procured a stand-in amp before our set began.

While I was enjoying dinner and a beer, the co-billed band “Fasten With Pins” performed a wonderful set of a cappella music. The three vocalists in the band blend beautifully and  it’s always fun to hear them.

We took the stage with the six of us occupying our customary positions on the stage. For a portion of the set, we invited “Fasten With Pins” to join us and sing backups. The stage at the Rendezvous is just about big enough for nine people… good thing we’re a cozy bunch! All of the songs in our set went quite well, and I’d say our rendition of “Maybe Probably” was easily the best we’ve ever delivered. At the end of our set the audience seemed interested in an encore, so we decided to premiere a song we’ve been working on for this week’s show. It was well received.

This was a fun evening. Both of my parents were in attendance, which is a rarity. Neither of them had heard this band before, and I doubt they’d classify themselves as fans of country music. On the way home, they both said they really enjoyed the show. Then again, they might have just been acting polite to ensure I’d give them a ride back to the house.