Amazing
I just had the most amazing evening. For my ex's birthday, I dragged him down to City Winery to see Mike Doughty and Andrew "Scrap" Livingston perform their award-winning Question Jar show, promoting the new Stellar Motel CD.
OMG.
OMG.
OMG.
Mike played an assortment of electrical and acoustic instruments (an assortment of guitars, banjo, electric...mandolin?) and his partner played phenomenal cello. I only cried twice (or maybe 3 times) due to the combination of nostalgia, mood, and incredible live performance. They had a stageworthy improv standup-y thing going in between instrument changes, where they riffed off the questions written down by audience members and pulled from the eponymous "question jar" onstage.
This is also the venue you want to go to if you are like me and older, want seats, excellent acoustics, a small audience, and fabulous food and wine to go with your entertainment. Seats are reserved and are either tables or bar stools. We had an obstructed view, so there was a big flatscreen TV showing the performance right in front of us, which was perfect.
The menu rocked: a Murray's Cheese-curated cheese board! Excellent wines by the glass or bottle! The scallops were fantastic and the speck, tallegio, sage, and butternut flatbread was phenomenal. (The charcuterie board was also great, and the brussels sprouts were fine but mine are better.).
It was food for the body and food for the soul. I cannot remember the last time I had such a satisfying experience; Mike Doughty's resonant voice was served well by the pared-down instrumentation, and the cellist was just a joy. Hilariously, he got absolutely none of the Soul Coughing references. Mike was thrilled every time one went over his head.
(The only drawback was the woman two seats over from me who sang along to, like, everything. Very audibly. Just about every time I was going to say something the ask her to stop, she'd pause for a bit. I don't blame her for the impulse, but COME ON. I want to hear THEM, not YOU.)
Some of the songs he played tonight:
Light Will Keep Your Heart Beating in the Future
Madeline and Nine
Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well
I Hear the Bells You can also read this entry on Dreamwidth (
comments)
OMG.
OMG.
OMG.
Mike played an assortment of electrical and acoustic instruments (an assortment of guitars, banjo, electric...mandolin?) and his partner played phenomenal cello. I only cried twice (or maybe 3 times) due to the combination of nostalgia, mood, and incredible live performance. They had a stageworthy improv standup-y thing going in between instrument changes, where they riffed off the questions written down by audience members and pulled from the eponymous "question jar" onstage.
This is also the venue you want to go to if you are like me and older, want seats, excellent acoustics, a small audience, and fabulous food and wine to go with your entertainment. Seats are reserved and are either tables or bar stools. We had an obstructed view, so there was a big flatscreen TV showing the performance right in front of us, which was perfect.
The menu rocked: a Murray's Cheese-curated cheese board! Excellent wines by the glass or bottle! The scallops were fantastic and the speck, tallegio, sage, and butternut flatbread was phenomenal. (The charcuterie board was also great, and the brussels sprouts were fine but mine are better.).
It was food for the body and food for the soul. I cannot remember the last time I had such a satisfying experience; Mike Doughty's resonant voice was served well by the pared-down instrumentation, and the cellist was just a joy. Hilariously, he got absolutely none of the Soul Coughing references. Mike was thrilled every time one went over his head.
(The only drawback was the woman two seats over from me who sang along to, like, everything. Very audibly. Just about every time I was going to say something the ask her to stop, she'd pause for a bit. I don't blame her for the impulse, but COME ON. I want to hear THEM, not YOU.)
Some of the songs he played tonight:
Light Will Keep Your Heart Beating in the Future
Madeline and Nine
Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well
I Hear the Bells You can also read this entry on Dreamwidth (
comments)