proud as can be

I know it sounds trite and goofy, but I'm proud of all of my friends. I'm surrounded by so many fantastic and talented people and  I especially love it when I get to see their name on a marquee. 

I worked extra hard for the last three weeks to earn enough money for a new camera. I really wanted to have it for Otis Gibbs' album release party. I giggled when I saw Otis’ name on the marquee of the Vogue and a ticket scalper in front of the Vogue. I think a scalper is a sure sign that you’ve made it!

The Vogue was packed! I overheard someone say the evening felt like a class reunion; only it was with people that you actually want to see. I was anxious to catch up with singer-songwriter, friend, former co-worker and Otis girlfriend -- Amy Lashley. I had not seen her since they moved to Nashville over a year ago. 

I was enjoying the camaraderie and my new camera even though I had no idea how to actually use it.

Otis started the show with several solo acoustic songs, then brought Amy to the stage to sing and the rest of the band to join him. 

They sounded great and harmonized beautifully.

I loved looking back and seeing another friend, Jonee Quest running sound.

I wound up spending the second half of the show selling Otis merchandise. Which I love! I’m not good at math or standing still, but I seem to be a merch savant. I told music booker/ talent buyer, Matt Schwegman that I’d always wanted to be a merch girl at the Vogue. I guess I need a new goal now.

It became apparent after just a few minutes that I had totally no idea how to operate my new SLR camera, including shooting without the flash. I’d read the manual and practiced on my cat, but that didn’t translate to real life photography. Matthew “Dirty Matt” Aaron gave me a quick lesson. Matt is an amazing photographer, you can find his work lining the backstage walls of Verizon Music Center (Deer Creek for you traditionalists) and in a bunch of CDs. Getting a photo lesson from Matt is equivalent to getting a violin lesson from Itzhak Perlman. 

I made my annual trip to the Alley Cat after the show. Much like the Red Key, nothing seems to change there – in a good way.

Amy and I caught up on our lives pretty quickly. 

The show also marked my first time out and about after The Incident - wheeee! 

More photos here.