Inaugural Performance at Javateas
It was a beautiful Friday evening in March, on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day. We arrived at Javateas around six, planning to set up the sound equipment and then enjoy some dinner before my show started at 7:30. Javateas is a very cozy little cafe so it took us a while to really decide on the best place to set up allowing for the greatest space possible for fans to sit comfortably. Thankfully, Donna is very gifted with spatial concepts! Kris arrived and didn’t hesitate in helping us set up the speakers and move things around. Once everything was set up and plugged in we were ready for the sound check. So I began singing, “Today the breeze came blowing down……” and I saw Donna shaking her head. No sound. I stopped strumming and tried to resolve the situation with a carefully regimented system of ‘jiggling the cords and plugs’ and tried again . . . “along the coast from Provincetown. It brought the……” I see both Kris and Donna shaking their heads – still no sound. So I went to step two of my technical plan which is to unplug and re-plug all of the microphone and speaker cords. “sunshine and a blue, blue sky and treasured memories have……” Nope – nothing – zilch. Hmmmmmm….. time to get serious. I turned off the mixer and then unplugged it. I waited a few seconds before plugging it back in and powering up again. “Today the breeze came . . . . .” STILL NOTHING! Well that was the extent of my ‘expertise’ involving mixers, so we implemented plan B – the backup mixer. It is not as fancy, no digital delay, but it WORKS! So we were able to finally sound check and set mic levels with Donna and Kris giving their input. Thanks ladies! :) Phew! And THAT is why I have a back up mixer. Now it was time for dinner. Wow, Javateas has a nice menu with several vegetarian options. I chose their ‘Herb & Tomato Flatbread melt’ and it was really delicious! For a beverage I had a wonderful frozen Café Mocha – YUM! The staff that evening were friendly and helpful and made everyone feel very welcome. Friends and fans began arriving after 6:45. The place filled up fast. It was so great to see so many familiar faces coming out to listen to my music and enjoy an evening together. Then things really got crazy once the unique feature in the restroom was discovered. (I won’t give it away for those that have never been) Suddenly there was a parade of folks heading to the restroom with the supportive cheers of others saying, ‘Have Fun!’
I started off my set with material from my newest CD and the second half of the evening heard more selections from ‘With a Little Stardust’ and at least one song from ‘Anything Can Happen’. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, in-between songs I shared stories of what it was like growing up in a very Celtic family. The last song of the evening was a brand new song called, ‘My Heart’s Home’ which I wrote in the style of an Irish ballad specifically for this performance. It was very well received.
The place was filled with so many wonderful friends and fans. I had a great time chatting with everyone at intermission. The energy in the room was really bright and happy and we shared a lot of laughter that evening and also shared deep connections with some of my more emotional songs. I felt like we were all on the journey together. Although not everyone there knew each other, I think by the end of the night we all felt like friends. That is how it seemed to me as strangers were introduced to each other and began sharing conversation and laughter.
One of my favorite things about performing is what we have come to call the ‘after party’ which usually occurs in the parking lot of the venue. This is where we gather after the place has closed for the night but we are all having too much fun to say goodbye. We talked and laughed for an hour or more out in the parking lot until the cold air and my full bladder finally forced the evening to end. All of the places around Javateas had closed, but thankfully the Weis across the street is open 24 hours! A quick trip to the Weiss restroom (which was nowhere near as interesting as the restroom at Javateas!) and our wonderful evening came to an end. However, the memories from that night will always bring a smile to my face. Thank you to all who attended. For those that couldn’t make it, I hope you felt like you were able to share in the fun a little bit by reading about it here.
Much love,
Jennifer