Garage Orchestra @ Sxsw Esther's Follies

A Great review of our show at SXSW from the syndicated NPR show Sound Opinions!...@ 22:24
http://www.soundopinions.org/show/434#

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I just arrived home from Austin Tx on Monday and it was such a joyful reunion with my son Alexander, and the family, our good friends the Hahm's, that he stayed with those 10 days. In New Mexico I picked up trinkets for their son and mine, bullwhips, and a dream catcher for their 9 year old daughter. 
A delight to be back home with family and friends. 

For the 10 days I was gone, everyone here suddenly discovered Pharrell Williams Happy. So not only is my son and the Hahm's singing it but the next day at work several students want to learn it on guitar. So i put it on the player just now, listen, catch the wave, irresistible even in it's nonsensical nebulosity. You can't not feel happy in the listening. It reminds me of some of the music I liked best as a kid, in the Charlie Brown 1973 Thanksgiving special a riff between Snoopy and Woodstock, a song called Little Birdie. Listen to them both and tell me you don't hear just a little bit of that too. I'm a total sucker for that 70s style pop-soul.

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Last Wednesday was our official show at SXSW and we lucked out and got one of the best rooms in town. It's a comedy club part of the time and it's got elevated seats, (yes! one of the few venues that lets you sit down and watch a show) that lead down to the thoroughly colorful stage, with props and multi colored lights. Perfect for the Garage Orchestra sound. The sound was great and lights were very creative. We had a good crowd and folks dug the sounds. 

Renata Bratt on cello, Randy Hoffman on percussion and wall heater cover

Paula Luber on vibraphone. She and I drove a minivan out to Texas with most of our stuff. Three days there, three days back. Listening to lectures recorded from a medical convention (actually very interesting stuff!)

David Schwartz on bass and fuzz tones. David and Jody Schwartz got into Austin Monday night and we had a lovely dinner and hang with them and their LA drummer friend Michael Jerome Moore, a few days before the crazy began. 

By Wednesday the town was full of road blocks and spring breakers and mini-vans like ours. We were fortunate to have a show on the early side, in front of still sober music lovers. Shows like this with my friends; it's pure joy. Feeling fortunate and grateful. Happy. 

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Is it happy I feel just now listening as the 127, 171, 934th listener to the song on Youtube? It was , something. Some kind of feeling....but it came out as a huge burst of tears. That joy for living and the great sadness for those that have departed, leaving us to these little everyday moments of oddly connected bliss.