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As Tom Petty once said, "the waiting is the hardest part"....but for musicians
and artists, the payoff is the MOMENT.....
Katie had her moment this evening, and she took full advantage of it. Katie's friends and family turned out en masse, augmented by dozens of local musicians and fans of the local music scene, and many others who were to receive their first exposure to Katie's magic.
The band, Kevin Roth on drums, Dave Rosenberg on bass, and Kathy Moriarty on harmony vocals, took the stage in darkness while the sound system regaled the crowd with the hidden track from Strongest Girl in the World. Katie took the stage looking like a leather bound blonde angel as the band launched into Grass Angels, the opening cut on the CD. I joined them from the wings to play a minor key harmonica accompaniment to the haunting Years Ago, and then strapped on my telecaster for a rockin' Feed the Fire, a great potential single. It was great to witness the look of pleasure on Katie's face when I launched into my somewhat extended guitar solo, and to hear the roar of appreciation from the crowd. Like those old beer commercials, it doesn't get any better than this.....
Two as yet unrecorded numbers followed, with Katie alone on stage during Past Life Song, and joined by Kevin and Dave on Cross to Bear, a tender message to a former lover. Katie stood alone once again during Closer to God, another of her wondrous melodies with deeply introspective lyrics, before being rejoined by Kevin and Dave, abetted by execuitve producer Dee Pugliese's two daughters, Marlee Francis and Michelle Pugliese, for the title song to close the opening set.
I spent the intermission chatting with well-wishers and the other local musicians in attendance, including singer-songwriters Alison Pipitone, Aerin Tedesco, Leah Zicari, Donna Andreef and Winnie Bergner from Anatara, the acoustic duo of Kim Kerns and Mike Maffei, Mike Ciriscione from the band Riley, bassist Jackie LoBuglio from the all-woman blues/rock band Ethyl, (whose own CD release party will take place at Nietzsche's on Nov 27), and Megan Corcoran, harmonica/vocalist from the all-woman band 'and sometimes y'.
The second set built on the momentum generated by the first, mixing rocking uptempo numbers with some extremely moving ballads. Highlights included the autobiographical Movie Screen, which featured some inspired jamming between Katie and the rhythm section, the achingly beautiful September Leaves with Kathy Moriarty's gorgeous harmonies, Mediocre Appetite, a song originally written on piano, which Katie recently resurrected and revamped, and the tender love ballad Fly, written for Katie's wife Charlene during the early stages of their relationship. The most moving moment of the night came during the introduction and performance of Libby's Song, written for a close friend who has been battling breast cancer. Libby and her family were in attendance and one had to marvel at the fighting spirit of this courageous woman.
Closing out the show were the song that started it all, Except Around the Eyes, and Waiting, one of Katie's long term favorites, which gave both myself and Dave a chance to do some inspired improvised soloing.
All too soon it was over, but the festive crowd was slow to depart, as a massive epidemic of hugging and embracing swept the room. It was a special night by a very special young woman....
Next in line: Aerin Tedesco's CD Release Party for Angels and Allegories with her band, Gabriel's Cage, Wednesday, Dec 15 at Nietzsche's, with a special pre-release party at Compton's After Dark on Saturday, Nov 20.
Peace,
Love, and Harmony,
Tim