The Space in Hamden, CT.

06.01.07 at 5:00 PM

Man oh man. So, I drove down to Hamden, CT last Tuesday, the 22nd, along with Julia Suriano and Eric Lee to play a show at the Space. I had played a show at the Space a very long time ago when I was still with Smokejumpers. I don't think we had CDs yet, and we definitely had never played in CT before. Yet, when we got there, the place was packed. Not only that, it was packed with people who loved music and loved seeing and listening to live music. Any music. They respect any and all music.

At first it was a little weird. Matt and I would play a song and there would be silence. I mean...nothing. No one whispered to his or her friend, no one became uninterested and started blabbing, no one even orded drinks or anything like that. By the end of the set, though, it felt amazing to have played to an audience who was so intently listening, an audience that hung on every note, every word, even if they didn't like it. We made serious tips that night and the Space had reserved a large area of my heart.

I was psyched to go back. I was jittery about it all day. It was one of my first shows in a while and Julia's first show that wasn't at PACE. We got there so early...unneccessarily early. Everyone there was really cool about it though, and let us soundcheck and then rehearse for however long we wanted.

When we finished sound checking, we left the venue to find food. There was a diner I remembered going to with Smokejumpers, a suspect sushi bar, and the rest of the food choices were in the "fast" category. In fact, I think we drove about a mile and saw two McDonalds - both were busy. We decided to pick McDonalds...I know. I ate..something...and felt bad about myself the rest of the night. Julia got a happy meal becuase she can. She got a creepy Shrek toy that made strange devil noises. We thought of how we could incorporate it into the show. Eric consumed 3 double cheeseburgers, and made me feel even more sick than I already did. That's so much meat.

We got back to the Space and wrote up a set list. I went downstairs and listened to everyone at the open mic. The people who performed were all very good. Then, it was our turn to play the first featured spot.

I was nervous as all get out. But, once we started playing, it was just as I had remembered it. The Space had moved into a different building but was exactly the same. Christmas lights and rope lights, none of which matched, were strung from the rafters. Everything from a Monopoly board to old license plates to giant cut outs from "The Cat in the Hat" hung on the wall. Artifacts from garage sales, antique stores, maybe stolen goods from museums hung on the walls or were leaned purposefully against columns and doorways. And everyone listened. Just, listened.

I saw some people move closer to listen better. No one talked until after the songs in which case they applauded or asked questions about the band. They were an amazing audience.

In the end, we sold some discs, got some names on the mailing list, and talked to some awesome people. Steve Rodgers, who is an amazing musician himself as well as the owner of the Space, was so cool and supportive. He offered a bunch of shows at the Space, and I can't wait to get back. If you can make it down, up, over, or across to the Space, you totally should. They even have old arcade games. Word.

We drove home that night, Julia falling asleep in the backseat, and me and Eric arguing playfully about music and bands we liked and didn't like. I felt full...not McDonalds full, no. The quarter pounder with cheese had jumped almost instantaneously into my poo queue, seemingly bypassing my stomach. No, even though I was tired as hell, I couldn't remember the last time I had felt so happy. It was all thanks to the wonderful folks down at the Space.

Thank you.