I went to see No Fuss and Feathers at Spiral Sounds Concerts last night so I have something to write about. Whew. Vamping was getting tough.
Two entries ago I told you how I lost one of my Mets caps less than three weeks into the season. What I forgot to tell you is that I found it the next day. I hadn’t left it at the supermarket or anywhere else. I hung it up on the door of my bedroom when I got home like I’m supposed to. It had fallen off and ended up in a corner behind the door in such a deep shadow that I couldn’t see it even with my brand-new eyes. I deduced that might have happened and gave a closer inspection and found it. Why didn’t I do that the first time? I’m an idiot. You really should know the answer by now. That’s always the answer to why I did something stupid. It’s the downside of getting my eyes fixed; I can no longer use being blind as an excuse.
I did not take the walk I promised myself I would yesterday. If the rain holds off I’ll walk to the train station today. It’s only a mile but at least it’s something. I’d love to get my diastolic blood pressure under 70 again. It was only 76 last time, and 72 the time before that, so it’s not an issue, but lower is better. I’d also like to get my pulse under 70. I like having hard numbers to judge my conditioning. If I don’t make it, no big deal. They are both good as they are. For all of my health problems my I have good cardio-vascular genes. I don’t know where I got them as my parents didn’t.
Spiral Sounds is in Jersey City but seeing No Fuss and Feathers there is as much as a home game as I can have. Gidge and Loyse who run Spiral Sounds are friends and I’ve been advising them on artists to book since they started. Carolann, Jay, Catherine, and Karyn, No Fuss and Feathers, are all good friends. I was with my people.
The shows are on Fridays so I usually go there from therapy up in Westchester. Yesterday was Good Friday so therapy was canceled, I could come from home. I even had time to stop by my PO box on the way. I made such good time that I should have taken my walk but I couldn’t figure out exactly how to make the timing work so I just got to Gidge and Loyse’s house half an hour early. That’s OK, I’m always the first one there and I help out. I’m kicking myself because I went my usual way, the PATH train. Yesterday I had the time to take the ferry. I’ve never done that. I love ferries. You get a spectacular view of downtown when you take the Ferry to JC.
For one reason or another I haven’t seen my friends at the show in way too long. Gidge and Loyse have been traveling. Jay and Catherine have moved out on Long Island and have been fixing up their house. Karyn moved to North Carolina. Carolann has stayed put in Brooklyn but I moved to the Bronx. Most of my friends are in Brooklyn, I wish I could find my way back there.
Perry and Beth showed up unexpectedly. They thought they’d be at their Seder but it was moved to the second night, like mine. When the show was scheduled everyone didn’t realize it was both Good Friday and the first night of Pesach. Perry and I told all the Christians that they were going to hell while we’re fine as we are going to Seders tonight. We’d go to hell for saying that, if it existed. Good thing it doesn’t.
When Karyn’s husband Claude showed up I saw he had broken his shoulder. He came with his parents, friends, and goddaughter. The goddaughter, Margeaux was wearing an orthopedic boot, she had broken her toe. It told her uninjured mother that she stuck out like a healthy thumb. Margeaux is a few weeks short of two and didn’t let a little thing like a broken toe slow her down. She moved nonstop. I love being around kids. Her happiness was infectious.
I celebrated my new eyes by not taking my usual seat in the front row but sat in the back on the comfy couch. That hinders my photography and videography but my back appreciated it.
Seeing No Fuss and Feathers is akin to spending time with Margeaux, their happiness is infectious. They not only make great music but they make me feel good. The songwriting styles of Karyn, Carolann, and Catherine & Jay are strikingly different. The contrast is more evident than between Lennon and McCartney. Though the harmonies are the same, the feel is different. It’s like seeing three different bands with members that just happen to look and sound the same.
During the first set the breeze from the window behind the performers blew away the set list. Perry put his keys on them to hold them in place. When Carolann put down the lyrics to one song they needed to be weighed down too. They joked that the entire audience would contribute their left shoes to hold down papers before the show was over. Gidge gave me the job of distributing flyers for the next Spiral Sounds show, The Sea The Sea on May 24. During the intermission I placed them on the seats, all but one. That one I left on the stage, yes, weighed down by my left shoe. Good thing there is no such thing as hell. I was rewarded when the second set started and they laughed at the left shoe. I was a bit surprised they didn’t figure out it was mine.
Just as I was the first to arrive I was the last to leave. Karyn is playing John Platt’s On Your Radar in July and I had her record a promo for it. I’m always looking for material for Instagram.
I was a good Jew this morning and didn’t have my sacrilegious bacon and eggs, I had the Pesach appropriate matzoh brei. Of course I did it my style, with peanut butter. I’ve been craving that. Now I have to get showered and dressed and head for my Seder in Norwalk. Tomorrow’s entry will have friends, family, food, and kazoos.
Wise Madness 