I half wimped out yesterday, I let the rain and my bank account stop me from seeing Michaela Anne and Lauren Balthrop at the Mercury Lounge but I still saw Jean Rohe at Rockwood Music Hall; as I do her merch that eases the financial issue and it’s closer to the subway. I see Jean often enough that she gets a macro to insert a link to her website, but it feels like ages since I saw her do a band show.
I did not take my usual seat up front. I had to set up the merch and by the time I got down there it was taken. I went in the opposite direction and sat in the back. Now that I can see it’s a viable option. It gave me room to spread out which is helpful as I was wearing my spy vs spy hat and a trench coat.
This was Jean’s first show with a new band, Liam was on piano, keys, and accordion as usual, but I didn’t know the drummer or bass player. I still don’t know them, but they were great. Jean has a good eye or is that ear for supporting musicians. I’ve seen her play with as many as nine people, so for her this was a small ensemble. I don’t know how she does it, but the sound still comes out as big. Some of that credit goes to Liam.
Most of what she played was from Sisterly my top album of 2018. I’ve been hearing some of the songs for much longer than that. They still strike me as fresh. I still hear new things in them. The title track is still a revelation. A DJ told me that after playing Jean a listen called in and couldn’t understand how Jean isn’t a star. That’s exactly how I feel.
The show was great. Hanging out with Liam, Jean, her mom Anne, Su, and Richie were great. Dollar pizza on the way to the subway was great. The ride home was not great; the 50-minute trip took two hours. There was a problem on one of the other lines and trains were rerouted over the D. Before my D train came, there was a Q, two Rs, two Fs, two Ms, a vacuum train, and a garbage train. The electronic signs kept saying the D was close. The signs lied. I should have just taken the 6 to the 4.
On the bright side it gave me time to start reading A Science Fiction Argosy. The first story in it, Green Thoughts by John Collier, was the clear inspiration for the original The Little Shop of Horrors film. Let me look on IMBD and see if it gets an official credit. It doesn’t. Collier, or his estate should have sued. While the plot is different it’s the story of a carnivorous plant and the heads of the victims appear in the flowers. Sound familiar? It was great.
There was also an Isaac Asimov short story I didn’t remember at all, Red Queen’s Race. It’s a very clever time travel story that I can’t see myself forgetting but I thought I read all of Asimov’s short stories.
Science Fiction from before I was born was what I grew up reading. It was perhaps a majority of the books I read from late grade school through college. Sure, I read other things, I read the classics, I read mysteries, I read fantasy, I read science fact, but when I went to a bookstore or library, my first stop was the science fiction section.
I don’t have anything on my agenda today. I’ll see if I can be good and get something I’ve been meaning to do done. I’ll make myself a real dinner. I’ll record an episode of Gord’s Gold.
Wise Madness 