First stop - a birthday celebration for Kelly at Nikko's for some amazing Sushi! The gang had ordered a sampler of various tasty delights, and of course I have NO idea what my favorite was from there, but it was extremely spicy and one of the best things I've ever eaten. My usual favorite, the freshwater Eel (Unagi) tonight paled in comparison. But still good.
We got to the Muse just in time to hear Anya Marina, someone very new to all of us. She was fantastic and everyone there loved her. I wasn't sure how I'd enjoy her set based on MySpace alone, but in person she's a truly wonderful, confidant performer and she's got great songs.
Jay Nash was next, and it has been a long time since we've seen him. He used to come to the Muse more regularly but then started touring nationally and getting on some really decent bills. This one with national recording artist Greg Laswell being no exception. He was better than ever! And having such a great time on that stage, especially when the whole band got up there (with Greg on keys)! It's nice to see someone we've been following for a long time being happy and gaining new fans when he performs. I hope Jay visits us again soon.
Greg Laswell was .. wow. The room was packed with fans of this fellow whom we've only just recently discovered. And when I DID become familiar with him, suddenly his name was popping up all OVER the internet, on TV, radio, etc. Including on my daughter's MP3 player by way of a song dedication from her boyfriend. Greg is one of those artists that you can't help but enjoy and listen to from beginning to end. There's a reason his songs have been featured in about a dozen or so television shows. Catchy, warm, embracing, moving..really, really nice work. I'm really glad we caught this show and Greg in this small room, because, again, it's going to be a rare instance to be able to see him in such an intimate setting.
It was fun seeing the super-smiley Greg Humphreys and the super talented-guitarist Gibb Droll at the end of the night. Unfortunately, I was not familiar with Hobex/Dillon Fence or either of their bodies of work, so I couldn't quite latch on to some of the songs that their fans there were excited to hear. But everyone who knew them sure did love the show.
A really full, long night for me from beginning to end.
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