The Universe is kind. So is the Bay Area! This tour has been surprisingly magic and it's only getting better; the two shows I just played were both so different and good. Last night was the house party. Annessa and Jolene fixed their place up and bought lots of food and drink and Troy Byker supplied the dee jay element. At 10:00 pm I began my lengthy set in front of 35 or so guests and they were clearly entertained. A fellow named Octavio beatboxed during some of the raps and a chap named Darrin played a sweet harmonica along with "I Guess I Can't Be Used". The audience kicked down $40 or so into the hat and I made another $100 in merchandise sales which is good enough. My stay at A and J's house was just what the doctor ordered as I slept a lot and took some nice walks. I visited a huge flea market and quietly admired the city of Oakland and all it's people. The house party ended at 1:30 in the morning with about five devoted listeners (all men) hanging on for one more song. It felt tribal as we talked about what we must do to make the world and our country safe again. We avoided attacking our President and chose to re-view him with new, compassionate eyes. Then I drove Troy and Darrin home and the night was over.
Upon awaking this a.m. I packed my goodies, ate breakfast with Annessa and Jolene, replied to 16 emails and drove straight to the BART subway station on 24th and Mission in San Francisco. I ate some Salvadorean pupusas and arrived a little late to my show. The first band, Two Gallants, kicked out the jams with drums and electric guitar-- they are really fine: poetic, melodic, and aggressive. They played three songs, then I did, and then another excellent band, The Fleas, did the same. We made it through only two or three rounds of this before an officer shut us down, but the timing felt okay as the sky looked ominous anyway. The Fleas were also drums/guitar but had a differen vibe than Two Gallants. They played a mixture of perfect punk and old-school country. I think they hail from Chicago. A steady crowd of at least 100 people gathered around for the whole show and many dropped dollar bills into a tip jar which ended up going to me for some fortunate reason. The crowd appeared captivated while I played and I sold 30 or 40 dollars worth of merch afterwards-- mostly the $5 sampler packs. Danilo, who set up the show and tomorrow night's too, deserves massive props. The audience and performers alike came together in such a rare, exuberant fashion because of his efforts/activism. I loved the Hispanic boy who hip hop danced throughout "Radio Works Fine" and the homeless (I think) Native American man who howled throughout "M for Montana" and gave me the warmest handshake afterwards and a hearty, "Welcome to San Francisco my Montana friend", and the tall, middle-aged African American man who asked me if I needed a flute player to travel with. (If I only had room!) I connected with a soul-singing white woman named Ivy who I will help to set up a show in Olympia in the Summer. Troy, too, was there on his way home from work. I'll tell more later.
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