Taking a long-overdue lunch break and realizing that it’s been a while since I’ve posted… seems to be a favorite theme of mine!
This weekend unexpectedly carried the overarching feeling of vacation, perhaps being borrowed from Jason Anderson’s “On Vacation”? That is my cheesy attempt at a segue, saying that we saw him twice — once on Friday night, in Somerville, and then again on Saturday night in Salem. The shows were very different, however… Somerville boasted a very relaxed, acoustic evening with all groups opting for more subdued set lists (including Jason, who stripped his pieces down to piano — yes, piano — and saxophone, played by PC’s own Sean Wright). The next night in Salem, it was back to “business as usual” (if there is such a thing with this bunch) on electric, with an enthusiastic, hand-clapping crowd standing as close as they could without actually stepping onstage with the band.
One thing I realized this weekend is that I do have a slight (albeit innocuous) musical crush on the J-man. I think it’s the fact that he is not only technically talented (ripping on piano, guitar and drums in various sets over the course of the weekend), but his wordsmithing and performance talents are also very well developed. He knows how to engage his audience, how to coax participation, how to tell a story. On top of all of this (and it’s probaby an indicator of why all of the previous things are possible), he is SO IN LOVE with music. As Brian aptly put it, he seems to “ooze music”. His almost childlike fascination with all things musical is probably what makes him such a great performer.
The other, more obvious aspects of the weekend that lent to that good old vacation feeling: sleeping late (um… VERY late, rather), Cocoa Pebbles (oh. my. gosh.), beautiful driving weather, donning a summer dress, playing Scrabble (I won! Sorry, Brian, I had to boast a little), staying up late and cuddling through thunderstorms.
A fantastic weekend. And you know… I think I’m even more smitten than I was before the weekend began. I wasn’t even sure that was possible until yesterday.
Mmm… back to work.
~J.
