Last night was my best in some time.
Back in 2015, I wrote about Marian Call’s cover of “The Sound of Music,” which unintentionally featured a sassy marmot. She is, in addition to being my favorite songwriter, a wonderful human; her shows always have a strong sense of that familial, “we’re in this together” vibe that really only comes from a certain type of artist. That feeling was party because @snarke and I had several friends in the crowd and partly because it’s sort of the nature of house concerts, but also that’s just the sort of ambiance you get when nerds congregate and get to be thoughtful and sad and joyful and silly all in 90 minutes.
We heard the classics we love–“The Volvo Song,” “Good Morning Moon,” “The Avocado Song,” “Nerd Anthem”–but also some deep cuts, and a new track that’s made possible by her patrons.** She and Seth, who has new album out, have such a wonderful vocal blend.
**Marian’s Patreon helps her to create music year-round instead of every few years.
I managed not to choke up during “Highway Five” and the end of “Grandpa Had It Right,” but just barely. On the opposite side of the emotional barometer, we laughed during “The Elements: Expanded” and bobbed our heads to the beat of “Like This,” which is as close as many of us get to dancing. One of the things I love about attending concerts from artists I’ve previously seen is that there’s a flavor of giggling that says “I’m hearing this for the first time, and I love it!”, and another that says “Ah, there’s the joke that I love,” and the two of them together are harmony. It feels like the emotional equivalent of this.
I looked over at @snarke and @kmlawrence, saw the happiness on their faces, along with other Sea Monkeys and Monkey Adjacent friends in one small room, enjoying amazing music and being together.
What’s better than that?
