Shows and Recordings and Begging for Money

This past week, I got to perform two shows. I usually don't even get to perform twice in one month, so it was pretty exciting for me. Maybe one day, I'll open with "Yesterday, I got to perform two shows." Won't that be nice? Alright, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Tuesday, September 4th: Have you guys checked out The Fruit Flies yet? If not, you really, really should. They are adorable and talented and hilarious. And they're my friends! Even better. So they kindly asked me to open for them for their show at Stage 773.

First of all, I hadn't even been to Stage 773 yet, let alone performed there, and it is just so lovely. You should go to a show there. Sweet - venue plug nailed. So my set on Tuesday was fairly subdued and short. It was just me and Jack up there, and we only played for a half an hour while The Fruit Flies' audience got warmed up with a couple cocktails. I just have to say though, my favorite part of our set was when I surprised my sister, Lisa (who wasn't supposed to make it to the show, but sneaked in a little bit after we started) by asking her to come up on stage and sing a couple songs with us. Yes, Lisa, I realize that when someone on a stage asks you to join them on that stage that you kind of look like an asshole if you say no. HA! I trapped you! So she reluctantly joined us, completely unprepared and embarrassed, and it was awesome.

In all seriousness though, I was glad she was there. She adds a lot to the songs when she's up there. But it was The Fruit Flies' show, and I was very excited to be able to see them play a nice long set. Their songs are very well-written and fun, and their voices compliment each other very well in sometimes simple, sometimes not-so-simple harmony. Molly McCormick plays guitar and piano while Danni Parpan entertains with a ukelele and (for her first time live) a drum set. I can't express enough how much I love their songs and how talented I think they are, but I must say, the best part about their show is their stage banter. I'm pretty sure I laughed loudly in between every single song. That's half of the show right there. Seriously. They're freakin' funny is what I'm trying to say, people. Go to a show. Also, (Bonus!) it was their CD release show. Every single CD had an original hand made cover designed by a Fruit Fly or a Fruit Fly's significant other. They were all very creative, cool and fun, just like The Fruit Flies themselves.

Thursday, September 6th: My final show at Davenport's. Sigh. It's been such a nice run. The crowd was lighter than usual (I mean, I was competing against the POTUS, y'all) which was A-OK with me because I considered Thursday night's show to be kind of an experiment. I had this wacky idea to attempt most of the show solo. That means I decided to play the guitar a lot more than I usually do. Terrifying. I am not particularly good at playing guitar because I have this malfunction in my brain that makes me never ever practice. Ever. Eh....I taught myself enough to write songs and half-heartedly accompany myself in my bedroom, and why practice when you can just get someone else to play with you live? Like Jack! Works out great! So why did I even want to try this experiment? Well, when I do play the guitar and sing, especially the more intimate, emotional songs, I tend to connect more. I get to be in charge - 100%, and that inevitably lets me milk the shit out of the songs (like a Duke!). And I do. And I did. But I am definitely not happy with how my guitar playing went that night. Lesson? Suck it up and practice like every other musician in the world. Overall though, it was a pretty good show. Having a smaller audience made it much more intimate and fun. Thanks to all of you who came out.

And Now Some Other Things: Speaking of The Fruit Flies, Molly McCormick will officially be joining The Reckless Revival for our next show, which is September 28th at the Red Line Tap. We play at 8:30 and it's just 5 bucks. Mark your calendars!!! I'm also, if you don't know by now, planning on releasing my debut album very, very soon. As I get the final tracks finished, I promise I will share them. The next one I will share is "The Prince", so keep a look out for that. The CD release party will be October 24th at Underground Wonderbar. The fun starts at 8. Mark your calendars again!!! And of course, I'm going to throw in a link to my *KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN!* Yes, essentially, I am a beggar. But there are rewards and stuff! Just check it out for me, k? I will return soon with more news but until then, if you haven't already, why don't you give a "like" to my Facebook page and to The Fruit Flies Facebook page? Love. Love. Love. Natalie