A quietly appreciative crowd this time, I guess. I couldn't seem to raise much of a reaction from the readers and studiers that were there when I got there, until the last half hour or so when some more demonstrative ladies came in and were requesting James Taylor songs. Which, of course, I was happy to oblige.
They were friendly enough, most people were willing to state a song preference, but just not very loudly. One of those "feels like it ought to be quiet in here" nights. It's that "library ambiance". But, at the end, there were 27 bucks in the tip jar, and the front check-out counter lady came over specially while I was tearing down to tell me that "a whole lot of customers told me how much they liked your music", so they were liking it, just not showing it so much.
I put the tip jar and CD display out, bold as you please, and nobody said a word. Apparently, the enforcement of the tip jar ban is a matter of local management discretion. And the management loves us there.
Last Friday at Tustin, a 20-something lady and her boyfriend sat and listened for the last hour or so, asking for some songs and generally being right there with me. That was great, but at the end, she came right up and asked me if I played weddings. I said that I haven't, but certainly could, and she could send me the particulars by looking me up on the website address on the card.
Now, when Warren and I started playing at Tully's 6 (!) years ago, I thought that this might happen with some frequency. It's a brilliant way to find a band for your party -- anonymously visit coffeeshops and if the band sucks or is inappropriate, you just leave -- nobody the wiser, and nobody's feelings hurt. But, so far, it's only happened, what, twice? Maybe we "suck"...
Anyway, since it so rarely happens, I didn't put much stock in it, but she really did email me, and we've gone back and forth on the details and price, and, lately, the songs she wants, so it appears like it's really gonna happen. July 26. She wants to walk down the aisle to my odd, fingerpicked version of the Beatles' "Something". I'm not sure how good a marching tune it is, but that's kinda cool.
In fact, all but one of the songs she's picked off my list are, ahem, "retro". Now, it's true that, if you pick songs from my list, you'll end up with 99% "old songs", but she's requested for me to learn some others that aren't on the list, and they're seriously retro, too; "Time in a Bottle" and "Longer"!?! All these songs were written before she was born! I can't tell if she hired me 'cuz the wedding's retro, or if the wedding's retro 'cuz she hired me.
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