working through it

We’ve got just a few days to go.  We’ll rehearse three episodes tomorrow and then take Friday off.  It’s kind of funny, it seemed like this one was right on our home turf, but I’ve realized Jersey City is close and not close at the same time (props to Paul, who crosses the Hudson & the East River all the time like it’s no big deal).  Turns out, this is all very hard to do!  And it seemed like we had a good jump on this, but there’s always a million things last minute.  The more we do Perfect Lives, the more elaborate it gets.  In Pittsburgh & the Catskills, we were all under one roof, but here, we’re spread out, and we’re all doing other work at the same time (including thingNY getting ready for another massive piece next week).

I think we’re really getting to new heights artistically though!  I was at a place of very low energy today (and have been all week, trying to work on it & work through it), but hearing the strings & synth play the Living Room, along with my fellow three brilliant narrators, was really inspiring.  And sitting in the middle of the cemetery that will function as a Backyard of sorts for us, surrounded by these stalwarts friends & the great Woody Leslie on tabla, under the shade of a nice tree, was heaven.  There was no place I’d have rather been, no where at all, than playing Bob’s music under that tree on a clear morning in Jersey City.

I also have to use this space to call your attention to the amazingness of Zach Herchen.  Zach is our rep from Con Vivo Music, who do great things in Jersey City.  I first knew him as the baritone sax player in New Thread Quartet (with our thingNY pal Erin Rogers).  Zach is a saxist par excellence, as well as a killer sound guy.  But these past few weeks, he’s been a reassuring, patient, kind, helpful presence at rehearsals, whether he’s on his horn holding together the band  in the Supermarket, manning the board, or being a huge asset in helping think through things.  If you need a wonderful guy in this music scene, look no further than Zach!

– Dave