Unexpected Great Music
One of the best parts about living in a city is unexpected events. Different bands, plays, and assorted performances are always coming through major cities. This holds true for Baltimore. Specifically in Federal Hill, we have the 8x10. This small and intimate club always books great talent from near and far.
On Friday, Ryan emailed to ask about our plans. He mentioned checking out a group booked at the 8x10 -- Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. I was always up for live music, and this group came highly recommended by Ryan and a few others. Their music reminds me of the Susan Tedeschi Band. The band's web site has a comprehensive media section. You can listen to a large selection of the band's music. I already love "Ah Mary", "Treat Me Right", and "Some Kind of Ride." When Teresa got home, we secured our tickets. Its a great day when you discover a new band, and you have a chance to see that very band the same night!
Before the concert, we made our regular Saturday pilgrimage to the Thirsty Dog. This Friday, Yasser, Katherine and her brother Karl joined us. They saved Teresa and I a spot upstairs. We hadn't had accompaniment to our favorite Friday night spot for some months. I remember being upstairs with Monsour, but that was a marathon. This meal was equally as fun, but a bit more tame. Yasser and Katherine introduced us to a few Thirsty Dog idiosyncrasies that we did not realize. First, a Dirty Dog beer existed. You can create your own mixes! Tasty. Second, you can order custom pizzas. I'll probably stick with Wing Dogs. Karl was so kind to pick up the tab. It was a great meal, and I hope we get together soon.
Back on Clement, people were drinking in the street. Surprise. We stuck around long enough for Preakness Fireworks from the harbor up on the roof decks. They ended in time for Ryan, Teresa, Ben and I to walk down to the 8x10.
After handing over my day of show tickets (blue raffle stubs), we were in the venue. My only compliant with the 8x10 is second level. I really love it up there, but you need to stake out a spot pre-show. This doesn't bode well for perpetual late arrivals such as myself. We found a small spot stage right. Good enough for partial views.
As GPN took the stage, the place irrupted. The crowd was a sellout, and everyone was ready for the music. Grace Potter is the lead singer and keyboardist. She sits stage right so, she was hard to see from our vantage point. She is backed by a guitarist, bassist and drummer. On a few tracks, she does play guitar. The Vermont based quartet sure can play Rock 'n Roll. I can't get enough of the blues infused solid rock sound. They made us dance. They made us sing. They made us stare in awe. After each song, we clapped long and hard. For the last part of the show, we switched to stage left. It was a treat to watch Grace effortlessly play the organ. The rest of the band equally impressed with their musical talent. The set was awesome.
Unfortunately, the show did have to end. Thanks Ryan for the informative tip. I would have regretted missing this show. I believe, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals will not play 8x10 size venues for long... We should see them rise. Their brand of Rock 'n Roll is too good.
