I’m not sure what the rest of the guys in the band were thinking as we were unloading our SUV’s full of music gear last Saturday night. Our first snowfall of the year started early in the afternoon in the Tri-Cities and by the time we were getting ready to perform at the Stir Fry cafe in Johnson City, the parking lot was white with three inches of slushy snow and the wind was whipping through the night, but we were surprised to see so many people. It was obvious anyone with any real sense would have been home, cozy with a fireplace, but CLEAR was performing at the Stir Fry and either we were among the town’s real thrill-seekers like us or just loyal friends worth bragging about.
Whomever they were, there were lots of people at the Stir Fry last week, but there was absolutely nothing glamorous about this gig. The restaurant/club located next to Barnes and Noble on State of Franklin Road is always busy and although they treat live bands better than any venue in the region, the crowd is a given – they always have lots of people strolling to the bar in the back, but tonight was a little different. The weather was truly miserable and driving conditions were getting worse all the time. Everyone was sliding everywhere and for each hour that passed on Saturday, I was afraid the gig was going to be canceled. Fortunately, noone called except for Willie and he was kidding on voice mail stating , “We’re on a snow schedule.” I didn’t fall for that one and everyone was already at the restaurant when I arrived close to 8.00 p.m.
I ordered a tequila and was surprised to see everyone there so early – especially Jared. He had been sick with flu-like symptoms all week and I could tell he still hadn’t kicked the illness that had him talking from inside his head and sweating for days with a high temperature. Nevertheless, he seemed a healthier than the last time I saw him and we sat down at a table and ordered a few Thai delicacies from the menu. The heating system must have been on simmer that night and the food was even spicier. Stacy was fanning herself from the same side that Willie was short of spontaneous combustion as he tried to tackle the “spicy tuna.”
The Stir Fry is a venue that operates as a restaurant first and as the night slows, they move tables to make room for the band. It was about 9.00 when we finally started to unload the gear and setup our instruments. Along with the anxiety and heavy lifting, a nasty slush made getting into the back door of the club a bit cumbersome, but we were there for the music music and even though we hadn’t played in a while and we were rushed to get the stage set – everyone seemed excited to get a chance to play this venue.
Jared and Greg were relentless about getting everything setup and they are hard to keep up with. Bentley is the only front man I’ve ever known to give 150% and to me that seems strange. Humble and determined this artist is a true pleasure to perform with, but I was still worried and wanted him to save his energy – but that wasn’t necessary.
We finally got the PA settled down, ran through a sound check and within an hour we were crafting a new mosaic of original music at the Stir Fry. Because of the short setup, we didn’t get to mike everything like we wanted and were unable to make a recording this time. Despite that, the music was tight and Greg Smith and I worked well together on solos, but for me, it seemed a bit conservative and I never could get very happy with my tones.
On the second break, I had a chance to welcome friends Danny, Tracy, Abbi, Eric, Carson, Rachael, Dustin, Matt, Stacy and her gorgeous friend Melanie (?) and during the break, we even snuck out to tempt the parking lot with a few doughnuts, but there were still a lot of cars around and we played it safe in the Infiniti. Matt, Shawn and his friends had driven from Bristol and Big Stone to come see the band and that humbles me up to think people would go to that much effort to hear a local band, but I did feel among good friends tonight and that’s worth all the energy it takes to maintain the pace and the circumstances.
One of the things that continues to surprise me about Clear is the reaction of the audience toward the new original songs Jared has been bringing to the group. The songs ‘Forgive Me’ and ‘Here I Stand” are becoming popular favorites and the original songs are sounding better all the time too Evidently we had enough material for this night to not duplicate any songs and we didn’t even try the new covers from Widespread Panic and the Blue Dogs.
Everyone was aware the weather was bad, but the snow began to taper off after midnight and it wasn’t much later we decided to run the last few songs to the small audience there til the ‘bitter’ end. Rafaelle was at the bar when we were finished and it’s always good to see him out to the shows. He’s certainly one of the better venue owners in the Tri-Cities and he has interested me in the ultimate fighting championships Stir Fry is sponsoring. This is a new phenomenon and evidently, they had 300 people pay a $30 ticket to see 20 fights at all places – The Holiday Inn in Bristol. Maybe next time – he tells me of another event in May.
I must admit that Jared and Lance did a great job together tonight singing the songs and fronting the band. Everyone else did a good job, but these guys seemed to be locked in tonight especially exchanging their harmonies. Overall, despite wrestling with illness, sound issues and the snowfall, everyone seemed to enjoy the band and I look forward to coming back.
The drive home was quiet. There’s nothing quite like the silence of a fresh snow and even though it was late, I was hoping to dive into the late night Perkins for a read and pancakes and sure enough, other musicians. Tommy Dickens, Brian Horne and the guys and girl with Trademark were laughing in non-smoking talking about the 30-or-so people who had been with them at the VFW.
Nope. There’s nothing real glamorous about the musician lifestyle here in Northeast Tennessee. It’s hard work! If you think to hard about it, rationalize it, you’re better off to stay home, but if you really love music, it’s times like these – the hard times that reminds you why you still do it. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. There’s plenty of time for cozy nights beside the fireplace, but you can’t go wrong with good friends on the fringe.
The next Clear gigs will come up in Damascus as we celebrate St. Patty’s Day at the Old Mill. Can’t wait…