we played a show at Slim's with AC Newman. Slim's is an incredibly well-oiled machine where everything happens properly and on time. it's quite comforting, actually. there's nothing worse than going to a club and finding that there's no sound person, no one seems to know the set times, and the first band, told to go on at 9:30, don't start until 11, pushing back the headlining band to playing at one a.m., meaning that they play their last few songs as patrons are being hustled out. i hate that. Slim's is not like that.

AC Newman is Carl Newman, from the New Pornographers. i've always liked the NPs because of their verve and contrapuntal harmonies. his stuff last night exhibited much of the same qualities, but i'd say it was overall more deliberate, less of the bouncy energy of the NPs and more like - focused rock. anyway they were awesome.

when you play on a stage like that, where you have a sound mix person in the house and one who just takes care of your monitor mix, it's impossible not to feel confident and excited. when you can hear yourself and everything going on around you, crystal clear, it's relaxing. jesse said our vocals sounded so confident, so relaxed that night - because we knew we didn't need to strain to be heard. i had a little trouble with my guitar tone - maybe it was just me on stage but it sounded super bass-heavy - but i turned up the treble some and that seemed okay. i should really raise the amp next time, i think it makes a big difference.

also, i'm dreaming of a multi-instrumentalist. AC Newman had a melodica player (he played trumpet and stuff too).

thanks to eric for the name of that instrument. eric and i talked about music a little during the AC Newman set. i'm very impressed with the way Carl constructs melodies and harmonies - they are so distinctive, somewhat whimsical and yet solid. eric said he wants to have a multi-instrumentalist in his band, too.

lulu and robin were also there, a really nice surprise. that's the thing about being depressed, it turns you into a complete narcissist, and you forget that other people don't lead these static lives. robin's in town for Thanksgiving. duh! Thanksgiving! i forgot...

speaking of Thanksgiving, i attended a dinner at the Mile High. i made baked yams, which were just okay, and a flan, from souris's recipe, which was FLANTASTIC. seriously. even better the day after, for breakfast. after dinner jess and i took the stage and played a few acoustic songs... that was fun. two were covers, one an original that we've been working on. we had a couple others prepared, but we chickened out.

it's strange how days can be so good and so bad. sometimes it's awkward to go out in public because i feel as though i'm faking it. eric and i talked a little about the need for a persona on stage, someone else's skin to inhabit to free yourself from having to be yourself. sometimes i feel like i need that just to leave the house to get cigarettes.

by the way, i'm totally quitting at the end of this month. good luck to me. and i hope relatively happy holidays were had by all whom i love.