On Sunday, January 28, Andrea met me at my house and we caught a ride with Petro and Kris down to the Casbah. We got there a little later than planned and we were afraid we wouldn't get some of the great grub from Beti's, but this time they brought a ton of food and extra stuff for the Casbah staff so it was plenty to go around. We ate, caught up with friends and it there was a great vibe in the air.
I missed the first Team Abraham performance at the Tower Bar in December so I was really looking forward to it. Abraham is one of my best friends and I had no idea how great they would be. They had some sound issues on the first couple songs, namely that Abraham's mic was a little soft, but once it was turned up, it was great and the band quickly found their rhythm for their roots/alt-country sound. I particularly love the accompanying harmonica Abraham played during a few of the songs. We were so impressed, it lead to a lot of "our little Abraham's all growed up" type comments.
It was nice that the show was early, because the crowd was really mixed with a lot of Casbah regulars, but also a lot of family members of all the bands, and it was nice to finally meet Abraham's mom.
The Tighten-Ups were up second and Laura Jane absolutely owns that stage. Her voice is incredible and her backing band is so talented. Andrew Bernhart joined the band for this show and added his skills on guitar and keys, as he does with all his projects. Hopefully they'll get a handful of shows in before Andy heads off on tour with Enon. I especially loved that LJ made me my own set list. I'll add that later when I have my camera handy.
Again, so many friends were there, it was fun just hanging out. The music almost became an afterthought, but it was so stellar it made the night really thoroughly enjoyable.
I was glad to also finally catch Desert Diamonds again, since it had been a while. The singer's got some killer pipes and great stage presence. I made sure I picked up a couple of their free CDs.
Last up was Hotel St. George. All the bands played long full sets, so despite the 8pm start, it was kinda late for a Sunday night, so I think a lot of people left prematurely. Matt's stage swagger always impresses and the band is getting tighter with every performance.
It was a great night of great music and it was representative of all that's good in San Diego.
On a side note, Ken Leighton was there plugging his north county bar on air. I always thought I'd give him an earful if I ever saw him, but to be honest, I really couldn't be bothered, but here's a pic for those of you on the lookout.
