Salon 7 was a pretty cool venue.
It may masquerade as a boutique/hair salon, by day...



...but at night, it just wants to rock.













..







The Skinwalkers had an amazing set
and Rocky is now wireless.


















Due to uncontrollable circumstances, my set kept getting pushed back. I ended up having to go on right before the last band. That was a difficult slot to fill, so I was very grateful that a few people stuck around to see my set.

Earlier in the evening, there is still a lot of "curiosity traffic." Those are the people who aren't necessarily there to see any particular act, they just heard about the show and it sounded bizarre enough to check it out. That is a perfect crowd to read to, because they are open to anything and they're just looking to be entertained. At the end of the night, people are getting worn out and the only ones left are probably sticking around just to see their friend's band. You run the risk at this point, of just being in the way.

In fact, I was worn out (this was the culmination of an incredibly hectic week). I didn't have the energy or focus to try to win over an unfamiliar crowd. I just buried my face into the pages as I read. I was too tired to depend on my memory being able to recite off-page, so I didn't even make eye-contact with anyone. I didn't even glance around the room to see how people were reacting. I just plowed ahead.

One good thing about going on so late was that I liked leading into the Necronauts set. Way back before I paid much attention to the local bands, I saw them open up for Frank Black at the Mason Jar (about ten years ago, I believe). I think they were only about 16 years old, at the time...but I immediately liked them.











The Necronauts rock almost as hard as Aaron's beard.






One more cool thing:

When I got home, I had an acceptance note from the New York Quarterly. They want to use my Geometry Of Truth poem, in an upcoming issue. NYQ is one of the top poetry journals in the country, so I was stoked.