Bright City Lights and Dark Smoky Bars

It never ceases to amaze me. As performers, Barb and I almost always come away from a gig having met interesting people that would not have otherwise crossed our paths.

This was indeed the case the last time we played Bagels and Joe. A lovely young woman, probably about 12, but with the air of being much older, came up to us as we were setting up our equipment. She gracefully engaged us in conversation, after she found out we weren't just the roadies setting up for the "real" performers. When we asked if she would like to stick around to hear the music, she explained that the dress rehearsal for her dance recital was that evening, and that was where she was going after her mother finished ordering food for her and her siblings.

I should have guessed she was a dancer. The ease with which she carried herself; the headband pushing the hair from her face, revealing a high forehead; the earnest way she expressed herself, as if she was trying to connect with the audience sitting at the back of the theatre. It was fun to think about what she might look like in a few years, performing with other dancers on the grand stages of the world, brilliant in the bright city lights.

Later that evening, just as we were taking our break, a tall man rushed in, expressing disappointment that we weren't playing, and excitedly explaining that he wanted to "jam" with us. Now this almost never happens to the Hussies, but as his story unfolded, he told us he was originally from Chicago, working in Lincoln, and playing his harmonica around town. The proof that he was legit came from the belt of harmonicas he wore around his waist, and the sweet hypnotic sounds that came from putting those harmonicas to his lips.

When we came back from break, Barb graciously suggested that he and I play together on one of my original tunes, "Relativity Blues." What fun that was. My mind transported us to a dark smoky bar, playing for the type of audience known to old blues men, all nodding approvingly.

The antithesis of these two performers was what made the evening so special. One of her way up, one already there. I can't wait to see what fate brings us next.