The Gig Log: Kristen Nelson

In an earlier post, I talked about ways to get more gigs. Well, I decided to take my own medicine and try reaching out to a few drummers in my area, and I was rewarded with a gig. I was asked to fill in for an amazing player, and I was very grateful for the call.

This was the first opener.

This particular gig I was backing up a very talented singer-songwriter by the name of Kristen Nelson. We had one quick rehearsal, then a forty minute set at Muse Music as an album release show. Not gonna lie, it was a blast.

The openers were two fantastic solo singers and a local band that took me back to my high school days. They were incredibly talented, the energy was super high, and the songs were great - not to mention that they were great performers. It had been a very, very long time since I played a (roughly) forty seat venue, and it was a lot of fun.

The other singer songwriter.

Our set was last - Kristen's CD release was the headline show - and the audience was very friendly and enthusiastic. I wish there were a less geeky way to describe it, but it was a great audience, great music, talented bandmates, all in a small, intimate setting. What could be better?

Kit-wise, I took the ol' DWs, but only ended up using kick and snare, with hats and a ride with a sizzler (the metal kind, not the steakhouse kind). I also played brushes and rods, with only one tune using actual sticks. In that small venue, it was nice to be able to hit as hard as I wanted without worrying about overblowing the band or the house.

My thanks to Kristen and the rest of the band. It was a great gig, and I look forward to playing with them again should the opportunity arise.

My apologies for the fuzzy pictures. iPhone in a dark place!