Dyniss

I live very close to Clinton’s, so it was a very short bus ride to this gig. Clinton’s has some historical meaning for me — it’s where I used to hang out in my university days. Many evenings were spent there when I should have been studying.
I was added to the roster last minute, having e-mailed friendly Trevor of Solstice, the headlining folk/roots local act.
A Christmas benefit! I thought. I could play my Christmas song…
And that is what I did. The benefit was for the Daily Bread Food Bank. I donated two vegetarian organic items: one can and one carton of soup.
As is usual for most indie gigs, things were running late. I chilled out and watched the performers before me, including Canadian folk treasure Bob Snider. I chatted it up with my old friend James, my ex-girlfriend Simonee, her mom Neusa, and the soundman Fletch of Sex Without Souls fame (I had recorded that band some years earlier). Neusa told me while we were chatting that she had been laid-off from Kodak only a few hours earlier. Tough day for her.
I hit the stage. I mentioned that my Christmas song was kind of related to the night’s benefit. Christmas is so commercialized while people go hungry! (But you already knew that.)
I spent a full minute trying to get the attention of the girl nearest to the stage. Although I was loud and obnoxious trying to get her attention, she was the only person in the club not looking at me. Finally, I got her attention and her name (Judy), and sang my song to her. She was quite a good sport while I repented my love for her repeatedly in the song (I think she was on a date with some guy — sorry dude).
I got an encore from the audience (after 1 song? *stunned* — must have been friends), so I played a 2nd song, Generaligion.
Other acts followed me, including Virginia Dimoglou, whose Patsy Klein-esqe purity of voice just blew me away. I chatted with old friend Cathy, wife to James. Solstice finished the evening with some funky folky country twangy tunes. James joined them on a few tunes with banjo. They need a drummer to really complete the band IMHO, but I shouldn’t talk — I was playing solo.