Scott Andrew - lo-fi acoustic pop superhero!

There are two types of coffeehouse shows. The first kind is where people pay attention to you (i.e. people clap), and the second kind is where you more or less become background music (i.e. total silence after each song). My show at the Red and Black Cafe was somewhere in between. If it hadn’t been for a small cadre of familiar faces, I probably wouldn’t have gotten much crowd response.

There were dining tables set up on the stage, and I eventually had to ask the people seated there to move so I could set up the house sound equipment. Never a good way to start things off. I gave them some demo CDs in exchange for their patience.

I had to figure out the sound system since there was no soundperson, which is okay but not my strong suit. Digging through a nest of cables, my primary concern became making sure the whole thing was safely grounded, which it was. I finally just EQ’ed everything flat and amazingly it sounded pretty good.

Although I think I played well, a two-hour set is too long to hold a crowd’s attention, and I was tired from the Bellingham show and my energy wasn’t what it could have been. I broke another pick playing Cut The Wire. I think I’ve learned my lesson. I’d like to give the Red and Black another shot and next time invite a local performer to split the billing.