thank you to everyone who came out to The Bitter End on tuesday night. it was cinco de mayo and i performed a special acoustic set with my drummer, a cellist and a violinist. since i picked up my first guitar at the age of 14, i've always dreamed of stepping on stage and having orchestration up there with me playing along to my music. having it done live on stage with just me and my guitar was such an incredible feeling and allowed me to present a new take on my songs.
the crowd was awesome. responsive and loving. it was an amazing and very special night.
that being said, i would like to thank and commend the musicians that joined me up there on stage, for their outstanding performances and the hard work they put into preparing for the show :
to my right behind a more-stripped-than-usual drum kit was Larry Turco. there are certain people you can always trust to do something right pretty much every time they do it and even when it's wrong they make it sound great. Larry is one of those people. he didn't miss a beat and provided strong backbone.
to my left was Leat Sabbah on cello and John Guarino on violin. both are classically trained, so performing to acoustic versions of powerpop songs was definitely a first for them, just as much as it was a first me to play with strings. it was an honor and pleasure to perform with such brilliant and talented musicians.
the set started off with an strings only version of the theme song from Back To The Future and faded into 'But, Everybody Lies'. as a change up, i decidec to throw in some covers like 'Save Tonight' which had a crowd sing along that gave me goosebumps and 'Wonderwall'. i tend to play parts of that one in my full band sets more often than not and rock out to it. the reason behind my love for that song is simple...its one of the first songs i can distinctly recall being a huge factor in me deciding to play guitar/write songs. every time i hear that song i remember a time when i wished i was lucky enough to be able to sing in front of crowds of people who actually wanted to hear me. so basically, its a reminder that no matter what, be humble and thankful because nothing has exhisted or lasts forever. i can't express into words how much it means to have the fans i do today. thank you.
most of the songs were arranged differently and had strings replacing a bunch of guitar parts. tempos were slowed down a bit to provide a more laid back and emotional tone. personally i loved it and have been considering going back into the studio and recording some string/piano/acoustic versions of a bunch of my songs which i think most of you will thoroughly enjoy. : )
i took a picture of the set list i used that night to give you a feel for how it went down, in case you missed it.
for those of you who couldn't make it, no worries.. my good friend Freda Laulicht, who some of you might know from my merch booth at shows, was kind enough to document the show in its entirety on my handheld video camera. it made me laugh to see her sitting there with a camera in one hand and a drink in the other for the whole 45 minute set haha. hopefully i can edit a few of the songs and post some videos for you to see asap!
i'll be playing a solo acoustic set this monday - may 11th - at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, NY. if you're around, come hang. should be a fun time!
- stevenbaggs
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