Great Performances

I fully acknowledge that I'm being a shameless parent here, but I can't help but comment on A's performance on Friday night. But first, a little backstory.

She had her guitar lesson on Thursday and she learned a new folk standard by John Prine, a family favorite, BTW. KR was commenting on how quickly she picked up the song, which was not a difficult chord pattern, but even still, A gets credit. We hung out and had a tea party with these amazing Dutch caramel waffles, incredible.

Anyway, we left and forgot A's bag of music at KR's house. This escaped our notice until Friday night, when we were going to see KR's band play over at Shepard's Pie. KR mentioned that there would be a possibility that A could come up and play a set with her, so naturally we packed up her guitar and got in the car. A said she forgot her music bag, so we went back inside and looked for it, but no luck. I said she probably didn't need it because if she played, they'd do a song she knew.

Her response was to ask, "What if we play the new song? I don't know the words." I thought, what are the chances she was even going to play? This wasn't KR alone, but her band, in a more formal setting. I just said it wasn't a big deal and we had to go. You can imagine how that went over. Of course, being the big softie that I am, I relented, turned off the car, and went back into the house and downloaded the lyrics to the song. I was going to get the chord pattern, as well, but they were different than the ones she learned, and I didn't want to confuse her.

She was happy to have the song and read/practiced the lyrics on the drive over to Shepard's Pie. We got there early, got a table and had a killer meal while the band played a wonderful set. Well, as the band took a break, KR called A up to the stage and sure enough the played the new song. A belted it out and did a beautiful job. So calm and collected. What I find so amazing is that she had just learned the song, didn't even know the lyrics, and had the wherewithal and courage to go up and perform it live. I would have been petrified. The audience loved her, and the musicians were all very nice to a shameless, insecure dad like myself by coming up and complimenting her on her abilities at such a young age, not only her playing but her singing.

What a fabulous night. Just for the record, Shepard's Pie has great food and a really nice setting. Good vibes all around, the staff really gives you the feeling of being welcome. We had the Tuscan Chicken Lasagna and the Chicken and Black Bean Burrito, both amazing. The burrito was a little spicy for the kids, but I loved it. I had the chili and it was great, but a lot of meat. In fact, it was pretty much all meat, with a few beans sprinkled in. Good stuff, but not for the faint of heart.

Of course, we finished it off with a killer piece of chocolate cake and an eclair. It was a fun night, and a wonderful experience overall.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Lucio Mondini for the pic.