Last night I went to Jimmy’s No. 43 in the East Village. It’s a pretty cool little place. It’s got the rathskeller thing working pretty well, and tucked around a corner is a cool little performance space. Bliss Blood, Heather Lev, and Dan “Cool Hand Uke” Scanlan were gathering for an evening of ukulele and song.
Bliss Blood, Heather Lev, and Dan Scanlan
The uke has its hooks in me. I got my first exposure seeing Kelli Rae Powell and Craig Chesler perform as Dreamboat. I saw Kelli Rae play solo at Banjo Jim’s and I was hooked, hooked on Kelli Rae and the uke.
Next came a show at the Jalopy Cafe that (I believe) Bliss Blood put together. There was one performer who came late whose name I did not catch, but that evening I saw for the first time Bliss Blood, Al. Duvall, Sweet Soubrette, and J. Walter Hawkes. Kelli Rae Powell joined them on the bill. It was a sort of Algonquin Roundtable of the ukulele. It was a wicked show.
Now I am hooked, mainlining ukulele whenever I can. It’s not just the uke that has me hooked, however. These are very talented people, and last night was another example of what big fun is out there for me if I reach out for it. There’s no place to hide behind a ukulele. It’s you and the song, so if the song is bad, we know it, and if the performance is bad, well, we’ll see that also.
I’m fighting an awful sinus infection, so I stayed home from work yesterday. But as the evening came around, I started feeling fair. That’s when I saw a bulletin from Bliss Blood about the show at Jimmy’s No. 43.
I promised to take care of myself, but a VERY smart person reminded me that listening to great music is a good way of taking care of myself (thanks KRP!), so when 7 came around and I was feeling “okay,” I jumped on the L and headed for Manhattan.
When I got to the club, Heather Lev and Dan Scanlan were just sitting around playing songs. And that’s the way it went for most of the night. It was unfortunate there wasn’t a better turn out, but there was also something pretty cool about being the only person there while these two talented musicians jammed. Dan was playing a banjo ukulele. I’ve heard them but had never actually seen one played. And play it did he ever. Both he and Heather were gracious, answering questions I had about their instruments.
Other patrons arrived over the course of the next ninety minutes. When Bliss Blood arrived, things went to the next level. Not only does Bliss have great taste in attire, but her songs are incredible and her playing electrifying. Dan did some things on his banjolele that looked impossible. Heather possesses a calm and grace about her that’s infectious. And Bliss just flat-out dazzles.
I had seen Bliss Blood solo before but that was at the Jalopy from the seats. (I saw her in Delta Dreambox open for M. Shanghai String Band at Mo Pitkin’s and they were awesome.) Even when you are only two pews from the stage, a stage still separates the performer from the audience. Last night, I was seated at arms length from her, watching her playing up-close; that was a blast.
Since I started learning guitar, my appreciation for guitarists and this new breed of ukulele artists has gone up ten-fold. I still remember the absolute thrill I felt when I actually recognized a performer play an E chord! What a dork. I was watching Sarah Blasko at The Living Room, and when the fingers of her left hand landed on the the frets to form the E, and I saw it, and knew it was an E, well, I guess it sounds a little stupid, but I was excited. I’m watching the necks all the time now. Granted, I have no clue what the tuning is on a ukulele, but watching these talented musicians is an education every time I seat myself for a show.
So thanks to Bliss Blood, Heather Lev, and Dan Scanlan for a great night, and thanks to Jimmy’s No. 43 for having them.
(There are photos from last night on my Flickr account.)
