in the fury of the moment

some peace last night

What an amazing night last night was. And so perfectly orchestrated. Originally, I had plans to have dinner with some friends of mine ... if that had happened, we probably would have just hung out at my friend Kristen's house all night and goofed around on the piano and guitar. No doubt a great time would have been had, but my destiny was elsewhere ... two of the four dinner party guests got sick and our get-together was cancelled. Suddenly I found myself with a free evening -- a rare occurence lately.

So I looked online for events in the city. There was a jam/funk band concert I already knew about, happening right after work, just a few blocks away. But yesterday was another one of those draining days, and I didn't really feel up to fighting my way through a patchouli-scented, drunken mob. So I kept looking. Hm ... Martha's Trouble ... that name sounds familiar. There were some song clips on the site, so I half-heartedly clicked and waited ... my computer speakers will never again be the same. I don't think they have ever emitted such sweet music in the entire time that I have possessed them. I was rendered motionless -- I could do nothing but sit and listen to the sweet sounds filling my office. How is it possible that I never heard this before? A few minutes later I was on the phone with Charlie (the only other remaining healthy person from the evening's intended dinner party) ... and I put the phone up to one of my speakers. That was all I needed to do to convince him to go to the concert with me. Little did we know of the beauty that awaited us.

We set off on our trek to the newly discovered, but extremely cool, venue. The ambience itself in the place was worth the measly $ 5 cover charge. We caught the end of the previous act, then sat and waited for the anticipated band to take the stage. From the moment Rob and Jen stepped out onto the dimly lit platform, I knew the next few hours were going to be great. There was just something about them, I can't explain it. And as soon as the first words flowed from Jen's lips, I was entranced. The next 100 something minutes are definitely up there with the best ever ... as I listened to Jen's words, I felt like I was listening to an old friend, a friend who could completely understand where I was coming from and what I was thinking. It was uncanny, and almost a little eerie. At a couple points during the show, when I was actually able to pick my chin up off the floor and tear my eyes from the stage, I leaned over to talk to Charlie, and found out that he felt the same way ... somehow Rob and Jen had read our minds, snuck into our thoughts, and written them into amazing songs.

Anyway, I could go on and on ... but needless to say, it was a great show. The cherry on an already perfect sundae was after the show, when we were able to hang out for probably somewhere close to a couple hours (I have no concept of time from when we walked in the door to when we walked out of it) and talk to them. Those original thoughts were confirmed. These two incredibly talented artists (and their bassist Wade, who I didn't talk to that much) were so down-to-earth and so incredibly ... much like us ... that I had to remind myself that we really didn't know them before last night, and we still don't really know them ...

We talked about chasing dreams, and living in the moment, and the sombering sense of responsibility that comes from owning real furniture. It was good. I know this post isn't even doing it justice, but it almost seems like the goodness of the night will be cheapened if I keep writing about it.

Anyway, all that to say, it was a really good night. If you want to hear some music that helps you remember that you're actually alive (and maybe reminds you of why, too), check these kids out. In a gray landscape of music that leaves you feeling empty and sad, Martha's Trouble is a welcome sign of life.

posted by Krista @ 4:43 PM