To be perfectly honest, the only show I've been worried about this whole trip was the Coffee Gallery Backstage. It was one of the two draw-based shows we booked, and while I was born in LA, have some friends and family in the area, and am confident in our talents, I was worried what our success rate was going to be at this venue. In Altadena, CA, on Lake Avenue, this small coffeeshop's back room seats 49 and hosts some of the quirkiest and most professional acts in the nation. When I called the owner (a blunt, aging, but incredibly hilarious man named Bob Stane), I mentioned that I was born in LA and could probably produce up to 20 people if he was worried about draw. At that he recommended we take the matinee on June 5 as the main attraction. Following this conversation, I asked Bob Marlowe (old family friend and great influence on me, musically and philosophically) to open for us, and then basically crossed my fingers that we'd get enough reservations.
And in spite of all my nail-chewing, we actually went over very well. Afterward, Bob Stane even said that he was "satisfied with how things went," which to us from him was like receiving a B+ on a trigonometry test. We even made a profit out of which we were able to pay our awesome opening act. The family friends (who trudged all the way up the hill expecting to look at their watches halfway through the afternoon then convince themselves to stay in support of Scott & Pam's daughter) were positively effusive, saying how engaged they were throughout the performance, how touched they were, and what fun they had. My mom's old roommate made me cry telling me how she's been praying for me and my brother our whole lives. I got to see one of my mom's fellow doo-op singers who I've literally not seen in nearly 20 years. My childhood playmate showed up. We were able to stop for an In-N-Out Burger on the way to the gig. All in all, it was an Exhale kind of day.
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