Last night I came back to live. After more than 15 months I went and saw live music. I took my daughter to a small local venue and saw The Wild Feathers. It helps that they are one of my favorite bands that I’ve come across in the last few years. It also helps that they are really fabulous live. I didn’t know this until I saw them last night. I was lucky enough that they happen to pop up on my feed for a local venue that tends to book acts that are not big commercial draws but appeal to a select audience. Despite the social distancing protocols in place and the weird seating arrangement, I managed to have an absolutely fantastic time. Of course having my daughter Hanna with me made it better. The music was fantastic. The americana/southern rock ethos of this band was on full display. They effortlessly move between beautiful harmonies, ballads and jammy songs with fantastic instrumentation. If I had to put a label on them (which I hate ) I would say they fall somewhere between a classic southern rock band and vintage Eagles. Three vocalists all equally adapt and distinctive with fantastic musicianship.The intimate setting allowed for great interaction with the audience. Of course after the show the members of the band were in the lobby of the venue and we got to talk, chat and interact. They handle their own merch. The drummer talked with us about hairstyles. Sidenote*my daughter Hanna is really cool and has great hair. We talked to Joel, bassist and co- lead vocalist about the difficulty with being on the shelf for a year and the challenges of traveling and touring in a post Covid world. Everyone in the audience seem to be like prisoners out of prison released after an unjust sentence. (Forgive me if I’m waxing too poetic.)

I’m not sure I totally realized until last night how much I really missed going to a live show. Of course I’ve continued my ever expanding search of music over the last year. I’ve watched numerous live streams of artists that I like. But nothing replaces the pure adrenaline ,energy and emotion that you feel when people get on the stage in front of you and play because they love it and can’t imagine doing anything else. These guys are doing what they want to do because it feeds their soul. They’re obviously not rich but they’re really damn good at what they do and they made a couple hundred people really happy last night.

keep it up guys. (I’m breathing better now)