Today, a beautiful sunny afternoon, I have opened-up all the windows and been going 'round the cave collecting little bits and pieces, the left-overs from the Drugstore Gran re-opening.
There are unopened cards (a love-letter perhaps, one hopes), half-empty glasses of wine scattered about, setlists, and a variety of post-gig, post-party objects to be inspected, analyzed, digested and then filed or deleted, as appropriate.
This morning, spent a decent share of the gig's earnings (probably a very small amount for most, but a minor fortune for miss monteiro), at the local Gardening Center. Not very rock'n'roll, I agree, but as you will see in due time, it makes perfect sense.
My mind is still wheeling 'round the Drugstore Carousel, snapshots of the past month, interweaved with the emotions that culminated at that Dingwalls' dingy stage, on a nondescript monday night.
The evening had been planned to the utmost detail, the band's backstage rider sent with specific instructions for cloudy, non-sparkling lemonade. As we know, no amount of hardcore planning can avoid the inevitable fact that, shit will happen.
Events take a life of their own, there are so many things, so many people involved, that at some point, you just have to let loose of the reigns and hope that everyone's riding roughly in the same direction.
Throughout the process, a variety of unexpected things happened, some were great, others, not quite so. People may find it charming that my brand new pair of boots had to be gaffa-taped down at the venue, or that the band, following a storming argument, managed to lock themselves out of the rehearsal studio. Some of those things, I could have done without, but have learnt that, given enough time, the tragic and the pathetic, will eventually become funny additions to our future memories.
But out of all the crazy, unexpected things that went down, none more so captured the spirit of this band, than the first few anarchic minutes of the gig itself. I forgot to turn the volume of the guitar up and from that moment on, our drugstore was truly re-opened. Shambolic, lovable, crazy and dangerously real.
I could talk about the songs, the band, the guests, the fact that Aquamarine was lovely, but the key too low for me (will re-demo it, as I think it's worth the effort), but I don't think I need to. It was a wonderful evening at the drugstore, and both staff and customers alike seem overjoyed with the goods on offer, and I hope will be coming back for more. The amount of post-gig messages received seems to point in that direction.
This Drugstore will remain open, whether we will be able to have the same transcontinental line-up every time it is doubtful, but I am confident that having a little flexibility on that front, will guarantee that we don't have to wait another 7 years for yet another evening of beautiful drugstoreness, or that monteiro's gonna be locked-up, back in the shadows of the cave.
I will go back to my demoing-songwriting mode, and will be shortly organising the next drugstore outing.
I feel that the Dingwalls gig was just the beginning.
By stepping out of the cave I have now planted the seed, you guys supporting us is the water we need to keep going (yes, yes...I know, yet another El Dodgyo metaphor 'springs-up' out of nowhere...- but 'cmon guys, give me a break, having spent past 6 years in the grey slums, and now living in beautiful cave in the heart of leafy kew gardens, got to let me have a bit of green fun!).
So, yep, it's all about seeds and water and little cute flowers that you don't bloody know the name of cropping up and making the whole stinking world a little bit better for it.
Drugstore have something small to offer, probably not terribly valuable to most, but something that is unarguably unique, ourselves.
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pic by John Marshall
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pic by Gary Simpson
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the cave, post-gig gardening center bonanza.
vid by Michela Volpe
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5 comments:
Dear Isabel and co
gutted couldnt make it to dingwalls, due to work commitments.
love the video!
please keep going,we really need you!
more gigs and more music please!
marky
Isobel - a lovely blog entry for the post gig comedown.
Monday evening was amazing, totally enjoyed seeing you guys again.
More please!
There are good and bad points to the whole Drugstore 2.0 experience. The good (very good, brilliant, in fact) point is that it happened, the bad point is that I wasn't there to see it!
Here's to hoping that the seeds germinate and an all-encompassing jungle explodes out of them.
You most richly deserve your little garden to give you pleasure, as repayment for the pleasure you have given to us merry few who have been fortunate enough to experience the output from the Cave.
just one thing.. Cowboy hat mysteriously absent from photos of gig. Did it not travel, or was it lost in the melee?
Drugstore 2.0 experience! loved that!
thx for sweetness - more exciting developments to follow soon, straight from cave quarters,,,
x
The gig was just amazing and I think it is now my fave Drugstore gig... I love small intimate concert rooms, feeling close to the
playing band, having been musically "raised" at le Chabada in Angers and this is exactly what Dingwalls was. :) Actually I hadn't
noticed that the guitar sound was turned down until the young roadie came onstage (and basically I wonder what he was on about!), I
was just too hooked on your voice... :) My material self may be back in France but my heart and soul still lie in this small dark
concert room in Camden Lock, my eyes still sparkling with stars... The small beautiful flowers will keep growing up to turn into
the most incredible blooming firework.
Thanks for the magic and the beauty you bring into this world... People (inside and outside of the band) coming from all over the world to attend the gig, making new friends sharing the Drugstore love, that's just incredible... Now I wish the world was just a bit smaller so that everybody can meet easily again. :) Merci Isabel et Drugstore ! xx
PS: Please, let us have more videos of the gig. :)
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