In November, Michelle’s Cafe a restaurant in Eureka, MO, had the last open mic performance of the season. As one of the regular performers, the place has had a mix of performers including a local American Idol contestant and classic rock musician. Since this would be my last chance for a performance there this calendar year, I recorded myself on video.
Performance
Story
“I Would Meet You” is a song about how I met my wife. On my album Hallowed, this song is a straight ahead rock song. This live performance on video uses a looper pedal. Because of the looper, the performance follows a slightly different arrangement. You can check out the lyrics if you want details, but “Meet You” as I refer to the song more quickly, is the first song I wrote that helped me establish my songwriting blueprint. The pattern of having a story with a beginning, middle, and end and arranging that story around supporting choruses.
Live
Hope the video gives you a good idea of a live performance. Though playing in a restaurant is obviously different than a house concert or open mic where it’s about the performers, any chance to play is fun. Adapting to the venue and audience and trying out new music is exciting and, to me at least, makes performing fun.
Live recordings always have extra value to myself. Since I don’t think of myself as much of a singer, I like getting an objective view through the lens or microphone of what I sound like. After I recorded this song, a nice older couple, and remember I’m in my 40’s so I mean older than myself, told me they really enjoyed my music. Their comment was nice, but I need to know that I sound good to myself. This video makes me feel like I do the song justice.