The Killdevils

July 18: From an Undisclosed Location

Notes on the Killdevils's First Show by Jacob Haller

Tonight was my first night officially performing as a member of The Killdevils (I had performed with Chris in some coffee houses before, but that was before we were officially a band). It was an odd little gig.

The place we played in didn't have an entertainment license, so the owner had insisted that we do nothing to promote the event (no posters, etc.) We were allowed to tell friends and family members to come.

The place was really not set up for music at all; it was essentially a pool hall/bar. Chris and I ended up wedged into one corner of the room behind one of the pool tables, me with my guitar and piano and Chris with his guitar and PA. There was also a hockey fooz ball-type game which played rollicking little tunes (like the William Tell Overture and the Charge song) every ten minutes or so, which we nonetheless managed to forget to unplug between sets. Fortunately it was pretty quiet, although it was pretty audible during one of our quiet songs ('Dear Someone'); I had to move away from the mike so people wouldn't hear me laughing.

Although we weren't allowed to advertise the show, the bar owner did put up a notice saying we would be playing. There was a very small crowd, and he thought people might have been spooked because they saw that there was going to be something new and they weren't sure if they would like it. He was interested in booking us again, though, so Chris told him that maybe he also shouldn't promote the show next time.

Despite all of the above, and some major feedback problems in the first set, things went pretty well, especially as the evening went on. During each of the sets there was at least one really drunk guy who was very enthusiastic about us. The first one told us that he used to play piano himself, but he quit when he got married eighteen years ago and had only started playing again recently. I'm trying to get my soul back, he said. I wasn't sure what the appropriate response was, but thought it probably wasn't "Good luck with that!", tempting though that was. This same guy remembered seeing Chris at an open mike earlier that week and told Chris that he had been hoping to have some luck with a woman he met there, but it hadn't worked out. She could have ridden my face all week, he said. We murmured sympathetically.

For the last set, the drunk guy was this young guy wearing a tie-dye shirt, who gave out a whoop and jumped around in joy when we started playing 'Folsom Prison Blues', and who later shouted encouragement at us during our solos in 'Bright Lights, Big City', to the extent that I had trouble hearing what Chris was doing and ended up fumbling around a bit in the middle of one of my solos. After the show, he came over and admired my piano, saying, I want to jam some f'n Für Elise on that m'f'er, you know what I mean? I nodded and repeated the phrase to myself in my head until I got a chance to write it down.

Another odd thing: Someone requested a song, and we actually knew the song and how to play it. (It was a Grateful Dead song called 'Dire Wolf' which we started playing about a week and a half ago.)

So as I say everything went pretty well, particularly as we got paid. I'm going to be a wreck tomorrow though.

Set Lists

-> indicates that there was a seamless segue from one song to the next.

1st set: (I played piano, Chris played guitar)

1. The Weight
2. Before You Accuse Me
3. Rider on the Rain
4. The Local Expatriate
5. Me & Curby
6. Early In The Morning

2nd set: (I played piano, Chris played guitar)

1. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
2. Sinner's Prayer
3. Johnny B. Goode
4. Take Your Rest
5. Gypsy Woman
6. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
7. Midnight Special

3rd set: (both of us played guitar)

1. Dire Wolf
2. Sin City
3. That's All Right
4. Folsom Prison Blues
5. Dear Someone ->
6. Anabelle
7. Big Road Blues
8. Bright Lights, Big City