Friday, January 20, 2012

I Heart St. Louis


Last weekend I went to St. Louis to play some solo gigs.

It was amazing.



My good, great, brother of a friend David Lazaroff set it up for me. He hooked me up with Rick Wood who runs Wood House Concerts.  Man, if you live in the St. Louis area, and you're not on Rick's mailing list you should be. He brings in incredible acts, sets them up in his house which is one of the best rooms in St. Louis, feeds them and then invites really cool people to watch them. I had such the best time playing there.  And he's an artist who has let his imagination run free in his house.  Seriously, it's coolest.




David also hooked me a radio gig at KDHX on Saturday, and a brunch at Lola. And he and his band, the Brothers Lazaroff agreed to play those shows with me, and learn my material and rock it.  KDHX is just the kind of radio station you want in a town.  Broad minded musically yet intensely community oriented. And they made us sound really good on the radio.

And Lola, dude, Lola was awesome. The staff was excellent, the food was excellent, and the vibe was laid back and fun. I got to see so many cool people. Some I were meeting for the first time, like Robin Wheeler, who did a really cool interview with me, and who runs a really cool blog  and others who I've known for years.  (See you at SXSW Roy and Dana!) Good times.




It was such a fulfilling weekend.  With kids and work and life, it's been very easy to put my own creative life on the back burner.  At the end of the day, I'd usually rather sleep than write a song. I choose early bedtimes over gigs in town.

In some ways, it was easier to leave town and gig than it would have been to stay home and do the same thing. I can't remember the last time when I focused on myself and my music and my friends. I felt like I spent the whole weekend thanking people. Thank you I kept on saying. Thank you to David and Rick  and Chris and Roy and Nico and Andy and Robin for giving me a place to play and helping me tell people about it. Thank you to Grover and Teddy and Mo and Jeff for learning my stuff. Thank you to Gayle for taking me into your home and Julie for hanging with us and Ella and Daisy for reminding me of my own girls at home. Thank you to Lisa and Bryan and Dillon and Jessica and Jim and Vicki and everyone else who came out to the shows.

Thank you, thank you, all weekend thank you. And even now I feel thankful. Because becoming a mom has been wonderful and amazing, but it's a bit of a necessary part of the job that you let go of and lose track of some parts of yourself that are integral to your existence. And that works for a while because you've got these little beings who fill in any and all gaps in your life.  But last weekend I found that part of myself that had been sitting back, taking a break while I took care of the kids. I like her/me so much.

Thank you, St. Louis, for giving us a chance to get reacquainted.


6 comments:

Roy said...

Don't make it so long before your next appearance in STL. We loved having you here. See you in Austin!

Unknown said...

Thank you for taking the leap! Parenthood is ever-changing, especially when it comes to finding the time and energy for creativity. It's good to nurture those pre-mom parts. And you were great!

Unknown said...

Elizabeth it was such a pleasure!! Loved getting to play more than just our annual Austin "sit in".

Glad you enjoyed your time in the Lou. Looking forward to the next time.

EMQ said...

The Lou! Can I call your fair city that now? Dude, you guys are awesome.

Matt McCauley said...

Let us know a bit ahead of time if you come back. I would love to see you guys. KDHX is a beloved station by the local musicians here, as they strongly support the music scene in St. Louis. I have played at the station and was stunned at how good they made us sound. Hope to see you soon.

Joanna said...

Oh, boy! Sounds like a great weekend. I hope it lights a spark and you start doing a few solo gigs in Austin again. We miss 'em! (Even if we do understand the whole motherhood thing.)