Last night The Back Alley Project fulfilled one of several long standing goals. We played the Ark's open stage night. Our last live performance was April 1, 2004. That means that 1,987 days passed between performances. I think we just might have set a record with that.
The open stage at the Ark works like this - each performer writes their name on a raffle ticket, which goes into a bucket. Around 8 pm, the host draws eight performers' names at which point they are guaranteed to perform in the first eight slots. After the 2nd or 3rd performer, the host draws an additional eight names for slots 9 - 16. If your name doesn't get drawn, you get to keep your raffle ticket and submit it next time (along with a new entry for a total of two) to increase your chances. Also - if you bring 5 or more non-performing audience members with you, your performance slot is guaranteed - and you get to select your slot (1-16).
The host drew the first 8 names last night around 8:00 pm. No dice.
A couple performers performed, then the host drew the final 8 names. Slot 9 was taken by a duo that had brought 5 or more attendees. Names 10-15 were drawn. Again, no dice. Just when you would have thought we weren't going to perform last night, The Back Alley Project was drawn as slot #16. We were headliners! In a sense.
Jason and I performed "Simple Days" as our first song, followed by some banter, then we moved along to "Locked Away." We were both pretty satisfied with our performances last night. It was exciting to finally play on the same stage we've seen Glen Phillips, Ellis Paul, Teitur, and many others. The acoustics in the Ark, even on the stage, were amazing. It was only a 2 song performance but it was a good (re) starting point for TBAP.
We're going to attempt to play every open stage at the Ark that we can in the future, selecting 2 different songs for each performance.
All in all it was an amazing experience and a major milestone for us. TBAP is back!
-Andy
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