my first gig in L.A.

    Okay, Jason and his friend, Ed (who is very cool and funny, by the way), just left my house and it is 3 am.  I am exhausted.  Seriously, I am spent.  But today was a pretty amazing day.  I mean, it started out kinda rough because we had to leave the house by 11:30 am, which is not my standard mode of operations.  We had a matinee that went fine, I think.  To tell you the truth, I can't even really remember it at this point.  But, nothing stands out, so I am sure it went well.  

    Right after the show, Clyde and I recorded a little more.  I just added a piano track to a song--and it was simple and quick.  Then, I spent some time playing through the set I was gonna play tonight, stopping only because I realized I was hungry and needed to eat something before the evening show.  While getting food, my dear friend, Dustin (who I had done Fame Korea with a few years back) called to tell me he was bringing a bunch of his friends to the show--and would also be coming to my gig afterwards.  

   Now, I usually get out of an evening show at around 10:15. But then we get stuck in terrible traffic because there are a few theaters right where we are--and they pretty much all get out at the same time.  So, in order to make it to Santa Monica blvd by 10:30, I knew that I needed to do some fancy planning.  My solution: Jason picks me up at the stage door at 10:10 (I figured if I changed at lightening speed and had everything ready to go, I could get out a little early).  If Jase got me at 10:10, we would beat the theater-goer traffic.  Well, wouldn't you know it that tonight we had a dream audience who literally would NOT STOP CLAPPING, making the show even longer!  I was like yeah, yeah, you like it--I get it-now stop your applause and let us go on with the show cause I got somewhere to be... 

   So, poor Jase had to loop around the block a couple of times waiting for us (we didn't get out there till 10:15--oh, and the "we" was me and Clyde, who played guitar with me tonight).  Already, we were behind...Jase drove like he was suddenly a part of that racing scene from THe Bourne Identity.  Not really, but you know what I mean--he was weaving through L.A. traffic like it was his job.  Finally, we got there at around 10:35 and I start playing at 10:40.  

   The place was actually pretty packed.  A lot of friends from ACL came, Dustin and his friends came, other friends whom we've met here in LA came, of course Jase was there, and then there were just some people there I didn't know.  At 11:00 (which is when the place was supposed to close), the owner told me to just keep playing, which was awesome.  So, I went till around 20 after.  My friend Gabby sang a song with me, too--and she did so well.  Pretty much, it was a really fun time.  I loved playing my stuff--it brought me so much life.  My friends from ACL were so kind and kept saying it was amazing to see me in my element.  They see me as Kristine every night; she's cute, but tone-deaf, so yeah...

  Okay, time to sleep.  Happy 4th of July, everyone.  Think of me fondly as I am in rehearsal...:-)