Notes from the road -- Sussex, NB

We're back at our motel, "The Covered Bridge", having had a really fun evening. We've got internet access and a nice bottle of Fat Bastard wine, so life is good. The weather forecast predicted 10-15cm of snow here tonight, but so far it's just rain. We're hoping the roads will be OK tomorrow, but are not in a rush so will drive slow (you're welcome, Mom!).

Tonight, we played at The Broadway Cafe in Sussex, New Brunswick. Things were looking a little ominous when we arrived. Neil Young had a big show in Saint John, just 45 minutes away, PLUS the local high school had their big musical "Grease" on this weekend, plus... well, it's Easter weekend. It all seemed a little grim, frankly.

But, WOW! The crowd may have been small, but it sure was enthusiastic!!! The Brights even had our very first mosh pit. :-)

Randi has a beautiful cafe -- the menu (yes, here I go on about food again...) is incredible, it was so hard to choose! Plus they've got the local Pump House brew on tap, which is quite tasty indeed. I had their Scallops Florentine for dinner which... oh... was amazing. We were hoping they'd be open tomorrow so we could try something different too, but they're closed Sundays - sigh.

Anyhow, off my tummy and on to the rest of the evening.

As I mentioned, the turnout was small. We didn't mind so much, since this is the first time either of us has performed in New Brunswick, so we figured anybody showing up was a bonus... not to mention the fact that Neil Young was our competition!!! Early in the evening, there were a few guests on their way to the musical, but then they left, rather apologetically.

Nevermind, we ploughed through. And then a bunch of young'uns showed up. And started dancing! Never had that happen before... but it was tons of fun, so we switched around our setlist to put more of our faster stuff in there, to keep them going. And they kept going. I think my knees might have gone out by then, but... these were young 'uns. ;-) Mosh pit. The Brights had a mosh pit. Who'd-a-thunk?!?

We finished our second set, and then our waitress's parents arrived, so she asked me to sing "Sweat" again for them. I obliged, thinking it might be a tad on the rude side for the elderly... until I noticed that her parents were pretty much the same age as I -- HOLY CRAP! Am I seriously old enough to have a child old enough to be waiting tables?!? Apparently so... Did I mention the young 'uns? Does the fact that I'm calling them young 'uns tell you anything? ;-)

Anyhow, I sang "Sweat" again, to an even more raucous reception than the first, partly because the young 'uns had already memorized the lines about vaseline, etc. 'Twas quite fun. Don then threw in a bunch of his kick-ass guitar pieces, which got them dancing again. And we just kept going until the cows came home... well, no cows, really, but until the end of our set. :-)

We even got an encore. Well... to be honest, the only way they were going to give us our beer was if Don played an encore. :-) What's a thirsty folkie to do?!?

We had such a fun time, and even got a bunch of hugs out of it, so all is well in folk-land (I love hugs!). We've been invited back in the fall, provided we steer clear of Neil Young concerts or major holidays. We definitely intend to return. Imagine how much fun we'd have with a full house?!?

So... now we're putting our feet up, hoping the snow isn't too bad, drinking some tasty beverages and chatting with you folks. Tomorrow, we head to Halifax for some family time and Easter brunching. We'll check in when we have a chance!

Musically, and now with an empty glass (must remedy this!)
Alyssa

Notes from the road -- Perth, ON

Hi folks!

We're just checking in after the second concert of our mini "pre-release" tour, tonight in Sussex, NB.

Didn't get a chance to report on our first concert yet. We played Thursday night in Perth, Ontario -- a concert set up by our friend Sue Tennant (Music on McLean house concerts) at The Crown Pub and Restaurant. We had a lot of fun, and got a chance to see many friends we haven't seen for ages.

The Crown has music nights every Thursday and Saturday, but apparently it's usually cover bands playing. This made us a little nervous, since the only covers we do are by our friends, and we have never learned all the words to "Free Bird" or "American Pie"... It might have made the owners a little nervous too, but fortunately Sue is a very persuasive soul, and she talked them in to hiring us.

Well, if any of us had misgivings, they were all gone by the end of the night. It was one of the most attentive audiences we've had to date -- they were paying attention, whooping it up when the song called for it, and waiting until the last chord faded away on the slow songs (you could have heard a pin drop) before applauding. This was definitely the most appreciated either of us has ever felt at a bar gig!

Adam Tennant did our sound, and did a fabulous job. That wasn't an easy room to control, and he got it just right. Many thanks to him for stepping in!

Some food notes -- the Angel Hair pasta was to die for. :-) (Hey, vegetarians don't get a lot of choice on the road, but this was terrific!)

Friday was spent driving like maniacs through La Belle Province. And today... well, you'll just have to read the next entry to find out about today!

Musically, and with a very nice glass of wine in my hand,
Alyssa

Just a quick update, folks -- there's a new bio up on our website and ReverbNation profile. Visit http://thebrights.ca and / or http://reverbnation.com/brights to see the new info.

And now, time for a nap! :-)

Alyssa