I finally played my first gig here in Granada at a great little restaurant and bar called Imagine, after the classic John Lennon song. Several months ago I emailed the owner, Kevin, out of the blue asking if he had any slots open. I figured he was probably booked solid and would tell me he could fit me in sometime in the next few months, during which time I could practice for the show. I was wrong. He responded asking if I could play that very Friday night from night from 8pm – 11pm! I was in no way prepared for something that soon since I had done no serious practice since arriving here in August. I explained this and declined, promising that I would be in touch again in a few weeks, after I’d had time to practice.
About a week later he emailed me asking if I was ready and could play that coming Friday. I wasn’t ready, but I didn’t want to decline the chance again, potentially coming off as an un-reliable flake and ruining any chance of playing there at all. I crammed on Wednesday and Thursday evening, hammering my material over and over again until it was etched back into my brain as deep as possile. Eventually I got to a point where I figured I could do three 40 minute sets with two twenty minute breaks from 8pm – 11pm.
I had a great time and the place was packed most of the time. Kevin’s a super nice guy, and a great guitarist to boot, so he ended up improving some lead with me during the last set. I dare say a good time was had by all.
A guy I’d never met before named Eric showed up and asked if he could borrow my guitar to play a few tunes. I was more than happy to oblige since my setts were so short. He played several times throughout the night and was really good. He had a very Jack Johnson-like sound to his stuff, which may very well have been Jack Johnson covers. I’m not too familiar with that guy’s entire catalog.
Below are a few pictures and a short clip of me doing the song “Beer is Food” from my band HyperSloth.
