Different Sounds And Places

This weekend, I attended two music concerts. The first was a CD launch party at the Silver Dollar. The Silver Dollar. In my teen years, I saw a drunken woman sprawled on the sidewalk in front of the Silver Dollar. She had her skirt pulled up to her waist, exposing her nakedness for all to fear. She was peeing on the ground, lying down. The place has changed much since. It's still a dive, but so much cleaner.

My friend's daughter, Kate, just cut her first solo album. She's 23 and a trained opera singer. But as a young, hip, female, urbanite recording under an indy label, her music appeals mostly to young, hip, artsy women.

More precisely, her audience was mostly young lesbians, and us - her parents, aunts and uncles, and their friends. So you had on the dance floor and around the stage all these young androgynous couples hugging and being affectionate. And in the back, sitting around tables (because we're too tired to stand all night) were the old people in our fifties.

But these young women, they were something. They were delicate looking, glowing with the optimism of freedom and potential. Many dressed like newspaper boys with t-shirt, vest, and cap. Some wore plaid shirts over a white T. Some were in leather. Some sported the nerdy look with vest and eyeglasses. They were all slim, pretty, and mild-looking, kind of like David Cassidy,



or Zac Efron.


You know what I mean? They dressed up like pretty boys. My friend said they look like pixies. You can just imagine them going home to sleep under their lily pads.

Kate produces electronic music, singing over it with a strong, quivering voice. Whether you like her sound or not, you can't deny that she's a powerful singer and accomplished musician.

The next night, I went to a living room concert. The group was called The Undesirables. Two rough-looking guys singing country and blues in the living rooms of white-haired yuppies. They were highly entertaining and equally adept at very tender ballads.

To be sure, neither had a good voice, but when they sang together, their voices blended to produce strong, melodic, soulful tones. They knew this too, because they talked about how together, they sound so much better than either alone.

The concert took place in someone's home. The host had moved the furniture and brought in chairs to convert the living room and dining room into seating. The singers stayed at one end of room facing the audience of 30.

You still buy a ticket, but during intermission, the host provides coffee, cookies, and dessert. It's a grand idea, this living room concert, because no matter what the sound is, music is best live and served with food.