Residency Diary: Mississippi Man, Part Two

Residency Diaries are exactly what they sound like: the thoughts, musings, and scribbles of rock bands as they host a series of month-long shows in various Los Angeles venues. This month’s R.D. entries will be from Mississippi Man, whose barroom brawl of guitar-driven ’60s rock and folk-tinged Americana can be heard for free every Monday night in November at the Silverlake Lounge (presented by KXLU and The Fold).

By David Knight (guitar/ vocals)

We must have done something right on the first night. Maybe it was the way we talked to people. Maybe it was the music. Whatever the cause, people came. Wonderfully detached and strung up, some of them looking for the very thing that the big, glowing sign above the stage read. Salvation. I think I may have found it there on a few occasions but, as always, it slipped away when I left. And tonight, were we expected to bring this to people who had never seen us before? People who didn’t know us, didn’t know that we, like them, are all searching for the same thing. Music is such a beautiful curse.

The Fling knows, The Silent Comedy knows, we know. Make Moon canceled so maybe it got to them too. Either way, The Fling went up on stage and, without any visible worries, proceeded to save the entire crowd right then. They like 3 a lot, and so do I. They played a fantastic set and people kept coming in until I couldn’t see The Fling anymore. I just heard them play and watched the crowd as they stood and watched and maybe heard, I’m not sure. The band sage, Raymond Richards, was also present and we had some good conversation about things. That man can work his way around a monolithic tape machine like nobody’s business. Someday, we want to build a studio at the Casa in Joshua Tree with him. Someday.

The Fling finished with the crowd cheering and left the stage for the Silent Comedy to fill and somehow make it their own. They did and it left me astounded as to how. That band has some great stage presence with their guitar player hitting the overhang like a man speaking tongues at some southern tent revival. The salvation aspect was definitely working in their favor. People were still coming in and I decided to go outside for a brief respite from the stuffy, although excitable, atmosphere inside. After a quick break it was my turn to push through the crowd to set up and take the stage. We like having people stand close to us. It makes for an exciting show.

As usual, time stood still while we played and I sang and played and didn’t worry about saving people. Just playing music is enough for me. I’ll leave the saving part for someone else. I think that there was some applause though. My ears kind of shut off to any outside interference while we play. Maybe it’s some sort of weird survival mechanism. We could feel a lot of energy coming from the crowd which is always nice. It was a great night for music all around.

The night ended with a bang, literally, as the 4-foot condom that Dustin, singer from the Fling, was blowing up suddenly exploded. Those things are pretty resilient. Maybe I should put more faith in them. And with that, we all proceeded to pack up, by far the most horrible task of playing any show. Maybe we’ll have roadies someday. Who knows.

We’ll see all you salvation-seekers next week. Let’s talk and have some fun.

November 16, 2009 | Filed Under Concert Reviews, Exclusive Features, Residency Diaries 

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