Full disclosure: though at the start of this year I was doing everything I could to let folks know I was able and willing to perform live, I didn’t really expect it to happen anytime soon. I have no name recognition and did my best for the majority of my fifteen+ years in this town to remain relatively obscure.
But opportunities have unexpectedly presented themselves – largely because of my highly visible unabashed online appreciation of other local musicians and venues – and I have said yes. This has led to two unforeseen performances, and I have developed quite a bit from both.
I am slowly outgrowing super-noob apprehensions like developing trainwreck hands in the middle of songs or suddenly forgetting how to assemble my rig; now the focus has shifted to overcoming the challenges related to portraying my vision in its best light, in a low-maintenance but high-impact – and, most importantly, consistent – way.
Case in point: the distortion pedals didn’t work at Thursday’s show. I mean, they operated, but they were unlistenable under the conditions, so I took them out of the chain. Which I’m not too bummed about, because that’s what these early live experiences are for… to test out what works and what doesn’t, and what just needs to be gone about differently.
“F*cking up is part of it. I don’t think you can always win.” – Elliott Smith
But that’s gonna be my next item of business: to understand exactly why they didn’t work and how to make them work. Because as much as folks might be cool with a decent vocal and a catchy tune, those aren’t really the main things that the Sold Kingdom vision is about.
Anyhow. Here are some pics from Thursday’s show. (Credit: Odd John Photography)
The Sold Kingdom 
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