second citizens hideout 12-15-2004

a good time and good night at the hideout. the second citizens returned to the hideout for a wednesday night double bill with michael columbia. there was a good crowd in the abr when we got there, we played a nice long set and the folks listened. playing with this band is fun- we all know the music so well that we can really let our instincts take over. afterwards someone asked me about the more open improvised sections, he said that he didn't really know what our goal was in them. i tried to explain to him that what we are doing by improvising is constantly trying to change the music to make it better. the great thing about improvising is that you can find new ways to play music - though of course some othings turn out better than others. but, if we played the same thing all the time, we'd be a jam band. michael columbia played kind of a short set - it's dave mcdonnell on saxophone, bass and electronics and dylan ryan on drums & electronics. a similar instrumentation to grey ghost, but an entirely different way of making music. i would say they are alot more rocking than grey ghost, with more emphasis on rhythm than looseness. all of us finished the night drinking beers that somehow became free after midnight - not bad...