..and other such adventures of this past Monday.
Apologies for the tardiness of this (lengthy) post, but I’ve been busy listening to Milo Greene, Andrew Heringer, & Dawson&Marie since very early Tuesday morning. (Some favorites: Perfectly Aligned, Silent Way, Cutty Love, 1957, Baskets, Roads ..ok, all of their songs!)
Allow me to backtrack a bit, to Monday.. It was a beautiful day here in Durham. That night was girls night and I was PUMPED (which was quite obvious ..the entire night. Sorry guys!)! The four of us – L, M, N, & myself (I threw off the alphabetography!) – were to meet at Straw Valley Cafe and then caravan-carpool it to Duke for The Civil Wars concert.
L and I arrived first only to find out the cafe was actually closed for the night. However, the owner is such a super nice fellow that he not only allowed us to stay on the grounds and take quite a few photographs (while he creeperishly walked around for a bit), but also made his best attempt at a hot chocolate for L & then my tea latte. Job well done, sir. Thanks Scott!
Once M & N arrived, we migrated to the closest Starbucks. We chatted for a bit, and then were off to the main event! True, we were absolutely thrilled to finally see The Civil Wars in concert (rescheduled from Oct 20th due to Joy’s illness), but Milo Greene exceeded all expectations & rocked our socks off!
From the moment the auditorium lights dimmed and fog machine was turned on, I was pretty much entranced by the 5 person concoction of awesomeness. As Andrew (player of any instrument that has strings or can be hit ..in his words) told it, they knew each other from college, had each dabbled in various smaller projects, and one day it just clicked that this is what they were supposed to be doing. The band’s name is also a neat story. (I’m always one for a good ol’ how-the-name-came-about tale!) When the group first got to the point where they wanted to start playing shows, they sent out emails and such under the alias “Milo Greene” ..and thus, the band was named. But back to the performance.. after each song, they ALL changed instruments. It was one of the most incredible things I’ve seen. It’s pretty awe-inspiring to see someone, let alone five someones, who are so musically talented.
After their incredible set was over, there was intermission (AKA: set change). The girls & I chose to take the opportunity to dash outside and pick up the tour-exclusive EP. One word – repeat button. : )
Fast forward through the bathroom lines, random couple standing in front of us, reviewing the Milo Greene pictures, and we arrive at the much-anticipated duo …The Civil Wars!
The screams began before they even brought the lights up! And once they did, the simplistic set up of Joy, John Paul, the piano, & the guitars proved to be just enough! I don’t know if I’ll ever experience anything quite like that live performance. The pair completely captivated the entire audience. Joy with her dainty & almost whimsical dance moves, and the way she sang to John Paul for the better part of the concert. John Paul with his Johnny Depp-ness ……. oh, and his musical talent, yada, yada. You could literally hear a pin drop more than a handful of occasions throughout their performance. In between several songs, Joy & John Paul’s adorable banter was on display. In the end, there was a standing ovation ..along with 2 encore songs!! Thank you both for sharing your AMAZING talents! My attempt to summarize their set with words has most likely fallen short, but will hopefully convince you to see them live, or at least check out their recordings!
Now for the story of how the title of this post came into being! As the audience was shuffling out of the auditorium, we decided to (instead of attempting to find Joy & John Paul’s bus) see if we could find Milo Greene and have them sign our CDs. Luckily, they were variously placed on the lawn, armed with Sharpies for our signing pleasure. After spending some time people watching, we made it to Andrew Heringer. One of the nicest musicians I’ve met. He hung out with us on the lawn chatting, taking pictures, and chatting some more. Next thing we know, he’s saying he has this desire to lie on the grass and look up at Duke Chapel, so he went for it. Shortly thereafter, M & L joined him and there I was – camera in-hand – stating that I must try a different angle so as to not get any “skirtage” … And thus, skirting on the grass was born. The girls & I very much enjoyed our time hanging out with Milo Greene after the concert, and look forward to their next local (or LA…) performance!
Here’s to a very enjoyable & memorable night, and an extremely long-winded blog post to show for it!
B.
PS: Most of the photo credit goes to Lydia Mitchell! Thanks, Lady!
Order of pics: Straw Valley Cafe..Milo Greene..The Civil Wars..Post-Concert Pics
) I do have a theme planned. I decided I want all the presents I give to be linked to a charity. I have so far found the following options (but will definitely take suggestions!):
girlmeetscamera 