Two VERY interestings evenings...
Went to see
St. Paul and the Broken Bones at the CMH* Thursday night.
It was my third time enjoying the
"Man from Alabama" in an array of settings.
About two years ago, I saw him for the first time EVER at the cozy Pour House in West Ashley.
He closed the Spoleto Festival last year and I would have been there for sure, but I was out of town.
Next time - June of last year - was when he opened for the Rolling Stones in Atlanta.
He's been really traveling but at the CMH, (*Charleston Music Hall) Thursday night, I got a close look at the sparkly shoes he has filled!
The opener was
Banditos, also from Alabama, and Mary Beth Richardson was the torrid vocalist.
It was a joyful evening of music in one of my favorite music venues.
When (St.) Paul Janeway hopped down from the stage to dance and sing bogeying up and down the center aisle, I switched my camera to capture a great video.
Glad I did but now I have to figure how to edit and post it!
Friday night, a second
"Night to Remember," had me seated in the 7th row, on the aisle, at the downtown Sottile Theater.
It was the middle night of Theater 99's
Comedy Festival weekend and
Bridget Everett was the headliner.
I knew only that she was a stand-up comic/NYC cabaret singer and I was wise enough to avoid sitting up close in the first several rows.
In the past, I have been briefly singled out by a comic and wanted to avoid that happening again.
I felt pretty hidden among the 400+ comedy fans in the theater.
It was quickly obvious that the word bawdy was invented especially for Bridget.
Uh oh, as she headed for the steps to come down off the stage, I recalled that "cabaret" means mingling among the small tables and getting the patrons involved.
Lots of laughs.
She was working the crowd on the other side of the room, getting cozy with an older gentleman, his wife and their daughter.
The seemingly good natured comments quickly became X-rated.
I could live with that...for them, way, way over there.
Most everyone in the theater sighed with relief that they were not the object of Bridget's hands-on actions.
Her lovey-dovey pats and triple entendres had me squirming because she seemed to be working right on the aisle.
Sure, you're ahead of me here.
My side of the theater was next and she stopped, tousled my white hair and said
"Your name is Gary, right?"
Then began a dialogue - I tried one-word answers - but was distracted by my buddy sitting next to me.
He whipped out his phone cam to capture the moment.
By then Bridget had stripped off her loose draping dress and pressed my head into her ample bosom.
Actually, I was lucky.
She had named a few other fellows up and down the aisles and invited "Tim" to join her onstage.
Much younger, he seemed more relaxed than I and certainly was stronger, as was quickly proved!
She sat in his lap then had him lift her up in his arms.
I groaned, glad it was NOT "Gary" up there.
Well, you have to have a big finale, especially for a comedy & cabaret act. Something unexpected.
"Tim" was told to lie down and extend both feet up in the air.
Yikes.
Bridget slowly leaned toward him, got settled, and surged forward to complete the balancing act over him. My legs would not have worked like his and I would've been very close face-to-face with a big partner.. my new BFF.
As the crowd moved out of the Sottile, I got waves and cheers from giggling college girls.
"Way to go, Gary, you were great."
One white-haired guy slapped me on the back and said
"Thanks, Gary, you took one for the team."
Guess he was sweating it in an aisle seat.
(Click on the photos and links for more details.)
Oh, I was asked if that was going to be my new profile photo on Facebook... what do you think?
Labels: Banditos, Bridget Everett, CMH, Mary Beth Richardson, NYC Cabaret singer & comic., Paul Janeway, sparkly shoes, St. Paul and the Broken Bones
On a happier note .....
OK, the water is back on so let's move on to more cheerful blog items.
I was late coming to this meme but
Cat Beard gave me something to share with my cat.
They like it when you take their picture.
Even when they are used to simulate a fuzzy beard.
Her tiny nose became mine.
Please notice her curled "Taco Tongue." That was a bonus for the picture.
She likes to please.
My brother Dennis got two fast shots before she squirmed her way outta my hands.
Members of my Photography Group had a busy weekend.
A bunch of us caravaned to Port Royal for a full day down in Beaufort County.
First stop was St. Helena's Island at the
Penn Center.
History, beautiful moss-covered oaks and a nearby church ruin.
Does a weekend start any better than this?
one of the members - Rick Coakley - had the "biggest gun" on this jaunt.
He was prepared for a stop in the Wetlands egret rookery in Port Royal.
Talk about intrusive!
These birds were gathered to nurture their young'uns.
A handy boardwalk brought us close enough to the hundreds of white and tri-colored birds to observe aviary activity with our eyes and cameras.
Even my small P/S was active, using my 20x zoom.
Like most small digital cameras, the viewing screen on the back is difficult to see in bright light.
Larger DSLRs have a nice viewfinder and they can track fast action which was not likely with my Canon SX 260HS.
I had planned ahead though and now had a
viewfinder loupe I hold over the screen.
It has an adjustable lens so I could take off my glasses and concentrate on following the birds in flight.
Also was able to experiment with shooting in "bursts" of 5-6 shots per second as they flapped around.
Our goal for the day was to wander the shrimping boats dock area of Port Royal.
We were fortunate to have
"Phil", a local resident and photographer, join us and help us find areas and interesting targets for shots.
We also had printed out a walking tour for the town.
There was a boardwalk area I missed but members walked up stairs of a 4-story structure for a fantastic view from above.
My GPS was starting to be tired of my lack of knowledge of local geography. I could hear it in the recorded voice.
Many restaurants had signs boasting "Local Shrimp" and I could believe it. I had some later.
Tide was low when we arrived, but by the time we were were seated at
11th Street Dockside restaurant, the boats were bobbing at the piers.
We wandered around and snapped local history and many residents were pleased to pose for our curious cameras.
The restaurant filled quickly with locals and out-of-towners.
I chose to start with steamed peel & eat shrimp.
How could I resist?
Perfectly seasoned and good sized.
A visiting Charleston diner looks at shrimp differently than, say, someone who lives in the Midwest.
When I lived in Kansas City, Missouri, many years ago, there was a local restaurant that featured fresh, live Maine lobsters.
They were flown in daily we were told.
Kansas City also featured "Operas In English."
The planned sunset shoot was thwarted by low clouds that didn't break up. In fact, a storm was approaching Savannah but we did not get any rain, just some short sprinkles.
I drove back to catch a music show at the Pour House. It was to start at 11pm. I stopped for a coffee.
St. Paul and the Broken Bones was touted as having the moves and sounds of Otis Redding.
He and the band grabbed the audience right away.
After just a few bars into his first song, the crowd surged forward and enjoyed every bit of the 75-minute show.
Paul announced, after coming back for an encore, "
That's all the original material we have so we'll do some covers I think you'll enjoy."
He did and we did.
It was his first time ever in Charleston and he had caught a Saturday night starring spot at the PoHo.
I look forward to his next visit.
They'll have more songs then than their initial 4-track EP disk.
Labels: Beaufort, Parris Island, Penn Center, Port Royal, Sea Islands, St. Helena Island, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Wetlands Rookery.
