We left Gatlinburg and headed back to Knoxville to meet Jess, who had booked us at Sugarlands, and her boyfriend, Dan, for lunch. During the drive, we listened to the CD of our live radio segment at yesterday's Blue Plate Special on WDVX. We nailed it, if I do say so myself. Hearing that we did what we came here to do and delivered the goods on the air provided a morale boost and made us feel better about reaching the tour's finish line. We met our new friends at Nama Sushi Bar in downtown Knoxville. In addition to booking at Sugarlands, Jess has experience running her own booking agency. We like the way she handles business, and she likes what we do. It sounds like we might start working together more in the future. From Knoxville, I took over the driving duties for the two-hour forty five minute trip to our gig in Murfreesboro, TN.
We arrived at the venue and dropped off my bass and our PA equipment. I used TripAdvisor to find a hotel; we needed a place that was inexpensive, but with enough positive online reviews to feel confident that our stuff wouldn't be stolen. The local Super 8 seemed to fit the bill, so we decided to give it a shot. The room turned out to be perfectly adequate for our needs.
From the hotel, I checked my TrailLink app for nearby bike trails and discovered the Murfreesboro Stones River Greenway. I had enough time before we needed to leave for the gig, so I decided to take a chance and headed out on Shadowfax. The street route to the trailhead was a straight shot, and there was a clear, wide bike lane the whole way. The trail itself was easy to find, paved, and relatively flat. I was grateful to experience some beautiful local scenery so quickly and easily before the show. I got caught in a brief rain shower, but I wasn't concerned, as it was short-lived and I wasn't worried about getting lost or running out of daylight (like I was after Ringgold).
We arrived at the venue and set up our gear. The place definitely qualifies as a roadside dive. Our friends, Justin and Melissa from Jacksonville showed up. They happened to be in Nashville this weekend and drove to Murfreesboro to see us. They brought Lauren, a friend of theirs from Nashville, to hear us. It was great to see some friendly faces in the otherwise unwelcoming environment.
We were scheduled to play from 9pm to 1am tonight. We pride ourselves on starting our performances on time, and tonight was no exception. As soon as we finished our first song, it became clear that no one (save our three friends) gave a damn we were even there. It felt like we were somehow interfering with the fifteen or so regular bar patrons' evening of watching football on TV and drinking their beer. We stuck to our guns and played several more tunes. Not only did they not applaud, they didn't acknowledge our presence. Brett was inspired to utter "Tough crowd," over the microphone, and even that garnered no response. I was grateful for both our in-ear monitors, which reduce surrounding noise, and my poor eyesight, because I was almost able to block out the tiny, smoky, indifferent room, and focus on playing for our friends.
After thirty minutes of what felt like pulling teeth, Brett had had enough. He said it wasn't worth it to him to continue playing three and a half more hours for such an apathetic audience in exchange for the meager fee we were being paid. I suggested we break for a few minutes and see if he had a change of heart. He didn't. I told him I would stop questioning him and support his decision if he was sure. He said he was, and suggested we pack our stuff, and go hang out with our friends somewhere else. So that's what we did. We enjoyed a late dinner at a nearby Mellow Mushroom. Brett immediately felt better. I'm glad we had time to sit down and converse with Lauren, Melissa and Justin rather than be stuck trying to entertain the uninterested. One way to look at the situation is that we provided a half hour of music free of charge. They seemed a bit surprised as we were leaving, but that was the biggest reaction we'd gotten from them all night. It was a rough gig, and one that we were ultimately unwillingly to put ourselves through any longer. The part of me that felt bad about walking out on our agreement was consoled by a fun evening with friends and a delicious vegan pizza. Tomorrow is another day.
Peace!
- Jon
Having more options is power! Good on you!
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