A Girl and Her Guitar: Second Installment

Dedicated to dear mom and pop, my second biggest fans (Mark, you can still claim to be numero uno).

I played singer/songwriter open mic night at cafe retro in the city center last Thursday. I dare say it was the first of many...

So. Freaking. Fun.

I sent out an obnoxious near-office-wide email advertising my potentially socially suicidal performance (if I were to have bombed? Laughing stock. For certain). But so many people came out to see me! I felt so looooooved! Aww sucks.

Thomas showed off his Dutch bike-riding prowess and carried my guitar, through the rain, on his bike. Super impressive. But I didn't even end up using my own guitar. Put an acoustic guitar with a pick-up on the wish list!

The bar was so packed, like a sardine can. You can't see from the pictures, but just take my word for it. Full of hipsters, as is all of Copenhagen. It would have been intimidating for one's first truly public performance, but I was too busy peeing myself with excitement to be scared. Ok, I didn't really pee myself. That would have been a poor way to kick-off the evening.

After waiting a while to play, I got up there and opened with "Scars on my Bones". Uplifting first. Huge applause though! Nothing feels quite as good as a bar packed with attractive strangers paying rapt attention to you while you sing your little heart out. Oh, the ego stroke!

I played a second song, more cutesy than the first. The only rule was that you had to play originals. Some people cheated and played covers, while I shook my head in disapproval (but they were good anyway). I stuck to the rule.

After the second song, the MC for the night tried to tell me to come back again and play more material. But, being semi-self-aware (I hope!) I noticed that the crowd didn't seem to be bored with me yet, and I had prepared a third, favorite song to play. So I was a bit obnoxious and I said "woah woah, but I have a third song!". The guy tried to tell me that there were too many others waiting to play. It later turned out that he just wanted time to play his own stuff. Rudie McRude Pants! We asked the audience what they wanted, and maybe they just felt a little bad (whatever), but they applauded their approval. I played. I won that one! haha

I played "Toxic" as my third song. I still have to come up with a new title for that one... I'd hate to be confused with Britney Spears. While playing, I looked out into the audience and noticed a girl singing along with me. Whaaa? So flattering! Later, watching back the video, it turns out she was harmonizing with me. Even more flattering!

As I got off the stage, I was met with hugs, applause, more hugs from strangers. Man. It felt so freaking good.

Anyway, thanks to all who came out. For those who didn't, or couldn't (oh, a little thing called distance), I have some footage taken by friends I have to compress, and then I'll upload. Woo!

Needless to say, more performances to follow. Good first foray into the public eye though. Fame to come! A star is born! hahaha. A girl can dream...