Rain Machine and Top Soil at the Ship Inn

Tonight- or I guess it was yesterday...I went to see KYP play music in Milford, NJ! First of all, when I heard about the show I was like "what? Kyp's playing music in my home town? My little nothing of a town? Opening for a band I have never heard of?!" Then I was talking to him and it all suddenly made perfect sense. He was like "Well they asked me to!" and later, on stage, he was like "I'm really glad I was asked to play here tonight because I've got a lot of roots down in this place. I've been touring a lot recently doing this with a whole band and everything and it's really nice to be able to come back to one of my many homes. And it's the first snow, so that's special." and then he said that feedback was all the rage in Brooklyn right now.


He played songs from his new solo record, Rain Machine, and also, I believe, a few others that I had never heard before. Everything sounds so different live. So much more... alive! He did an awesome job. Malone is like this big bear that walks around and is really nice and croons so beautifully you think your ears are going to fall off and makes you thankful for things like Sundays and blankets and strawberry jam. And I'm just really glad that he's around.

There is something strikingly different between seeing someone play music with a full band (TV on the Radio) at the biggest stage at Lollapalooza in front of thousands of people and seeing him in this little bar in front of maybe twenty people, with one microphone, one lovely guitar and a glass with a little red straw in it. I am not really an expert on these matters, but I really enjoyed being there and I had never seen him, or anyone play guitar and sing like that. It was like that rainy afternoon in the Red Shoes, only it was 9:45 at night with the first snowfall of the season floating down outside the steamy windows. And there were shirley temples. Goodness I love those drinks.

I saw a lot of familiar, friendly faces around. It's as though Kyp just carries this bubble around with him that attracts really nice people. I saw Emily, my old boss there and a bunch of people I used to see pretty much every day at the coffee shop I used to work in before the man shut us down. And I saw Dennis Liana! and I got quite a few hugs. And I got to spend time with my dad and my little sis. It was just a really comfortable, welcoming place. Top Soil, the other band playing that night, was really jazzy and loud and danceable and oh dance people did. Mostly the Isabels. I took some pictures with my phone, not my real camera, because... well I'm not sure why I didn't bring it. But i think it was better that way..? I developed my second roll of Holga film on Friday and I messed it all up because I wrapped it around the thing backwards and only maybe two and a half pictures (out of 12) turned out. So I suppose this was one of those rare, shining occasions when I would rather not hide behind a lens when I could be out getting hugs and getting big Xs on my hand and remembering it all my myself.