I keep an eye on her schedule but didn't realize until the last minute that Miss Tess and the Talkbacks were going to be back in The Burren on a December Wednesday night (we saw her there on a December Thursday night last year). And this would be the last day of Fall (12/20).
Met Sarah at The Burren after work and had a beer or two with some other GA early-enthusiasts. The seats in front of the stage were not set up (the room was 75% full at most), but we got good seats in the back. I have to say that they had grilled tuna on the special list, I ordered it, and it was a beyond-excellent, very large piece of fish. Black on the outside with some nice spices and just past raw in the center, I can still taste it!
Anyway, harrumph, the beer was cold (Long Trail Limbo IPA) and the show was a lot of fun. Miss Tess is still playing with basically the same band, the excellent Thomas Bryan Eaton on electric and Sam Zucchini on drums, with a new bass player (James Gascon?). And she's still playing an outrageously wonderfully rich guitar. It was a shock to realize that we hadn't seen her for a year.
Miss Tess has written some amazing songs and didn't play many new ones, though she did play a bunch from the last couple of records, including Ride That Train (second in the set), Little Lola, I Can't Help Myself, Do You Want My Love, Take You Break You Shake You, Moonshiner, Raitt's Give It Up Or Let Me Go, and Save Me St. Peter, which is apparently a song about finally getting a parking space on St. Peter Street in JP.
So it was pretty much a repeat of the Miss Tess show and wasn't really crackling, except for some leads by Eaton. But Sarah and I had a great time and will go to see her again next time she's back in Somerville (or wherever). Another of those musicians we can't believe is not wildly popular, as agreed to by our fellow enthusiasts. And I loved the tuna.
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