Whither the weather?

The rain, staying up in the sky where it belongs
and graciously not falling on our heads

"Hey, look, it's getting warmer outside," I said in my last message to the Cinder Bridge mailing list. "Just in time, too. We’re playing at La Encantada on Sunday, and the forecast says the high will be 72 degrees."

By the time Friday rolled around, an updated forecast was still predicting a high of 72. Unfortunately, it also said there'd be a 20 percent chance of rain. I had hoped we'd have a decent-sized audience in spite of the Superbowl. If it rained, we wouldn't even get to play.

I kept an eye on the great outdoors this morning and early afternoon. The skies were gray and somewhat foreboding, but no rain. I drove up to our gig in the Foothills without wearing a hat or using the windshield visor because clouds kept the sun out of my eyes, but no rain. Ron the Drummer and I set up, and it was chilly enough to make me wish I'd worn something a little warmer ... but no rain.

Just as we started to play, the sun came out. The glorious, glorious sun.

Days like this make me realize how far so many of us humans have removed ourselves from nature. Imagine living in a preindustrial world, where "work" meant hunting or gathering or farming. Whether or not it rained would mean the difference between life and death, or at the very least between comfort and discomfort. In that context, it's a little crazy that I only have to think about the weather on outdoor gig days.

Thanks to everyone who came out and basked in the sun with us.

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Photos by Neill Mills. Muchas gracias, Neill!

The perils of ignoring mainstream culture

A few weeks ago there was a call for musicians to perform at the La Encantada Fine Art Festival here in Tucson. The festival was to take place this weekend. Out of the many performance slots available on Saturday and Sunday, I picked Sunday, 3 to 4 p.m.

Oops. Turns out this is Superbowl Sunday. Who knew? I mean, besides every other person in America except me?

The slot could be worse. Pregame stuff, whatever that is, starts exactly when our set ends. Kickoff begins half an hour later. So, you know, theoretically people could come out to see us and be home in time for the game.

Still, I probably should've just chosen Saturday to play. I have to remember to pay more attention to things that don't interest me when it comes to scheduling.

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If you care as little about the Superbowl as I do (or you can drive really fast) and you live in Tucson, come see us! La Encantada is at 2905 E. Skyline Drive (NW corner of Campbell & Skyline). We play, as mentioned above, Sunday, Feb. 3, from 3 to 4 p.m.

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UPDATE: People totally came, you guys! Not only did we have a decent crowd, but everyone was really into the music. It was the kind of gig that puts you in a good mood for the whole day. I wish we could've played longer.