The Borderlands gig

Aw, man, I thought. There's nobody here.

Ron and I had just arrived at Borderlands Brewing Company so we could set up for our gig. The place had been packed the night before. Where were all the people? This was going to be our first time playing here, and if we played to an empty house, we likely wouldn't be invited back.

Then I remembered. It was 3:20 p.m. Borderlands didn't open until 4:00.

People started trickling in right at opening time. By the time we started, the place was packed.

So much for needless worries. Hopefully this means we'll get to go back. It really is a neat place.

Audience karma

We're playing at Borderlands Brewing Company for the first time tomorrow evening. I went over there tonight to get a feel for the space. A few minutes after I arrived, a man and a woman approached me. They quickly realized that I didn't recognize them—I have a horrible memory for faces—and introduced themselves. We'd originally met when Ron and I sat in on a Songwriter's Night at Monterey Court, and they signed up for our mailing list.

As it turns out, they were at Borderlands to see us. They thought we were playing tonight instead of Saturday night. Sadly, they didn't think they'd be able to make it out tomorrow. But, they said, at least they got to go to Borderlands for the first time, and they liked Shrimp Chaperone, the band that was actually playing.

I'll look on the bright side as well and take this as a good omen. Cinder Bridge hasn't even played at Borderlands yet, and we've already brought them new patrons!

Here's hoping karma works in our favor, and people who didn't mean to see us end up enjoying our music by mistake.

* * *

Borderlands Brewing Company is at 119 E. Toole Ave., Tucson, Arizona. We'll be playing from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 11. As I discovered today, the space is fantastic. Come see us!

Cutting-edge copyright

I just sent 28 songs to the US Copyright Office for registration. The last time I registered any of my work was six or seven years ago, so it was overdue.

A lot has changed in six years.

Back in 2006, I downloaded the proper form online, printed it, filled it out, and Fed-Exed it along with a CD and a check. Tonight I did the entire thing online. Even though a few of the instructions were more confusing than what I'd encountered before, it felt a lot more convenient. And cutting-edge.

Well, almost cutting-edge. Ordinary non-technical people have been ordering and paying for stuff online since what, 1999? But hey, it takes the government a while to catch up.