Fringe Journal 2k6: Day 1 - Revenge of Parenthetical Statements!

So, Kow just finished our first performance, and man, was it a performance!

Our first Fringe concert is always a bit of a gamble. We're nervous, ready to see what this year's festival will bring, lost a bit of our tight timing (it takes a few shows for us to get into the groove), etc. Well, I'm happy to announce that this was probably Kow's best Fringe opener!

We had a pretty prime timeslot on the bigger, better stage (9:10 pm), and when we arrived, there was, like, eight people max sitting there waiting for us. Granted, it's the first full day of Fringe, and the sky looks like rain, so who knows what will happen? By the time we finished Fat Bottomed Girls, we had a good crowd of at least 250, so I was relieved.

Our new songs got some good receptions. (Yes, we have new songs. No, I'm not going to tell you, because you're gonna have to COME SEE OUR SHOW to find out.) I was afraid during one or two songs when the audience was dead silent, but the applause that followed showed that we just had them in the palm of Kow's collective hand.

So, yeah, we had a good crowd that enjoyed us to start off our Fringe 2006 experience. Now we just have to remember that 45 minutes is NOT that much time to throw as many songs in there as we wanted to. (We had to cut two songs from the set list while onstage, so people missed the awesomeness that is SuperMariopella. Lesson for the next show!)

During this week's rehearsal on Monday, the phone rang, and I answered it in the middle of us going over a song. It was my friend Shelley, who lives here in town, but who I know from MJ through First Baptist. She asked when our show was on Friday, and I told her. She said, "Great. We'll be there. (Kow singing too loudly for me to hear the phone)'s in town, so we'll come to see you."

Me: "Cool. See you then."

Keep in mind that I didn't actually know who was coming along with Shelley. I thought it would be her sisters, perhaps. So it was a shock when Tanya J. came by after the show. I haven't seen her in a good five, maybe six years, since my trips back home since I started living in Edmonton permanently have consisted of MAYBE a weekend max for family stuff like weddings or deathwatches. But so for Tanya to see Kow was an awesome surprise for me, because, hell, if she could have seen any show we'd done, a good opener's a good one to see. (Just like at my brother Brade's wedding, where a good half of my extended family hasn't seen Kow perform, like, for instance, my brother himself. Also, the family he married into were first time Kowboys and Kowgirls. (That's right. I'm naming our fans that now. Just try to stop me.))

Also, while some banter needed work, I was a huge fan of Dev's and my exchange after one hugely awesome version of At Last (Whoops. I just revealed a new song. Dammit!):

Me: Wow. That was just so SEXY.
Dev: It's a good thing I'm on this side of the stage, then.
Me: Dude, I would totally go through three guys for that. (Laughter from the crowd.) Wait, that came out TOTALLY wrong. (Louder laughter from the crowd.)

So, there's our first day. Hope all of our concerts over the next week are as successful. And if I haven't seen you there, I damn well better before the 28th hits!

Back from hiatus (dot) (dot) (dot) (question mark)

Wow. What a summer it is so far. My bro got married, Dev and I won our NAPW tag titles back after a lengthy non-champ run, I'm back at WEM Lower, I saw the box-office sensation Snakes on A Plane last night, and we all know what time it is now, right? Edmonton Fringe Festival!

But first, an open letter to the guy cruising down Whyte Avenue at 4:45 pm -

Dude, you've gotta know that regardless of your sweet car, the summer air and you and your toned friend's girl-getting moves, I'm not going to take you seriously if your thumping car stereo is playing Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed Life," right? Right?

So, this being the opening day of Fringe, I'm throwing my hat back into the blogging community. "Sure," you say. "Just like December? Or March? Or June?"

Yes, I've burned you before, with my NAPW writing taking precedence. Maybe I'll just tend to keep my lengthy posts quick and to the point. But I'll start things off with the annual "Jago's Fringe Blog" starting with our concert tonight.

If you haven't seen Dev's or Canton's blogs, or Astro's emails with the times of our marathon showlist this year (16 shows, at least one per day, every day!), here it is once more:

Friday, August 18
9:10 PM Journal Outdoor Stage

Saturday, August 19
1:15 PM TransAlta Power Stage
4:00 PM Journal Outdoor Stage

Sunday, August 20
2:20 PM TransAlta Power Stage
6:40 PM Journal Outdoor Stage

Monday, August 21
6:35 PM TransAlta Power Stage

Tuesday, August 22
10:15 PM Journal Outdoor Stage

Wednesday, August 23
6:40 PM Journal Outdoor Stage

Thursday, August 24
1:20 PM Journal Outdoor Stage
6:20 PM TransAlta Power Stage

Friday, August 25
12:15 PM TransAlta Power Stage
6:15 PM TransAlta Power Stage

Saturday, August 26
4:15 PM Journal Outdoor Stage
9:25 PM TransAlta Power Stage

Sunday, August 27
12:05 PM TransAlta Power Stage