Autograph signing session a complete BUST!

 (this wasn’t taken by an adoring fan but by James’ nephew)

With black felt pens in pockets, the members of The Birds of Play arrived at Sally O’Briens last night to celebrate the one-month anniversary of our first gig,  ready to sign autographs for our adoring  fans. First to arrive was James Christensen who was accompanied by his nephew and girlfriend, fresh from their whirlwind tour of lovely Union Square. Next followed Dave Rogers who brought along his Nikon D70 to capture the exhilarating scene for posterity. Melissa Misicka arrived next wearing a shamrock green dress that eventually turned out to be more trouble that she had bargained for. Last to arrive was John McCarty who was accompanied by his wife, Lisa.

Things looked promising as the place was full of people (although there were more people at the gig) and they all seemed to be having a great time. For the most part, they were wearing green clothing and hats. Some even looked quite festive with battery powered glasses that lit up in different patterns. We found it especially touching that our fans would dress up just to meet us.

So with all The Birds of Play assembled, in the designated area we chose for the autograph session, we reached for our pens and waited to be overrun by our fans. A minute passed and the crowd seemed to be staying back. Perhaps, we thought, they were a little pensive about being the first in line. But as one minute turned to five and then 10, not one person stepped up to meet us. As the minutes continued to roll on, Melissa asked one of the bartenders that if all these people weren’t here to meet The Birds of Play, then why were they here.

The bartender replied that it was St. Patrick’s Day and folks were at Sally O’Briens to drink, laugh, dance, chat and listen to Josh Lederman and the CSARs.

Momentarily dejected we contemplated going home for the night but John then suggested we stick around and pretend that we were celebrating St. Patrick’s Day as well. So, one by one, we meandered into the sea of people and began drinking, laughing, dancing and listening to Josh Lederman and the CSARs.

By all accounts, we were able to blend in without problem and turn what started out being a disastrous night into a very grand one. Yay for us!

The Birds of Play background

Before there was The Birds of Play, there was Verse Versus Chorus, a strictly casual band (consisting of Melissa, James, myself and Jeremy Parker) that concentrated on recording new music for ourselves and our friends. We recorded one proper collection and depending on who you ask, a second one. An earlier collection was recorded by Jeremy and myself with help from a few others and I consider that another VVC album although there has never been any formal declaration.

At one point, we had thought about playing a gig. But after discussing the matter in the Slanty, a nickname for Jeremy’s apartment in Somerville, all talk pretty much ended. I won’t go into details other to reveal that by the end of the evening, I had lost 96 percent of my interest.

Fast forward a few months and Jeremy is moving out of the region. A few months after that Melissa purchases a sweet house in Medford. Of course, being musicians we are dancing with sugar plums in our heads with the thought of playing in her basement. Melissa must have shared the same thoughts because she purchased a drum kit. It was Melissa who texted me a simple message: do I want to join a band with herself, James and former James Christensen Band bassist John McCarty. I quickly accepted and we began rocking out in december. A gig was obtained shortly thereafter and we were ready to go.

One of the few legacys of VVC to carry over into the new band is the song White Noise which is one of my favorite tunes i helped record in the last five years. A big part of my love for the tune is Melissa’s singing. Give it a listen following the VVC link above. You won’t be disappointed!

VIDEO: Nicest Guy

The first song of our first gig as recorded by Rachael Rogers:

Pre BoP photos

 

These three photos were taken before the notion of the band was even conceived. The location was James’ practice space in Winter Hill, about a six minute walk where I ( Dave) used to live. The reason for the gathering was to rock out with our friend Jeremy. I dunno where John was. I miss the Johnny Cakes