Linda Stout

Meg, who I met at a Colorado gig, and her guy Charlie drove a couple hours to come hear me Friday because they'd missed me in Rochester last weekend. My gig at Soul Full Cup have usually been full, but not so much Friday. On a hunch that turned out a good one, I asked Charlie, who I'd not met till Friday, to sit in on guitar, and he gracefully took it all, the folk-rock, the jazz-rock and even sang along a few times. That was a treat, and having some lead acoustic guitar sounded good. I never play in public without rehearsals, but glad I trusted my gut in this impulse. Saturday Nate Marshall and his cellist Katie packed La Tazza in Binghamton, and I got to open, which was fun. Binghamton does not appear very nice, but La Tazza is a nice place, and the crowd was a gang of sweet BU students. Nate is not only engaging on stage, with a sound something like Jesse Harris, only with a better voice -- and he juggles. He and Kate just got back from Paris, are on this new European sleep schedule, and he said he has been getting up at 5 a.m., reading and watching juggling videos. No joke. More plans. I'll open for Nate and Kate Feb. 25 again at La Tazza, have my own gig there March 18, and I'm working on some shared gigs elsewhere. They are moving to Ithaca. Yay.