Last night when most of Charlottesville was attending the Police concert at the big arena, I chose instead to go see an indie band at the Satellite Ballroom. After all, I saw the Police when I was in college and they were good, but not exactly interesting. So I took a chance on being the eldest in the room and an even bigger chance walking in alone. Hey, for a woman, that’s sometimes scary. Plus, I’d already had 2 separate guys try to pick me up when I was just pumping gas! First I stopped in for a drink with Chris and his son Jason who had been in town lighting his employer’s fire. That was fun but Jason was tired so I said goodnight and went off to see the show. So I parked and walked in and paced the room while the opening band, Port O’Brien, was playing. They were kind of fun in a fake Arcade Fire kind of way. 
I needed a drink and knew from experience that Maker’s was the best I could do there. I went up to the bar and this very cute bartender served me, then refused to let me pay, complimenting my taste and style and sharing my lament that they don’t stock small batch bourbon there. (There are sometimes advantages to being a girl). I hung until the end of their set then headed to the ladies’ room of course, where there was a long line. Most puzzling, two girls were in there applying full makeup from scratch, with hair pulled back in headbands, and I mean full makeup— moisturizer, base, blush, mascara, lipstick, eyeliner…..I knew that the upcoming band was composed of 5 guys, so they weren’t going onstage….don’t they have a bathroom at home? Anyway, it was interesting to watch while I waited in line. Much to my surprise, when I finally got out of there, Chris showed up and made my week. I was happy to be able to watch the main band with him.
Next up was Rogue Wave, a band I discovered pretty randomly through the ITunes free music Tuesday download about a year ago. I couldn’t describe them but knew they had kind of a Catherine Wheel buzzy sound with a higher voiced vocalist. In person, they most sounded like Death Cab for Cutie over the Verve. They were fun and seemed to be laughing and enjoying themselves the whole time, to the point that I suspected they were all buzzed…After about 6 songs they got off the stage with just the acoustic instruments and convened in a tiny circle asking everyone to huddle around, and played 2 songs that were raucous and funny. It was fantastic to be right behind them in the circle and feel the group vibe in the room. They played a long encore and lots of songs off Descended Like Vultures and their new album, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate. I liked the show so well I even got a t shirt.
Then the evening took a foolish turn when we decided to get just that last drink up on the top level of Orbit…..leaving me with a hangover I’m still regretting, but otherwise, extremely pleasant memories of the evening.
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