Known

Walking out of the grocery store ‘tother day, a guy sidles up to me and murmurs, “...and you’re the fellow that plays at those coffeehouses.”

“Uh, yes,” I reply, quite frankly flabbergasted.

“I seen you over at Jitters, and then at the Leaf & Bean,” he says. “You do a nice job.”

“Thank you,” I say. “Thanks a lot. Um, I’ve got a another show at Leaf & Bean in November. Keep an eye out—I’ll get a poster up...”

“I’ll do that,” he says, and walks off.

Now, here’s the thing: to date, since moving to the Heart of Empire, I have played out exactly twice.

Freakish coincidence. I mean, this isn’t a huge city—but I played in a much smaller town’s most heavily-attended church very Sunday for four years before a stranger greeted me (also in a supermarket), rounding the corner with his grocery cart and letting out a cartoon-mafiosi drawl of “He-e-e-e-ey—Gui-tar Guy!”

But here I’ve got two shows under my belt, and this guy was at both of ‘em.

Including the disastrous first show, where I spent 70% of the evening literally playing to an empty room.

Strangely validating, that, but also a bit bracing: I’ve got a fan base now. The next show had better be really good. I can’t let Tha Kidz down, after all.