Last night I was invited to play at the prestigious Ruby Sessions, a singer/songwriter night held every Tuesday night for the last 15 years continuously at Doyles Pub in Dublin. On the bill was Shelby Earl, from Seattle, Tom Terrill, from Canada (Halifax, by way of B.C.; Tom was accompanied by the delightful Rachel Sermanni, a globe-trotting Scotswoman), and the rising stars The Young Folk, whose sweet-yet-intricate harmonies and smart songs really captivated the room. Just a few people who have played The Ruby Sessions over the years: Ed Sheeran, Paulo Nutini, Mumford & Sons, Hozier, Damien Rice, Glen Hansard, Kodaline, Paul Brady, James Blunt, Joe Elliot (Def Leppard), not to mention our own Emm Gryner + many many more… Heres the thing: at most of the Dublin venues Ive played at, but particularly at the Ruby Sessions, people *listen*. They dont talk during the song, and they dont talk during the breaks between songs. They dont check their emails or their text messages or their (gulp!) Facebook. For a singer/songwriter singing and playing original songs, this is heaven. The fact that they seemed to like me and my songs was a treat, too, but just that they were respectful enough to pause from the ongoing conversations in their busy lives was pure bliss, and something I will never take for granted. (Years ago, I stopped getting angry or annoyed by audiences who choose to talk while Im playing my music. Its pointless. Who am I to tell them how to enjoy their evening? If their enjoyment involves talking, laughing, and not paying any attention to me, thats fine. Sincerely. Though sometimes I feel sorry for the other audience members who might actually be listening...)
Posted on: Wed, 22 Oct 2014 13:24:54 +0000
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