Whimsy and delight with the occasional spin around the floor

Yeah, so, Luke and I went to Tyler last night and saw three bands: The Connotations, Ester Drang, and the incomparable Eisley. I was extremely sleepy before we even got there, due to the fact that Thursday night George and I had dinner with friends and then played cards until mid-night. (We played “nertz” — a game known by many other names, some of them not G rated — it’s basically super-fast-paced multiple solitaire. Very fun.) I had to get up early Friday morning to go to my writers’ critique group in Longview. So, like I said, I was sleepy.

The venue was very nice. Brewtones is a coffee house that uses the Vineyard Church facility. It’s ideally suited, with a large room, a stage in the corner, effective lighting, and powerful sound capabilites. The first band was good, but a little too screamy for me. I prefer singing to screaming, but I could appreciate their talent even so. Their music was spunky, and they kept encouraging everyone to dance. So Luke pulled my sleepy self out there and we cut the rug.

I know I’m a very blessed mom to have a son who enjoys my company and doesn’t mind showing it. We had already been waltzing and swing dancing to the pre-concert music playing on the sound system. For their last song, they played one called “The Best Girls are From Texas,” or something like that. It wasn’t a country song by any stretch, but they put out another plea for dancing. So Luke looked at me, raised an eyebrow and said, “Line dancing?” We went for it. The beat was 4/4, which is all you need. Even in my weary state, I had a blast. I guess Luke is just trying to remove any possible doubt that I’ll miss him terribly when he leaves for college in two weeks. No need. I WILL miss him terribly!

The second group was very good! Sort of an impressionistic sound . . . moody and mellow. I sat on a soft sofa and vegged during their set. Nice interlude. A funny conversation occurred during that time. Luke went to stake out a spot for Eisley’s set, and I remained on the cushy couch. The woman sitting next to me asked if I lived in Tyler. When I told her where I was from, she mentioned she had driven from Alabama with her cousin just for the concert. I asked how old her cousin was, and she said eighteen. Then I said, “Oh, my son is eighteen, too.”

“That’s your son?” She asked, surprise in her voice. “I thought he was your boyfriend! You look so young!”

Like I said, the place had very effective lighting! I’m sure the fact we were dancing together had confused the issue for her, too. But, I must admit, such confusions are always welcome at my age.

So, (this is turning out longer than I anticipated!) Eisley finally set up to play. I joined Luke where he was standing at the stage, and we had a pretty decent view. What a great band! They do have that something special . . . that spark of creativity — the right sound for the right moment. It’s a perfect combination of whimsical lyrics, haunting melodies, rock beats, and three cute blondes looking and singing like angels with attitude. Ethereal voices and heart-breaking harmonies. They played three brand new songs — one they had just finished writing the night before called “Trolleywood” which was just pure delight. An astute critic described their music as fairy-tale rock. (Possibly coining a new term?) They are definitely on to something good.

Well. Enough about that. A fun time with Luke. (I didn’t even get into how we solved the world’s problems on the drive over!) I’m trying not to think about the significance of what happens in two weeks. I’m thrilled and excited about the opportunities ahead for him, and I’m so glad he’s going. But after eighteen years, he’s one of my better habits. (Thanks, Luke, for taking me to the concert, for asking me to dance, and for being such a delight! I miss you already.)