Listening party Thursday, plus impromptu harmonies at McCabe's, and The Prickly Pair
As always, scroll down to see my upcoming dates and gig info. Get the info from the links below, check my website, or follow my Bandsintown for even more.
To hear the song from the story below, join my patreon and the song will be shared on March 1st - plus new music every month and much more, at patreon.com/jeffplankenhorn
New Sunlight Listening Party - this Thursday at 6pm pacific!
First of all I would love to invite everyone to a listening party for the release of my duo album with Michael O'Connor THIS THURSDAY 2-29-24 at 6pm pacific. As usual...these two old friends, 2-guitars, 4-microphones and two days. Michael O'Connor and Jeff Plankenhorn captured these songs, stripped down for you to hear and enjoy. We will only be selling these albums for a limited run, online and at shows. Only 300 and then they are gone!
"Join O'Connor & Plank for a free pre-release listening party to celebrate "New Sunlight." Come along to listen to the album - before anyone else - in its entirety with the artists, and chat about the making of the album."
Just click this link anytime after 5:30 pacific - come hang with us and enjoy a sneak peek!
oconnorandplank.bandcamp.com/merch/new-sunlight-listening-party
(find all things about The Prickly Pair at https://linktr.ee/thepricklypairmusic )
McCabe's and The Prickly Pair
When I was a side-person, and someone really stellar was either opening or splitting the show, the headliner/closer would ask them out to perform a song together. It was a way to show the audience "I dig this person/this act." Countless times I saw Joe Ely bring out young acts like Joe Pug and David Ramirez. Eliza Gilkyson and Slaid Cleaves would do the same thing.
Better and more of a nod than just dropping their name and a thank you (which they still don't have to do), the audiences would eat it up. Besides that, it's a gift of their audience showing more interest to the first people to hit the stage.
In just the past few years I have opened up for the likes of my old bosses like Ruthie Foster and Ray Wylie Hubbard, and when they get me up to play and/or sing at the end, I know what they are doing and how generous it is.
I rarely have had a chance to do such a thing since I have gone solo, but I always said I would and try when I get the chance.
Last Friday night at McCabe's in Santa Monica, a world class listening room, a young duo called "The Prickly Pair" was splitting the bill with me. I say "splitting the bill" and not "opening" or "support" because not only were we playing basically equal set times, but I was very sure at minimum if not more than half of the audience was theirs as much as mine (and I was grateful they didn't all leave when the "Planken-who?" guy got up to play).
I got the chance to hear these fine musicians in Nashville (where they currently reside) when I was sitting in at a Long Players show in Nashville courtesy of Bill Lloyd, and I thought they were great then.
On my drive over to McCabe's last Friday, I thought it was well past time I had done a deep dive into their music and wanted to familiarize myself with "what they do" before we shared the stage. I started combing through their Spotify and just never stopped, all the way to McCabe's. Their recordings, in my opinion, are equally as stellar as their performances and voices. The production is first class, the songs are full of twists and turns and don't really sound like anyone you can point a finger to, but you can sing along immediately, and on top of all that they were a joy to be around. And again Irene's voice is sublime, their harmonies are gorgeous, and their songs are beautiful and wise way beyond their years.
So I sat in on one of their songs in their set, and hopefully didn't clam too much (I haven't been a side-person for many years now!), but I was thrilled they were willing to learn my slow little version of Neil Young's "Comes A Time" from my Covered/Uncovered Vol. 1 EP.
Once again, let me reiterate that I wasn't doing any favors for these young cats. They are from Santa Monica and had lots of friends and family there, and I will say again the audience was most likely more theirs than mine. So it was all a gift to me having them say "stick around for the old guy," so-to-speak, and even better to help me close the show so beautifully.
Woody Nuss our illustrious and badass sound engineer recorded the whole show, I just decided I would snip out this very last encore tune and share it with you.
Now go check out The Prickly Pear at the link under the picture above — I'm sure I'll be begging them for an opener in a few year's time :)