Jeremy Gilchrist At Radio Bean August 23, 2015

Words by Tim Lewis.

I just got back from seeing Jeremy Gilchrist play some lovely and thoughtful music at Radio Bean. It was an oddly stressful workday and once home, I really did not want to go out. At the last minute, I pried myself off the couch and took the quick walk to the show.

I walked in and the stage was set and several people were standing around the bar. It looked like there had just been a rush of people as there were lots of glasses on the bar and two people cleaning quickly. After a bit the bartender started taking orders as the singer took the stage with his acoustic guitar. I grabbed a seat at the bar beside the bagels and waited my turn as Jeremy lit into his set. I was a bit distracted, but really appreciated his gentle playing and strong voice. As the set progressed he played several songs from the Causality album, plus a couple of new songs like Threaded and the unfortunately right on The Endless War. Sadly, I did not have my A game going, and was not listening as deeply as I would have liked. I kept looking over to see if it was my turn to order a drink, but the bartender just looked away every time, and despite being seated at the bar, was never asked if I would like a drink. The plan was to have two or three, and to tip the bartender well, but you can’t tip if you don’t get served. In the grand scheme it was fine. I was reasonably hydrated and not especially in need of liquid, but I like having a couple of drinks now and then and like paying the bar when a band I like is on. 

I settled down a bit around 2/3 of the way in, knowing there was no chance of getting served, and really started to focus on the music. Clocks On The Wall sounded great, and closer The Great Escape put me in a happy place. Jeremy is the kind of singer songwriter where if you casually listen, you will be in a nice place. If you listen closely and deeply his songs will ask really cool questions of your brain and push you a bit. I highly recommend checking him out any time you get a chance. I’m assuming the Bean thing was a fluke, because I usually get excellent service, and really love the place, despite the off night.

This post was originally published by Tim Lewis at his personal blog, https://timstriangletribune.wordpress.com.