West Indian Girl

sundance – music on main st 1.25

Fran’s Flashback
this show was quite possibly my favorite show to date. i love playing outside festivals…nothing else like it. experiences like this make me feel very thankful that this band exists and that i get to live a dream with a bunch of great musicians and friends that i have in this band. once again, andrew (pictured lounging in our green room) was there documenting everything. the pics i post in my blog pale in comparison to those of mr zrikes’. click here to view his slide show….it’s awesome cos you can get a feel for the whole evening. thanx andy. our set was 45 minutes of power – vision, trip, hollywood, indian ocean, solar eyes, get up and what are you afraid of (long version).
dressing room and rider wrap up:
the facilities 15 points. for an outside show this was awesome. the stage was smack in the middle of main st with a view “to die for”. our green room was a block away but it was plush with white couches, there was also a little room behind the stage that we were able to hang out in before the show. it was warm and private. the load in was smooth – we got to drive our van right up to stage. overall the facilities were great – the only neg was the cold weather but that’s the nature of this beast.

rider/amenities 15 points. our green room was big, private and much better than expected. there was a nice spread with plenty of alcohol. it was a legit dinner…great food with a great staff. not everything was on the rider but it was still beyond respectable.

stage,sound,lights 20 points. stage, lighting and the system was fantastic. they even had heat blowing in from 3 different stage spots. the sound guys and stage managers were all pro. this was a real pleasure. they gave us a great sound check. top notch people. i love playing big stages with good crews.

promoter 20 points. maxwell morrill again was the man with the walki talki. all this dude does is get 20’s. he’s the reason why we’re here. the promotion for music on main was great….as far as shows at the festival go…it was the creme de la creme.

staff 20 points. all the people working the event were great. they ran a tight ship. everyone, i mean everyone working this show was cool…the catering staff, the loaders, the stage hands, and security were all great to work with. not a single problem or hassle.

intangibles 9 points. a big round table with 6 laptops and wifi in our green room deserves points.
TOTAL OVERALL SCORE = 99. this is my second A+ at sundance. shit, other festivals are gonna hate these guys now.(click here for a detailed explanation of my scoring system’s categories).

Mariqueen’s Mind
The City: despite reports that park city was going to be the warmest it has been all month, my brown behind was fuh ree zing. why? because im gullible and i had a big show and decided to wear a dress with no tights and no gloves with no real scarf. despite my discomfort, there was electricity and excitement in the air… it was a good day to be at sundance. oh yes.
The Venue: i suppose i’ll have to count in three different compartments that made up the venue. 1) our holding area – tea / two computers to pass the time / couches / stuffed bears = fantastic. 2) our green room – fettucine alfredo / vodka [which shiny toy guns totally ganked while we were on stage] / wine / fruit / five laptops / comfy couches / art = bellisima 3) stage – huge / heated / beautiful monitor system / stellar lights / great staff / maxwell running everything = perfection.

The Show: i thought the set was tight and perfect. not necessarily our playing, but the sequence of the songs and the energy of the crowd. playing for such a big, beautiful and excited crowd made me feel so warm and at home, i actually took my jacket off towards the end of the set. this show is up there as one of my most favorites.

What Were You Thinking While Playing: why cant we play shows like this all the time?

Interesting Things After The Show: after our set i hung out at our green room with various band mates and various band members from of montreal. then we watched their set and at one point, kevin and i decided to trade coats and he let me borrow his bracelet, which i forgot to give back to him. sorry! im not sure how, but a bunch of us ended up at of montreal’s apartment and ate their popcorn and then moved on to a bar where they were so mormon, they wouldnt let mark lewis back in. that’s how amazing he is. after the bar we went to a party, where i stuffed my face with crepes and had nathan call the cavalry to come pick me up because i was falling asleep standing up. too much food + too much wine + cold weather = zzzzzzzzzz… zzz… zzzz

Nathan’s Nonsense
playing keyboards in below-freezing temperatures is never fun, not to mention damn near impossible. unless, of course, you happen to be doing it at the sundance film festival on main stage in front of several hundred screaming fans. then it’s ok. any other time though, forget it. this show was fucking amazing. the band never before felt so locked in together, or sounded so perfectly balanced. if we keep this up, we’re a shoe-in for the playoffs. shiny toy guns were great, and they dusted off all our vodka. of montreal was brilliant. it was a real honor to be sharing a stage with them. sometime afterward in the wee hours of the night i decided to attempt walking home from whatever after-hours party i was at. turned out to be about a 4 mile jaunt. at the time, it just felt like something i had to do, but it damn near killed me. half-way home, an approaching SUV pulled over and some guy rolled down his window to ask if i could direct him to the canyons, which happened to be exactly where i was heading myself. i informed him that he was heading in the opposite direction, to which he replied by inviting me in for a ride the rest of the way there. i was instantly relieved at the invitation, but before i could utter my grateful acceptance, a girls voiced screamed from the back seat “are you fucking crazy? go!!” the dude in front balked, shrugged, saying “sorry dude” as the vehicle peeled out and sped off. so much for my good samaritans.

big ups to rhett from slc for bringing the good vibes
q and i with the best fans in town