Tied For Last

First band of a 2-band night.

Last time at Otto’s was our first time there, and we had such a good time that we couldn’t wait to get back in there. As the only tiki bar in NYC, the place has a vibe all its own, and since it’s in the East Village, our brand of punk, pop & roots fits right in at that joint.

We found out early on that the venue’s air conditioning wasn’t working and that made the back room (where the bands play) unbelievably hot and humid, but despite the tropical temperature inside, the gig went fantastically well.

There was no band before us, so when it came time to set up, I asked the girl at the bar if there was a sound guy in the place, and said no, but that we could work the PA ourselves. Normally, clubs don’t let bands touch the PA, and if we didn’t have experience with that kind of thing, it could have been awful, but we’re good at doing our own sound, so the situation just added to the laid-back vibe of the place.

We had a good audience showing – especially for late on a weeknight, and everything about that room is so conducive to having a good time, that we couldn’t help but have a great gig.

We got through the first couple of songs, and were immediately drenched with sweat. The audience, god bless ‘em, didn’t move a lot (understandably), but gave such awesome responses at the end of each song, that we were almost taken aback. When we went from “She Was Just a Girl” into “Ziggy Stardust,” we even pulled a good amount of people from the cooler front bar into the steamy back room. That made it all worth it.

The band was solid all the way through, and, though the vocals weren’t that loud on stage, I’m told that the audience mix was great, so that’s cool.

I can’t wait to get back there with the air conditioner working. I see this place easily becoming our new “Orange Bear” if they’ll have us.

Set List:
SAILOR
BLOODY TUESDAY
SHE WAS JUST A GIRL
ZIGGY STARDUST
WE'RE ALRIGHT
SUPERSTAR
ACHIEVER
WASTED
GOT NO LIFE
A SONG FOR THE LADIES
TAKE JANINE AWAY
EVE OF DESTRUCTION
BAGHDAD