in Heaven, everything is fine

Last night, I went to the hippest house show I've ever been to. Ukulele, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, accordion, pump organ, glockenspiel, acoustic bass, and ocarina were some of the instruments in attendance. There were Ray Bans e'rywhere. Surprisingly, I knew quite a few of the people there. I didn't realize how strong my hipster association was. Advertised as a "candlelight serenade," it lived up to its title. Hosted in a basement with tapestries covering the floor, the entire party sat on the floor during the performance, which was indeed lit by candles and Christmas lights. The first performer, Jill, was friends with nearly everyone I knew, so we had a great first introduction. Her original compositions utilized the uke and mandolin, sweetly adorable songs that set the night. She wrote her own love song from a boy to her, the second about being friend zoned as a female. Giggly cute, that song included the phrase, "I'm not your bro, so when you put your dick in my face, don't expect me not to blow." By the third repetition of that line, the entire basement was singing with her in laughter. Her final song was a collection of nearly everyone I knew at the party singing, "In Heaven, everything is fine..." from the movie Eraserhead. It was beautiful.

The second performer was my friend Abi and her guitar playing friend in their band, Uandi (You-wand-ee). Her voice is some sweet and delicate gospel choir nostalgia. While the guitar went through intricate little rhythms, she sang of love and being really real. It was a very mature performance.

The last duo we stayed through was meh. The lead singer was douchey, and banjo man in the background didn't say much. We sang more of their songs though, so that made up for it.

I realize that these kinds of parties are few and far between. While I can hope that my life will continue to host intimate musical performances, it's not likely to last very much beyond college without significant effort. I don't know where I will go to sing in a group when I am older, especially as I cannot sing very well.