So during 2005 and 2006 I was dating a guy named Andrew. He was the violinist for a folk rock band called Handful of Luvin. They are a local band that is fairly well known in the Seattle area, and I did the supportive girlfriend thing and went to every single show that was within easy distance of the ferry. I went to so many shows, in fact, that my friends and I started leaving whatever bars they were playing at to have a drink at a different bar and hear different live music, then return before HOL finished their set. But SHHH! Don't tell! ^_^

Honestly I did (and still do!) very much enjoy their music. It's light, fun, and unique, and they put on a hell of a live show. So when Andrew and I had our amiable breakup in December of '06, I never intended to stop going to their shows. I definitely didn't intend to go to so many, but I still wanted to see the band occasionally.

As it worked out, before July 25th I hadn't seen Handful of Luvin live since a month or two before Andrew and I broke up. This had nothing to do with any animosity between Andrew and I - we remain friends. Maybe not close friends, but friends. Bob and I tried to go to a show a little while ago, but discovered that the venue they were playing at, "Neumo's", was absolutely impossible to find unless you knew exactly what you were looking for. We finally found the venue, but HOL had already played.

The waterfront park on Bainbridge Island hosts free concerts every Wednesday evening - similar to the free concerts that Clearwater Casino hosts on Thursdays. The park has a huge field perfect for outdoor shows, and I was surprised at the number of people who had attended. Since the band had already started playing by the time Nils and I got there, we threaded our way through groups of people sitting on blankets eating dinners wrapped in foil until we found a good place to sit down. The atmosphere was totally relaxed - Handful of Luvin was more toned down than usual, but for this crowd it was perfect.

There was a wide clear space in front of the stage, as though no one had really wanted to get too close, and it was in this area where small children took the opportunity to dance. They were joined later by adults, but for at least half the show it was just the kids. I don't go to many concerts that are "child friendly", and it was kind of nice to be in this relaxed, community environment with great live music.

Like I said, HOL was more toned down than usual, but most of the time I see them play they're playing for rowdy crowds at bars. It's nice that they're able to tone down their show to suit the crowd they're playing for. Although they've released a new CD, they still play a lot of songs from their first CD, which I consider a very, very good thing. Although their newer songs are wonderful, they lack the catchy, interesting feel of their older songs. Another thing I don't like so much about the newer songs is the distortion Andrew has been playing with for his electric violin. In my opinion one of the things that makes Handful so appealing is that clean violin. Muck it up with electronic distortion and it damages the whole sound of the band.

So. The evening was going great until something totally rocked my world. I ran into Andrew's parents. It was funny - before I actually saw them it hadn't occured to me that they would be there. I mean, of course they would be there, they do live on Bainbridge! It struck me almost like a physical blow after we exchanged hugs, listening to Andrew's mom gush about how much she'd missed me. There was a lot of good things about my relationship with Andrew, and seven months later it still fucking hurts from time to time.

Damn.

Well, after the show Nils and I met up with Bob and went to the pub where we had incredible fish and chips, incredible strawberry mojitos, incredible pomegrante martinis, and incredible bread pudding in bourbon sauce. I didn't stay depressed for very long, and the evening wound up beautifully. ^_^