Chi McClean

After riding on a pretty big high from the album release event at Café du Nord in San Francisco, CA the night before, I drove up to Sacramento, CA to perform at a cool, little listening room called Naked Lounge. I had played in Sacramento before at a couple different rock clubs, but this was a different vibe: quiet, full-on-listening room experience, terrific sound, dark, and a great staff running the joint. Upon arrival, the sound engineer (A.J.) and I caught up for a bit, chatted it up on music, the local scene, etc. and had plenty of time to run a great sound check. To be honest, though, the acoustics in this room were so good that, if people were quiet, you could play acoustic and still have a terrific show. Seriously. In fact, for the last song of my set (“Build Me Up”), I unplugged, moved the mic over, and walked to the front of the stage and performed purely acoustic. Kind of fun!

The West Nile Ramblers shredding the stage after my set.

I performed for about an hour or so, then packed it up and chatted it up with some friends and fans while The Souterrain took the stage and did it up… These guys were outstanding. I was totally impressed. After them, The West Nile Ramblers (pictured above) blew everyone away with some amazing energy, songs, musicianship, stage presence, and vibe. I was so inspired after listening to these guys. Definitely check them out if you have time. I know they’re on Facebook, Twitter, etc. so get on it and track ‘em down. These dudes (and that fiddle player, in particular) are going places. Let them take you with ‘em on that musical ride. And, check out that guitar player’s amp setup if you see them! He plays through an old phonograph speaker system! So retro, so slick, so cool… VINTAGE.

Big thanks to A.J., Jeremy, and the rest of the gang at Naked Lounge for hosting an amazing night of music. I had a ton of fun, really enjoyed playing their stage, and meeting some good music folks along the way. A few days later, it sounds as though the venue dug it, too. Here’s the sound engineer’s review of the night that was forwarded to me from their talent buyer: “Chi McClean 3/9/2012: Singer/songwriter, southern rock style. One of the most musically gifted acoustic acts seen here. Loved him.”

Wow! Thanks, guys!