The August episode is available here.

i had heard of eddie's attic in decatur, ga. (very near atlanta) for years before going there-

i had even had friends who had played on open mic nights there trying to secure a night or set of their own, only to find that they didn't get invited back -

and heard that the indigo girls broke nationally from there and all -

so, when i got a night there to play for the first time, it reminded me of the first few dozen times i'd played the bluebird in nashville- that there was so much "history or herstory" to make a singer/songwriter quake in their clogs upon entering the room

add to that, i was "headliner" or the main act (the one who plays last, after the opening act plays) and i was solo: ONE - and the opening act was a full-on string band w/ 4 or 5 or more members-- so, the soundman assumed i was the opener and treated me accordingly (traditionally, the main act gets all the time they want for sound check- say an hour, and the opener gets 10 minutes, maybe 5)

so, i was feeling like an opener - added to my herstory of eddie's...and so i played & sang my heart out at first bat-- later, the soundman, shalom, apologized and said he'd had one of the best nights of music he'd ever had that night & was filled w/ admiration & apologies-- shalom & i still laugh about that night as i have played eddie's many times since

- & shalom always said, "have you heard the recording of that night?" and i never had because, i remember the night as me fighting for my life up there- so i never heard wanted to hear THAT - but at shalom's insistence, after his 2nd copies and a few years, i did listen and i thought that it was a good night - i do hear & remember that i was fighting for my life (ain't our imaginations something precious?) but sometimes fighting the imaginary beast can bring out something locked up inside -

i have played eddie's attic many times since & i always look forward to ribbing shalom & seeing grinning eddie & smelling his pipe tobacco and it is a great place to play songs: simply and right in front of the folks - so, via shalom, and eddie owen @ eddies attic, i present the 1st set i ever played there, as opener

- darrell

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