Send to KindleDerek James headlined Rockwood Music Hall at midnight last night.
Q: When you’re his self-anointed #1 fan, and he’s listed at midnight, and you would do whatever you can to see him perform, what drastic action do you take?
A: Nap!
Yes, good plan, I did indeed nap yesterday afternoon and it paid off big-time. It was so crowded at Rockwood that I had to stand for the entire set (somewhat rare nowadays, especially for a midnight set). That turned out to be a blessing. I wasn’t falling asleep, and I couldn’t stop moving to the rhythms anyway.
The set was perfect! I’d be thrilled to have that exact set repeated (on demand) any time I could. Any further description will detract from the actual experience, though I’m going to do it, if only for my own memory (I’ll know how much better it was than your interpretation of my words). 
I’ve seen Derek quite a number of times, across a multitude of lineups, acoustic and electrified. Not all combinations of The Lovely Fools (the generic name for Derek’s band) work as well as others. I honestly thought that the original (at least original from when I discovered Derek), Roy Gurel and Assaf Spector would not be topped.
The most recent iteration (which I think is Derek’s default, go-to band), came really close. Close enough for me to honestly stop pining for Roy and Assie to return. There was one change in that band last night, due to the bass player, Mike Tuccillo, being on the road supporting Jenny Owen Youngs. I am thoroughly happy with Mike’s play (supporting Jenny as well as Derek), but I admit, I was even happier with the replacement.
Derek was great on the guitar and his vocals were crystal clear. I’ve complained a time or two that at Rockwood 1, sometimes Derek’s vocals get washed out a bit. His energy was high, which was important, because it would have been difficult to satisfy the anticipation and enthusiasm in the room if he wasn’t totally on.
Derek was supported by an extraordinary band, left-to-right on stage:
Jerry Fuentes on electric guitar and vocals. I’ve just recently written about an excellent performance by Jerry of his own music (which you can support at his PledgeMusic page). Jerry is a fabulous guitar player, and Derek’s music highlights it just the right amount. Jerry also sings a bunch of harmony with Derek, wonderfully!
Chris Anderson on electric bass and light vocals. Chris substituted for Mike. As many bassists as I see and like, there’s little doubt that we see Chris more often than any other. In fact, we just saw him earlier that evening supporting Burlap to Cashmere, a group we discovered only because we’ll go see anyone Chris is playing with!
So, if Derek had called me to suggest someone to fill in for Mike, I wouldn’t have hesitated to say Chris. Derek didn’t call 
but he made the right decision anyway! 
Chris was fantastic! Like with Jerry, Derek’s music highlights the bass player dramatically. Assaf was so good at this particular role that I was afraid anyone else would be a letdown. Chris did not let me down.
Jamie Alegre on drums (again, no good individual link). If you believe me that Derek’s music brings out the best in a guitarist and a bassist, then you better believe me that the drummer is critical to the sound. Jamie’s beats were rocking the crowd throughout.
When the set was over, the lights were off and the band was already unplugging. The last thing they were expecting, or looking for, was an encore. The crowd had a different notion entirely. They were chanting one more song, repeatedly. The sound engineer (Drew) gave Derek the go-ahead, and they plugged back in. Derek said that this would be a crazy number and everyone better dance.
Well, I can’t say that everyone danced, because I know all I did was sway. But, I can attest that a few people started dancing seriously (and vigorously) right near me, and that turned into a full blown conga line. Rockwood 1 is tiny to begin with, and it was so crowded you had to be careful not to hit your neighbor if you took a deep breath. And yet, somehow, a reasonably long conga line made a couple of back-and-forths in there. It was a thing to behold.
Most of the staff at Rockwood (both rooms) are wonderful people. Good at what they do, but nice and interesting as well. At the very top of that heap is the person who served us the very first time we set foot in Rockwood, back in 2009!
Christina Shipp is an actress as well as an efficient contortionist, working her way through the Rockwood crowd to serve drinks, pick up the empties, pass around the tip jar and generally make the entire experience more pleasant for everyone in the room. It may sound silly, but Lois and I look forward to seeing her as much as we do seeing whatever artist we are showing up for. After all, we’ve had a three-year relationship with Christina.
Bed at 2am last night, but no worries, the nap saved the day (or night as the case may be!).
Here’s the set list (encore not included):
Here are a few of our friends hanging out with us outside of Rockwood, waiting for Derek’s set to begin:
Man, next to Rebecca Haviland, my head is a giant melon:
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