What I Wore - Bar East show, 11/9/2011

It so could've been such an awful night, but it was awesome.

Oscar, who had done such a fantastic job on lead guitar for my CMJ gig at R Bar, was all amped to back me up along with Curt and Luis. We were adding Jeff on pedal steel for the first time, and it promised to be a rockin' show.

But then Oscar had a kitchen accident and injured a fret finger. He was out. No one was available to step in. So it was just going to be Jeff on steel, Curt on bass/occasional electric, Luis on drums. And me. In a bar I'd never played at before. In a neighborhood I wasn't familiar with. No one was responding to the Facebook invite. People who had told me they were coming suddenly couldn't. I had promised the venue that I'd bring in at least 10 people, and it was looking more like 2 or less. I was panicking.

I thought, "This whole night may go down in flames, but if so, I'm going down lookin' FIERCE. Why not pull a Gaga and perform in my underwear?"



I call it Urban Prairie Chic.

In keeping with the Old West Victorian Meets New Lower East Side theme, I started with this sheer black dress (Ralph Lauren sample sale, $20). It's actually huge on me, but I nipped the waist with a belt (also Ralph Lauren sample sale, $10) and shortened the skirt by several inches just by tucking the excess fabric under the belt and gathering the excess volume in the back to create a mini-train/bustle. I wore my favorite/trademark pearl studs with one dangling silver feather earring (Charlotte Russe, $8/pair), 'cause it fit. The onyx pendant necklace was a gift from a stranger on the street, my favorite kind of accessory. I loved the way it complimented the neckline of the dress and the whole buttoned-down look of the top. The wide silver band ring is from a Christofle sample sale, and the other ring belonged to my late grandmother. I generally don't leave home without one or both of them on.

I thought it looked pretty bangin', and I guess the crowd did, too, 'cause even people who had come to see previous bands stuck around to listen to what turned out to be one of the best sets I've had, even in the absence of dear Oscar! AND, I exceeded my promised number of attendees! It was such a special night, and I'm so grateful to everyone who made it possible.

Can't let doubt get you down. Gotta keep the faith.
And if you do start to doubt, just sing in your panties.
It really helps.