Vienna Teng's Release Party

Yesterday, Vienna Teng's CD release party was on my mind. The album, Waking Hour, was out on Tuesday, but the release party was set for Wednesday, up in San Francisco. Just before leaving work, I made up my mind to go to the party. I would grab a bite to eat at home and drive up to San Fran. On the train, though, I started having second thoughts. I eventually talked myself out of it. In the middle of making dinner, I suddenly stopped. I thought, "What the heck am I doing? I complain and whine about my life being in a rut, but I do nothing about it." Either through frustration or determination, I decided to go.

I made good time getting up to the city, but once there I got very lost. I was trying to get to the 5th & Mission Garage and had trouble finding the garage entrance. It is one of the coolest parking garages ever. As you arrive on each level, there is an electronic sign that indicates if the floor is full or not. If it is not, then it tells you how many spaces there are on the left and right sides.

After a little trouble finding the Hotel Utah Saloon's front door (noticing a pattern?), I managed to get inside and catch the last few songs of Reba Hasko's set. She bangs out a mean tune on the piano and I wish I had gotten there sooner to hear more. My tardiness caused me to miss Jamie Jenkins entirely, but I was able to catch Carvell Wallace. His songs were soulful, political and honest.

Vienna was soon to follow. She must have come on around 10:30 PM. She was well worth the wait. While the recorded songs on the CD are wonderful, nothing compares to hearing them live. Every song was so full of melody and flow. There was a richness in the piano chords and progressions and a calmness in her vocals. Some of my favorites from her live performance included "Lullaby", "Enough to Go By", and "Homecoming". I was in awe. Admittedly, my view from the balcony was not the best seat in the house, but I could hear just fine and she rocked.

From my regular weblog visits, I recognized a couple people there, which was very similar to celebrity sightings. It was cool, but a little weird. I was way too quiet and was nearly sat upon, which is never a good thing. I also bumped into more chairs than I want to recall. I was shyness personified and that bummed me out. Even so, I'm still glad I went. I loved the music and the commotion that my life typically lacks.