Jesus the Booking Agent pt 16

Mike Hall has been immersed in music for over 20 years, touring the country ‘til he cried and playing in too many bands. He is currently incubating his sonic baby, the Fire and the Sigh.

Part 16:  The All Over and The Not Yet

It’s past midnight and I sit here at the halfway house in my turquoise kitchen, wondering how the hell I’m going to end this journey with you. It’s the end of a season, I can feel it … not only am I wrapping up this series of stories, but also I’ll soon be moving on from this halfway house I’ve lived and worked at for almost a dozen years. The 400,000 volt taser, the one that protected my skinny ass for years and made its sonic appearance on a Nathan Johnson album, has expired, zapped its last, and now lives in the trash. It is an end, an end that I hope will bring space for new things.

The story that took us from muggings at a halfway house through the pink audacity of theMadonnaInnto the glorious igniting of the Oriental Theatre (with Jesus the booking agent looking awkwardly on) the conclusion of this particular story is framed inEnglewood,Colorado.

It was early 2008 and I felt like Born in the Flood was experiencing an unspoken shift, like a romance that once was so heartfelt, but at some point became more mechanical; a pantomime of old, faded desire. In the summer of 2007 those desires of yesteryear had taken us to play a sold-out show with The Fray at Red Rocks, and now, months later as the ‘08 winter slowly relaxed into spring, we were invited to play for a national cable music program at the Englewood Comcast building. Actually Comcast compound would be a more telling description; it felt like I needed an Area 51 security clearance in order to descend into the massive bowels of the cable TV cavern.  

Walking down the long, dark halls with fresh picture IDs on our chests, we were ushered into an inner studio chamber and welcomed by Mr. Matt Pinfield. He’s yesterday’s infamous MTV VJ with the raspy-but-friendly radio voice. The likeable Pinfield sounds like he wakes up every morning to a cool cup of battery acid mouthwash and swishes it around with a big grin on his face. 

To be continued. …

Category: The Post