I honestly did not think I would make it to this show, I've been broke and busy. But after a weird week, I am glad I found someone to take me out to the Birchmere to see the Skylighters. I will tell you who the Skylighters are when I get a chance to edit this in the morning. Right now I am taking advantage of an early night to write some of my impressions now.

So a major fact finding mission for attending this show was to get 'visuals' on Starling and Auldridge. I've listened carefully to certain Seldom Scene recordings, but I have never heard them live. I encountered Starling, Auldridge and Gaudreau doing My Sally at the Americana Motel Show, but it was not mad clear to me who was who. Jimmy came back for Americana Motel 2, so I had my visual on him. As for the other two though, I've gone around the past year mistaking other people for them and thinking I was spotting them across crowded rooms like I was sighting aliens. I can be just a little impressionable at times.

Anyway, what a cool idea--the Skylighters. If you have read along with from the start of this chronicle, you may notice my affinity for music happening in DC now that continues to be influenced by none other than Starling, Auldridge and Gaudreau, both as they are and as they were. It really is magical bluegrass, especially the high pickin'. Auldridge spent a lot of time at the pedal steel, which I hear almost never happens at his shows. While you get less singing from Auldridge at the pedal, which is a shame, man his steel playing is so light and airy it's almost like singing. And even after listening to Seldom Scene recordings, I had no idea how mournful a dobro could be. The quintet, sans Starling, did Louvin Brothers, Stanley Brothers, Jimmy & Jesse, a Jim Croce country song whose name I can't remember, and Brace's song that seems to be going by either "Hurry Back To Harlan" or "See What Love Can Do" (I suppose it will get more standardized when Time & Water comes out.)

They did Bonaparte's Retreat which is a song I need to look up. Jimmy said on Bonaparte's Retreat that he "would Kill" on mandolin, and he certainly did, as did the dobro work, and I have to admit Martin Lynds on drums. It was kind of ballsy having a drummer get out there with 'a bluegrass band' but man, on this song he really kicked ass, no two ways about it. I don't know how I would justify this, but the drumming was somehow reminiscent of a tattoo, without being one at all. It was like the vogue in military television documentaries right now where they get really close to one historic uniform then they shake the camera a lot and put the narration over it so it is reminiscent of the battle being described, without having to reenact it. Fairly effective. Well somehow Marty did that, it was spare, and subtle, yet I got really drawn into it, I am making more out of this probably than what most people heard, but hey, this is MY chronicle, so live with it.

Starling came out a little more than half way through the set and this guy is a force to be reckoned with. he too is in the 6'4"+ category of lead signers, and he's got this Virginia drawl that he so plies on the audience with anecdotes between songs. Starling sang his own Carolina Star, while additionally needling Eric Brace throughout the song, particularly rolling his eyes skywards then towards Brace as he sings "he's gonna be a country music star." Yet why not? things happen on all kinds of scales, right? I can really appreciate what Eric would say later about the honor of playing in this combo, coming full circle, playing with your heroes and inspiration, while all the time remembering what it was 'like to be a kid and want to get up on stage with The Scene".

Anyway, I would have been completely satisfied by this show if it ended here, but they would go on to do two encores one of Starlings "Those Memories of You" which is on the order of a bob Dylan song lyrically--truly amazing and then again amazingly enriched by the way Auldridge makes the Dobro moan (in the good way-wink) The 'second' encore included "Keep Out the Lord's Burning Rain" (that probably has another title I need to look up) a sad, sad, song I wish more bands in the present redid, like Patsy Cline favorites or this night's closer song, "Walls of Time," the speeded up Last Train Home version of Bill Monroe's best loved ballad.

Let me end with, I wish I could have been a fly on wall when Starling let loose with what he had to say about that number.