PERFORMED WITH:
Gavin DeGraw, Kangaroo Jones, Getaway Car, Still Life

THE STORY:
2003 was a rough year for Q*Ball live. I dare say we didn't play one quality show all year - the original backing band was long gone & I certainly had my run of bad luck as far as performances were concerned. Weather certainly played a factor in a lot of that - this show was originally supposed to happen the week before Christmas & coincide with the grand opening of Crash Mansion, which was run by the guys who run The Bitter End in NYC. Of course, the day of the show, a fucking blizzard puts us all out business & we have to postpone til after New Year's. What a fiasco.

The show was put together by me to support the Children's Specialized Hospital of NJ, & getting Gavin DeGraw to headline was a hell of a coup - one we almost lost due to that lovely snowstorm. But we got Gavin to do the makeup date & it was a success, as we raised over $3000 for charity. I decided to do a mellower set to coincide with Gavin's style, and it was a refreshing change of pace from my usual jump-around-like-a-sweaty-madman routine. I played piano/keys on almost every song & all the new stuff we debuted sounded sweet, especially the opener, "John Hughes." This was also the first live show that didn't feature a DJ, but my old friend Scott Barnhill filled in nicely at master control, & sang a sweet harmony line or two, as well.