jemo solo show at the renaissance cafe
jemo played for the first time in a long time, a solo show, at the renaissance cafe at woodbine and danforth. to say i was excited because this was the first jemo show in a long time is quite the understatement. the last show of theirs i remember going to was back in july of 2007 and it’s now january 2008!
the venue was just a little bit weird, i haven’t been to a bar that tiny in a long time, especially one that serves cakes and dessert and grilled cheese sammiches along with their thirty varieties of beer. the previous act was also kind of weird, he admitted to being very depressed in some of his songs, and it was quite obvious once the songs got started. the entire crowd seemed made up of generally older people who were looking for a bumping country music filled time.
the venue was also full of teachers, as jeff had invited out what seemed like every current and former coworker available and they all showed up.
this was the first full solo jemo show i’d seen. i don’t think i’d ever seen jeff sit down to play on stage before. i hung out in the back with a handful of teachers while jeff started, and marveled at how his songs are without bass and drums to back them up. it’s neat, it’s awesome, it’s just not what i’m used to.
in the end i really super enjoyed myself. got to meet some interesting and cool people, and had one of the curators of the event call me and the group i was sitting with “those kids” when asked why we were there. i also got to try out a citrus-ey beer. and for the last song i ended up going up to the stage to take some photos.
i’m excited for more solo jemo shows as they come about, and while jeff admits to concentrating on a cover band for the next little bit, i doubt jemo will be on the back-burner for long! we’re all waiting for your next big break!
