It’s a good feeling when your band is invited to play somewhere. It’s also great to play in a lineup that suits your band’s sound. Alex of Cold Blue Kid made us feel welcome in both cases as we opened for them at The Ace Bar on Tuesday.

Load-in and parking at Ace Bar was surprisingly easy, considering its Lincoln Park location. After stowing my gear, I had some very friendly conversations with the staff and CBK members as they filtered in. We’ve had a few similar experiences and musical influences, so it was great commiserating with some kindred spirits. I could tell that Tim, especially, would have some interesting conversations with Alex.

Unfortunately traffic was bad that evening and held us up from doing a full soundcheck, but Soundman was laid back about it and kept us relaxed. But as we took the stage, we did have problems hearing ourselves and our balance, and I could tell there was something wrong with the bass frequencies on stage. That bass issue carried through to the other bands as well, so I’m thinking maybe the Ace Bar’s stage needs some acoustic treatment.

I enjoyed CBK’s set, but I had to jet home right after. Tim and Brian said they enjoyed both other bands, and hope to be in touch. It’s refreshing to have that connection with another group and feel like part of something. We’ve played a lot of shows where we feel like interlopers, so stepping into a scene that is welcoming, interested, and interesting, is a joy that we’d surely like to repeat.