Search Discovery Throws a Partay at Atlantic Station: A Stage With a View Via Satellite

Adobe Satellite, that is.  The headline was Adobe Systems Acquires Satellite Tag Management.  The details of the business deal can be found here.  Martay is friends with Lee Blankenship, the president of Search Discovery.  That is how I came to setting my gear up on the rooftop veranda above 271 17th Street at Atlantic Station.  I think it was the 23rd floor, but the details have escaped me now.  It was just below the giant BB&T sign on the side of the building.  The view of the connector, Midtown, and the surrounding area was spectacular.

Steve Carey, John Hancotte, Sheri Hofherr, Marty Berning, & Brent Whiten

The band was Martay, Steve Carey on keys, Brent Whiten on drums, Sheri Hofherr on vocals, and myself.  it had been so long since i had played with Steve that I forgotten the gigs we had played some 10 years ago.  He did the now legendary gig in Athens when a very very popular Atlanta drummer/multi-instrumentalist was booked but failed to make the gig.  We were playing a private party outside.  With no drummer or drum machine type gizmo, Steve was summoned to "play" the drum parts on his keyboard.  He did well, certainly well enough that nobody ever came up to us to question what in the world was going on that night.  He played very well this night, and he didn't have to do any drum parts.  I remember we played another gig in that same time frame where we ended up at Hal's on Old Ivy for a late night drink and some piano music.  Steve sat in and sang some Neil Diamond; could have been Song Sung Blue but rather certain that it was indeed the obvious choice of Sweet Caroline, which would have been the first time I had ever heard anybody cover this now over-played yet smile-inducing number.  He has a natural charm and wit in his playing and singing.  Very glad to have reconnected with him again.  Brent is no stranger to these pages, and he remains a reliable and most effective lead singer and drummer.  I can't think of any other dude who can sing Michael Jackson's P.Y.T., The Police classic Roxanne, and The Outfield's Your Love (Josie's On a Vacation) -  some seriously high tunes that make me hurt just thinking about it.  His other strengths of playing trumpet and leading bands only bolster his draw.  Sheri frequently sings with Martay, so it made sense to have her co-fronting this band.  This time I was ready for the Grace Potter tune Paris (Ooh La La) that she has made her own.  Martay was anxious but not overly so.  We came to play and gave them a couple of long sets that showed our strengths.  That's shorthand for "we rocked their faces off!"

One strange thing happened.  My phone was dead earlier in the day but I recharged it in the car.  It was close to being fully charged.  At the soundcheck, I used my wireless with my P-bass but started getting some strange noises.  It was unusable.  I eventually switched over to a cable, nixxing the wireless.  I felt my phone in my pocket emitting a lot of heat.  The battery had rapidly drained and burned itself out through overheating.  Not exploded or broken, but it was not happy.  I couldn't take anymore pictures - so sad, since we had this vista at our disposal.  I also couldn't make any calls, as I was actually expected to attend the tail end of a rehearsal over at Crossover off of Chattahoochee Industrial.  As an odd coincidence, I didn't have my usual trusty charger in my pedalboard; I had left it at the Botanical Garden gig up in the green room.  Brother!  The car charger didn't seem to work.  When a phone battery has absolutely no charge, it won't even turn on at first with a charger connected.  Later at home, I put it on the charger, but it took many tries until I could finally get it to hold some juice.  Haven't thought about it since then, but I do wonder what happened.  Did the wireless unit affect my phone, and vice versa?  I always now try to remember to take the phone out of my pocket when I get to the bandstand.  Don't you?

This gig was a lot of fun.  The crowd came and hung with us, making us feel welcome and asking for more.  The view from the rooftop was a constant source of inspiration.  I don't think any of us were prepared for this backdrop of the city laid out below as it was.  There was a splendid catered dinner provided for those in attendance.  We were invited to partake; who are we to not be cordial guests and oblige?  We helped ourselves during the set break to sliders, beef stuffed peppers (hands down the band favorite!), salad veggies, pasta, really just about anything small was available.  We enjoyed some drinks after the hit as well.  It really was a fun time for us.  We took so many pictures that it felt like we were starting a band and putting together the EPK.