First off, let’s discuss the elephant in the room. Yes, it’s very sad. I’m very sad. I’ve let everyone know Phil has been a mentor to me, and my life has revolved around the site and the community of bloggers it created over the last several years.

I don’t know what prompted this change, and I got upset. And then I had the entire weekend to mull it over and figured out nothing will happen if I remain this way. Moping around accomplishes nothing. So I turned my attention to the next concern: local music.

This blog had a home for about a year before Lawrence.com. It resided (and still does) at ktka.com. It took several months of Phil urging me to quit being shy and fearing the Lawrence online community before I decided to mirror it on Lawrence.com. I’m glad he finally convinced me, because having the blog here really helped me come out of my shell and become even more involved with the local scene. It’s one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

I’m upset that I don’t get to work for Phil, and I didn’t really feel like covering local music this weekend. But I realized that I can’t let an unfavorable situation hurt local musicians. I love local music (it says so in the title), and I know how important this site is to bands in Lawrence. So instead of sitting around moping, I’m going to have to suck it up and post, and hope that the site will still immensely help all the Lawrence musicians, as it has in the past.

So without further delay, here are The Belles.

On Friday I joined a small crowd in the back of Love Garden for The Belles CD Release Show.

The new album is gorgeous. You can listen to some of it here. I hadn’t seen The Belles in about five years, so you can bet I was excited.

They played a quick set that evening, and for the most part it was pretty laid back. Chris Tolle sat perched on a stool, and said a few words here and there between sets.

Despite a room full of people and cats, you could almost hear a pin drop. The duo created some of the most beautiful music a two-person band can make, and they had the audience in the palm of their hands. It’s been a while since I’ve been at a show that got a group of Lawrencians to shut up and pay attention like that. Bravo, Belles.

I also really like the new space at Love Garden (can we still call it “new?”). In my opinion, it’s better equipped for shows like this. I love watching bands play under the lights the store has suspended from the ceiling. It’s such a beautiful, intimate atmosphere, and I never feel like it’s too crowded.

I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better show to fit my mood. A series of events throughout the week had left me feeling pretty down, and I didn’t want to dwell on my sour mood. The show didn’t necessarily pick me up, but it helped me come to terms with some of the difficult events I had experienced that week.

So it was nice to blend in with such a casual crowd and disappear for a while.