By the time I got home last night I wasn't sure I wanted to go out at all. It's not that my eyes are really sore all the time, but the sneaky eyestrain you get from looking at a computer screen all day with a slightly-off prescription is kind of tiring. However, I did sort of promise myself I was going to check out more local bands so after stopping in to visit the brother for a few minutes I grabbed myself by the scruff of the neck and went downtown to check out Jill Porter (rock chick from Newfoundland) and Mike Trask & Mudhill.

I don't know if fewer people were out than usual or if everybody carpooled, but it was really easy to find a parking space. Which was nice. I arrived after the first band had started and at first I thought I'd confused the order in which the acts were playing, since the opener was a three-woman group featuring two dressy young women playing guitar and violin, and one bongo player whose jeans were so trashed it looked not like they'd worn out, but like she'd cut them up to patch something else. I wonder if she quilts?

The woman playing guitar had a lovely voice, sort of a sultry jazz-folk-pop sound, and I really liked them. On first listen their songs all seemed to have a similar groove so they blended into each other a bit but not in a bad way. I'd definitely check them out again.

Mike Trask & Mudhill were hanging out sidestage near the bar--I recognized them by their hats. When they got onstage a happy group of about twenty people took up spots in front of the stage, and Mike eventually gave them a nice shoutout for apparently coming to a pile of shows in the past couple of weeks. There were also a few cheerful girls next to me who were big fans--when the last song of the set began one of them turned to me at random and announced this one was her favourite. I kind of like it when people get carried away enough to start telling strangers how much fun they're having.

I was, too. Mudhill has a heavy guitar thing that's partly blues and a little metal, and Mike Trask's voice matches it: he's a bit of a bluesy shouter but that doesn't mean he's not singing. And although all the songs they played had a similar tempo, their dynamics all felt different so they didn't run together. And the band seemed to be having as much fun as their fans. Do, if you live in Halifax and like live music, make a point of checking these guys out. They were terrific.

I'm nearly out of time on the public library computer so I'll just day I was not too taken with Jill Porter on first listen--which doesn't mean she wouldn't grow on me. It's an odd fact that I mostly read female authors and listen to male bands, and I don't know why that is. Last night I stuck around for three of Jill's songs and then decided I'd had so much fun with Mudhill I didn't want to ruin it by listening to a whole set I didn't like as much. So I came home.

And that's all I have time for right now, so see you later!