The last Friday night of July 2007…another bay area summer was passing me by too quickly. I’d been residing in the San Francisco/Oakland area for almost eight years and somehow in all that time I had not broken out of my beloved recording studio imprisonment to see what was shakin’ down at the Hotel Utah. Well tonight I had been coaxed out of hiding to take in what I found to be a very special gathering. I was going to see the first (and probably last) appearance of Sweet Bedtime Gift Boy and the Midnight Milkmen Bartenders.

Once I was able to squirrel away in a sufficiently obscure corner, I knew I was going to like this Utah place. A cozy, laid-back “be yourself” energy pervaded the room and despite being one of the shyest people I know, I felt an easiness that made it seem appropriate to strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger. Instead I let my shyness win and inappropriately allowed myself to eavesdrop on the girl next to me. She was talking to a guy with crazy hair who was joining the stage line-up on keyboard. From what I gathered he had a background in classical piano, which struck a chord for me (pun intended?) since I studied classical keys as well. Their discussion explored the similarities between jamming in a rock band and executing the compositions of Bach. Crazy-hair keyboard dude, whom I was later officially introduced to as Danny Eisenberg, said it all clicked for him when he realized what really mattered in any style was that it come from “here” as he put his fist to his heart. Yes, I was definitely in the right place…

The show proceeded to start. Three members of the popular San Francisco band formerly known as ViV were joined by bassist Peter Canton, Chris Haugen on slide guitar and Dan Eisenberg on vintage keys. Jeff Rolka added the finishing touches on percussion while sporting a flowing orange cape.

Matt Ostrander, ViV’s front man, singer and songwriter, manned the stage with ease, his sense of humor engaging the audience from the onset. And true to his word, by the end of the set he had folks from the crowd joining him on the packed stage to bring the show home.

ViV’s guitar player Mike Fiorentino (currently backing Josh Fix) stole the spotlight with the amazingly organic tones of his electric violin.

ViV’s Andrew Griffin (recently touring with Cake) was givin’ it all on drums, laying down the grooves and singing great background harmonies without losing a bit of the feel he so intuitively creates.

Peter Canton (Bernie Worrell, Dave Ellis) provided the foundation on bass like he’d been playing with ViV for years, demonstrating the chemistry he has with Andrew from all the playing they’ve done together over the years.

Featured on slide guitar, Chris Haugen (recently touring with B3 legend Melvin Seals) brought musical savvy and spontaneity, introducing a tasty melodic morsel at the end of a song that evolved into an inspiring freestyle outro.

On keys Danny Eisenberg (recently touring with Ryan Adams) was ever sensitive to the other players and the song arrangements, consistently contributing to the expressive ebb and flow of each tune.

These musicians came together as Sweet Bedtime Gift Boy and the Midnight Milkmen Bartenders to benefit a friend who is battling cancer. Friends and friends of friends were uniting both offstage and on to support this cause and it generated a unique energy – an energy that was contagious even to those who were unaware of the purpose for the gathering. At one point, all the folks who lined the bar next door were synchronously bobbing their heads in time to the music, even in the midst of all their various conversations.

In response to one of Matt’s commentaries that hinted this was not an ordinary band that rehearsed together regularly, an innocent bystander asked me, “So how long have these guys been playing together?” I said, “Well, I was told they had one rehearsal and not everyone was able to attend.” He was quite impressed. “They sound like they’ve been playing together for years!” he exclaimed. And indeed, on rare occasions I would say rehearsal is over-rated. In my experience as a producer and engineer, there’s a magic that happens when musicians who have developed chemistry from years of playing together tackle a tune from a fresh perspective.

The highlight of the night for me as a closet musician and production freak was observing this group of skilled musicians be observant of each other in the midst of playing together. Each individual on the stage was listening to what the others had to say musically and responding accordingly. Their sensitivities, both as human beings and as musicians, rose to the surface and to me, that’s what music is about.