Immi Heap in NYC

UPDATED: YouTube vid of first “ellipse” single added at end.

I posted this on my regular blog, but wanted it to be part of the record here, so…

I’m terribly busy. I have so many irons in the fire that it’s difficult to maintain at times.

So flights of fancy aren’t usually in the cards for me. I do take time out here and there, but for the most part, that consists of taking a 15-minute walk or indulging in a movie or some West Wing at home.

When I was younger, I’d do things like run off to a radio station or last-minute event. I guess my priorities have changed (plus, I’ve moved up north a bit where these kind of things don’t happen locally)

WELL…..

@imogenheap – in NYC Tomorrow 5.30pm at The Studio, Webster hall. I fancy playing you a few songs off the new CD. Up for it? X x

The Hudson River LineThis from Imogen Heap’s twitterfeed, who, as you may remember from my previous post about her, I have a musical affinity for – particularly in that we both spend most of our studio time alone banging out songs. 🙂

Now bear in mind that for me, going to NYC for something like this is the better part of 6 hours travel time round trip.

So it was a bit of a crapshoot in the first place – not knowing what kind of experience it would be. But I took a shot.

I wasn’t disappointed.Imogen Heap at Webster Hall

After a two-hour train ride down the Hudson River to NYC, I wound my way downtown to Webster Hall. I got there at about 4:45, and to my surprise, there were only about 15 people there in line.

Obviously, I was a bit torn – for a fellow artist, you always want a good turn-out – but on the selfish side, a smaller group of people meant that the experience would be more intimate.

Well, over the ensuing 45 minutes, security folks issued wristbands…I waited there in the sun ’til about 5:40, when the group had swelled to somewhere around 50 or 60 people.

The door to the basement studio of Webster Hall opened, and out came Immi. A real class act, she personally welcomed every person who had come with a hello and a handshake, and we descended down into the darkness of the Webster Hall studio.

The ImmiBookThere were some very confortable couches and a bar – and in front of the stage, on a box, was Immi’s Macbook – obviously wired up to the speakers in the room.

The first 20 minutes or so was spent with folks getting drinks, milling around, and in some cases talking with Immi and getting a few pictures.

I took advantage of the moment:IMG_1587

Then it was down to business.

Imogen Heap talking about "ellipse"

Right off the bat, Immi fessed to being a bit nervous about the event… it’s a big deal to spend two years of your life on an album, and sitting in front of your audience for the unveiling has got to be nerve-wracking.

She likened it to being a comedian – you can be witty and all, but in the end – it’s when you deliver the punch line and folks laugh (or not) that the process is complete. She then said that we were the punch line – which gave everyone a good laugh.

All told, she played 7 tracks from the album. In each case, she prefaced it by talking about the subject matter of the track and/or the genesis of the actual recording… and after each, there was rousing applause. She’d then take questions if any were offered.

Here’s a brief clip of Immi talking abut “First Train Home”:

Caught a couple of sentences in – she’s describing being out with a friend, but unable to stop thinking about getting back home to work and studio – despite the best efforts of her friend to distract her. Sorry for the sub-par audio.

I’m not going to go into the individual tracks here – except to say that I found two of them to be very poignant – but as a whole, at first blush this album is beautiful – and sounds much “bigger” than previous HeapWorks.

After it was all said and done, Immi gave each audience member a signed 12×12 photo, and chatted with them briefly. Here’s mine:
Immi Photo

The “ellipse” album is due out on the 24th, and I can’t wait to hear it in its’ entirety.

Hugs, kisses and many thanks to Immi for a great experience.

(You can read my previous Immi post about “The Song that Never Was” here.)

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