Jonny Numb

Been a while since I’ve done one of these…and since September’s been a bit of a “content dead zone” at Jonny Numb dot com, why not emerge from the long shadows of stress and procrastination with a decidedly stress-free post?

So yeah:

The thing about preoccupation is, obvious questions get sidelined in favor of focusing on The Moment.

In this particular case, The Moment was making my way to Asbury Park, NJ to see L7.

A 3-hour drive, followed by check-in at my AirBnB, followed by a longer-than-expected walk to find the venue. No real time for sightseeing, as I’d cut my ETA a little closer than intended.

After some miscalculations with my internal GPS (I’ve always been directionally challenged), I located Wonder Bar, where a steady stream of attendees congregated.

It was only at this point, with people splitting off into factions (whether the folks they drove in with, or new connections made on the spot), that I overheard someone ask, “Is there an opener tonight?”

I hadn’t had time to consider the possibility, but figured it was all but obligatory for L7 to have at least one support act (as they had the previous times I’d seen them).

Someone else responded in the affirmative to the question, with a name that sounded like, “Terre Haute.”

As the gathered crowd was admitted for the VIP pre-show meet-and-greet, I got a glimpse at the opener’s modest merch table, to which I saw their name proper: Tarah Who? [sic].

Long story short: they turned into a great new musical discovery. Playing with relentless and infectious energy, their half-hour set got the crowd more than sufficiently warmed up for the main attraction.

(Author’s Note: look for a more detailed write-up of the L7 show in the near-ish future, which will include photos and video and more praise for Tarah Who?)