Guitars of Fire

As a band, we had no idea what to expect when we took up the opportunity to perform at the “Grand Re-Opening” of the Orphanage Gallery 634 W. 31st Street, Bridgeport. The general impression was that the neighborhood may not be too savory and, besides, what could possibly be going on at some second story loft in the middle of nowhere on a Sunday night?

How wrong we were! It turns out that this is an ongoing artistic collective that has converted the school auditorium of Trinity [Lutheran] Community Center into a absolutely groovy performance hall, gallery and alternative kitchen. The hall itself is sizeable and, with standing room only, has accommodated 300 people. The organizers Billy, J.D. (the soundman), Mark (director of kitchen operations) and others were welcoming and in every way ready to assist. The hall itself is equipped with a large stage, decent P.A. fantastic wood and leather furniture and artistically placed “tree scultptures”. The art that adorned the walls was strong and evocative. On the reception landing (where visitors contributed a modest sum toward the collective) a spontaneous creative writing project was going on. The audience fluctuated from 20 to over 60 and was diverse in race age and attitude. The one thing that united everybody was a sense of warmth and enthusiasm. The open mic session featured the vocal stylings of Robert Hall, Anais and Billy as a duo and several other quality acts. The food was consistently excellent, plenty for all. Since the establshment does not serve alcohol there was a particularly effective filter on the type of people who chose to attend (no rowdy party animals or weekend warriors).

When we walked in to the Gallery, the beautiful sounds of John McLaghlin’s “My Goal’s Beyond” were emanataing from the P.A. Now THAT’S a good sign I thought! We set up, did a sound check and settled back to enjoy the vibe. Guitarras de Fuego ended up doing two sets, one about 20 min. the other over 30. It was HOT and so was the music. The audience demanded two encores! A resounding success. Kudos to Jeff Burns for some inspired playing. We will return again as a duo. The most inspiring idea is to rope a few like-midned groups into a joint evening of Mediterranean/Balkan World Fusion. Perhaps the Andreas Kapsalis Trio, Goran Ivanovic group and Guitars of Fire. What a night that would be!!!

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