SuperNormal Tyler LIVE at Mama Java’s: GoodBye Beginning

How’d it go?

On December 26th. Tyler Christensen (SuperNormal Tyler) played to a packed house at Mama Java’s Coffeehouse in Phoenix, Arizona.    The show started at 8pm with Tyler casually strolling through the doors and saying hello to his awaiting friends and family.  This show was a rare and welcome occurrence for the artist, as he mentioned in opening his set.  This Indie Rock and Roll deal consists of late night shows in whiskey bars and the like.  The cozy, intimate setting of Mama Java’s provided the perfect atmosphere for a simple acoustic singer/songwriter performance.

 

“It’s great to do a show at a place like Mama Java’s, in that, you’re performing in a silent room save for the barista machine firing up every few minutes.  You couldn’t ask for a better crowd then the one at Mama’s last night.  Attentive and appreciative, they made the night what it was.  Good Show.” – Tyler Christensen

And a sizeable crowd, it was.  Every seat was taken in the place with patrons sipping coffee and tapping their toes to the tunes.  Well, every seat except for one was taken, to be honest, the empty chair on stage with Tyler made a good spot for his songbook to be sprawled out.  Tyler flipped the pages and flowed through his songs in a casual “relax, I’ve done this before” manner.

Kick-back, put your feet up…  It’s an intimate little place.

The Setlist

Tyler opened his set with “The Things I’m Gonna Miss” a slow solemn song setting the tone for the evening.  The tone set was not solemn, however, more like captivating.  Starting the set with one of his more reserved, and memorable songs locked the crowd in for the evening.  From the first note Tyler held ‘em and didn’t let them go until it was closing time.  Breezing through his latest material such as: “Muse”, and “Carousel” to ‘digging into the vault’ to pull out older material that Tyler hasn’t played live in years, it was a full survey of this Singer/Songwriters repertoire. 

The Break 

Around 9:00pm, Tyler took a short five minute break and mingled with the crowd milling around.  Meeting with friends from over ten years past, Tyler had a crowd as varied and diverse as his musical history.  Colette Panagos, a high-school friend from back in the days of ‘Promiscuous Chicken’, Tyler’s first band in High-School.  Jessica Bonnet Jennings, a fellow face-in-the-hall all through Junior High School and Chandler High, and her husband were in attendance as well.  Who needs a high-school reunion, this was much shorter and all parties involved didn’t have to do that ‘reunion small-talk’ and ‘reminiscing.’  It was just a nice evening out.  Chatting in the cold and some parting, then, Tyler returned inside for the second set.

The Second Set

Returning to the stage at 9:15, there was only fifteen minutes of showtime left.  Tyler thanked his hosts and spoke a little about the neighborhood.  A recent new-comer to this part of town, Tyler spoke of his affinity for the local independent businesses supporting live music in the area.  Mama Java’s, Darwin’s Waiting Room (Famous Wings), and others were mentioned in gratitude by the artist. 

Thanks for the show Mama Java’s!

The Indie Corridor

Indian School Road is seeing a sea-change of sorts.  From the Great Escape, to The Vig, To Darwin’s, to Hazelwood’s,  to Mama Java’s, Independent restaurants and pubs, and coffeeshops, as well as retail locations are buiding a tight-knit community of mutual support.  A recent influx of energy was brought about by the independent businesses in the area focusing on all-things-local.  There are no illusions of grandeur in this little pocket of culture in the Valley of the Sun.  Humble business owners open their doors each day, and just ‘do their thing.’   When the night falls, the baristas and bartenders set up PA’s for their local musicians and artists dropping in to hawk their latest wares.  The Indie Corridor is experiencing an ebb and flow of a perfect partnership between artists and community. 

GoodBye Beginning   

Take it to mean what you would like it to mean.  A goodbye to a beginning is a beginning of sorts; A prelude to the next step.  A movement ever-upward, humility in-tow and a handful of genuine intentions.  That can be said for Tyler,and for this little local business community. 

“Grow Slow.”  Tyler says,

“In this fast-paced, quick-fix-perscription kind-of-world we live in, it’s important to rise above all that noise.  In this little section of town I call the Indie Corridor, we’ve got the right idea.  There’s no flashy-glossed-over marketing needed.  The guy rocking your party is the guy you saw this morning at 8 am dropping into Mama Java’s for a little  retina relaxer.  And the girl hanging out talking about her artwork is the same girl who gets a pack of smokes every morning at the Circle K with two-dollars cash-back for the bus.  This is my little, real neighborhood.  No veneer, no catch-phrase – This is home.” – Tyler Christensen