Thanks to everyone that came out to see us the Humboldt Park Art Fair over the weekend. When the day started, it didn’t look like the weather would cooperate, but in the end it turned out to be a beautiful day with some nice breezes keeping us cool while we played. Playing in Humboldt Park is always a change for us – the unique acoustic properties of the boathouse mean that we usually sound okay to the audience, but can’t hear ourselves as well as in a tightly packed club. Singing real harmonies for the first time without being able to hear them was a little daunting for me. Ditto for debuting a new song. The upside is not being a puddle of sweat after the show.

A few weeks back Kiri and I did an acoustic show at the Elbo Room, which is also a change of pace for us. Anyone who’s seen us knows that we’re loud, and I probably hide my limitations as a guitarist behind some of that volume. Stripping the songs down means you’ve actually got to play the right chords and stuff. We also threw a couple of covers together, including one at the last minute as a sort of tribute to the late Jay Bennett. We also worked up some different arrangements of our songs, including a folksy take on a bombastic tune we sometimes end shows with. All told, it was a nice change of pace and something we’ll probably do again.

But for now it’s back to the amiliar – a show at Silvie’s Lounge on August 21.

Just a reminderm the Pickpockets make their annual outdoor appearance at the Humboldt Park Art Fair this Saturday. There will be art, music, food, and beer in one of Chicago’s most beautiful parks, and admission is free. We go on at 4:35 p.m. – perfect if you have an early bedtime, kids or a hangover.