It’s freezing outside, in the vicious wind of downtown Manhattan. Inside, at City Winery, it’s warm, and the Wood Brothers are playing two shows with Carsie Blanton. No better place to be in the whole big city on a cold Friday night.

Almost time for the 8pm gig. White shirt, dark brown bass, blonde bassist with blonde wife, under neon lights, and between yellow / acid-green walls: is there a white balance setting for that? No, there isn’t. And it shows: 

Jano and the set list

Oliver and the guitar that smells like old books

Warming up

Three musicians and one photographer, everybody else already out and waiting. Up Above My Head for three voices, and three minutes that made me glad to be alive. 

Show number one

Bass, guitar, shitar. Yeah, shitar - and it sounds far better than its name would imply.  

Back in the lime-greenroom

Still life with setlist and tea & scissors  

Getting ready for the 11pm show 

A collage of post-show faces

Credit where credit is due: I handed my camera to Shauna (on the left) and she produced on the spot a beautiful portrait of her husband, James (which is the photo on the right). Just snapped it like that, while he looked at her. That’s love -and the spot-on metering of a battered old Nikon D200, getting me through yet another night of shooting.