The Balons Go Off with a Bang at Chinatown Downtown

Saturday night was a bittersweet night for me as a dad and a musician. The Balons played their last gig at Chinatown Downtown: my daughter and long-time singing partner Jenn is moving to Colorado with her husband John. We have been fortunate as parents to have had both our lovely daughters here with us in Austin for their entire lives. And that is now about to change.

I am happy for John and Jenn: great new job for him in software and lots of opportunities for her to expand her wine consulting career. But I am sad that my first daughter, who was musical from a young age, will no longer be a twenty-minute drive from mi casa in case I want to flesh out a new arrangement or just share a new Pinot Noir. If you have not had the pleasure of hearing Jennifer’s voice in full vigor, well it’s something to behold. Her high school choir teacher at Westlake HS referred to it as a “big instrument.” And that’s an understatement. I had to structure our musical numbers for our band that allowed me to layer harmonies around her soaring leads: and by and large it worked. The Balons performed for seven years at a wide variety of Austin venues (Saxon Pub, Cedar Street, Iguana Grill, et al, and a bunch of private parties/events) and we even produced a CD, “The Heart Knows Nothing” that sold out of its first printing.

So now it looks as if yours truly will have to pursue a solo career. That’s never been my cup of tea but how do you replace someone like Jennifer? I suppose I might eventually audition some singers to fill the huge void that Jenn’s departure will cause. But for now, I will simply reflect on all the wonderful experiences we’ve had together as bandmates and as father and daughter. We closed our show last night with one of my original songs (a great two-part harmony on the hook) and one of Jenn’s favorites: “Those Were the Days.” And indeed they were. Indeed they were.