Happy September! An awesome music lover reached out to me to ask for new tunes. I don't have recorded versions of any on hand, but I do have a live version of "Another Way Out" that I've never shared. Music history enthusiast that I am, I'm going to tell you the back story.... On Saturday May 11th, 2013, my then-quartet did a show at The Flying Beaver Pubaret in Toronto with singer/songwriter Kevin Wong and his quartet. The Pubaret frequently hosted many of Canada's top musical and comedic talents, and we had a full house that night. Kevin's quartet played a gorgeous set, recorded by his partner, who then very kindly offered to record a couple of our tunes as well. A video for my song "Another Way Out" was in the works, and I knew we had to play and promote that tune. The song is written from the viewpoint of a bullied queer teen, and the booming album version conveys both the violence directed at the teen and his own anger at the perpetrators. But our quartet had no rhythm section and could not replicate that bass-and-drum power. Instead, we played a mournful version of the song, letting the teen's sadness come through. My three wonderful band mates (Bryn Scott-Grimes, Bob Cohen and Karen Dinardo) always tapped into the mood of the audience and offered solos and improvisations that fit the given moment. The sensitive audience wanted to hear that teen's story and bear witness to his anguish. I am so grateful that the performance was captured for posterity, particularly because the one-of-a-kind LGBTQ-friendly Pubaret no longer exists. But there are still an awful lot of teens out there who experience bullying. If the poignant live version of "Another Way Out" encourages even one listener to stand up for vulnerable youth and offer support, the quartet and I did a good thing that night.