The first time Eric Miller and John Kovalski jammed together at a mutual friend’s house, the vibe wasn’t exactly memorable.
“I walked away going, ‘Eh…,'” Miller recalled.
But the next time, something clicked. And in that moment, a musical bond was forged that has lasted more than a decade. In that moment, the Americana-rock of L Shape Lot was born.
Now, after 13 years backing Miller and an evolving group of musicians on the tubs, drummer Kovalski is saying goodbye to the popular local band he helped create. He will play his last show with L Shape Lot Friday, Dec. 19, at Brooklyn Arts Center. The Kraken Christmas Concert, featuring opening act Stray Local, gets underway at 7 p.m. The farewell performance also marks L Shape Lot’s third annual Toys for Tots collection drive.
“It’s bittersweet,” Kovalski said of his final live performance. “I mean, I’m really looking forward to the show–this one is going to be really special–but it is bittersweet.”
“Bittersweet” is the word Miller would use, too–as well as a few others.
“I feel mad, sad. It’s bittersweet. He and I are the only founding members left in the band…I know the show is going to be so much fun but at the same time, on Dec. 20, he’s going to be out and it’s really going to hit home,” Miller said. “I’m excited about the show but it does break my heart.”
As torn as Kovalski has been about leaving–he has debated it for a few years, now–his decision really boiled down to one thing.
“Eric’s dad said it best…He said, ‘It’s a time thing, isn’t it?'” Kovalski said, laughing.
Kovalksi, an applications engineer, is required to frequently travel across the country and internationally. He’s also in his early 50s, and said he now wants to spend more time doing “things I want to do before I get too old to do them.”
Looking back, he says he wouldn’t change the last 13 years. Which is funny, considering he never wanted to form another band in the first place.
“I moved to Wilmington in ’98 and was not looking for a band. I had been playing in bands since I was nine,” Kovalski said. “But it started off pretty easygoing…and it kept building and building, and stayed fun.”
“Easygoing” seems to jibe well with Kovalski’s overall demeanor. Full of smiles and Midwestern charm, Kovalski has been a great band member and even better friend, Miller said.
“For me, it’s just as much him, personally, as what we are doing, musically. I am as much worried about replacing him because of personality and I am about musicality,” Miller said.
But replace him Miller hopefully will and the show, as they say, should go on for L Shape Lot. Before that, though, the band is giving Kovalski one heck of a send-off.
“I just figured, if we’re going to try to show John a good night, I want to go for broke. I thought, if we’re going to do this, let’s do this right,” Miller noted.
In addition to two live sets, the Kraken Christmas Concert will include a photo booth for fans to take farewell pictures for Kovalski and a slideshow Miller has lovingly put together, full of fond memories and some laughs.
And, as it has the last two years, L Shape Lot will be asking fans to bring along a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. Admission to the show is $10 at the door. Click here for more information.
Hilary Snow is a reporter at Port City Daily. Reach her at (910) 772-6341 or hilary.s@hometownwilmington.com.
