Adventure #29: Pittsburgh (December 2010 Tour)

Adventure #29: Pittsburgh (December 2010 Tour)

I woke up later than planned, frantically finished packing, and headed down to my car, where the bastards who own the trucking company that moved my car and left it in the middle of the road a few weeks ago was in the process of doing the same thing to someone else. Jeff's Express: your days are numbered. I took lots of pictures. With faces. Jerks. I finally got on the road with just enough time to make it to Pittsburgh. It should also be noted at this point, that when you misspell December, spell check suggests “dismember.” Which is just awesome. This is Pen Pen kissing his love goodbye before heading off on the road.

The drive across Pennsylvania was long and dull. I'm still captivated by corn fields and train yards, but highways through mountains just don't do it for me anymore. I've moved on to stronger stuff. I pulled in to Pittsburgh with half an hour before the show was supposed to start and walked into the empty coffee shop. I was a little concerned, but Nathan and Ben who ran the place assured me that there were people coming and it would be a fun night. Also they spelled my name wrong on the placard outside. So I had a fresh zucchini panini (which is fun to say) and chatted with them for a bit before getting set up. This is Pen Pen in front of the side of the placard where they spelled my name right because I promised I wouldn't post pictures of the other side.

The show was actually a lot of fun. People started filtering in during the first few songs and pretty soon the place was pretty well packed. Everyone there was super supportive and friendly. Previously, I had assumed this was some mid-western virtue. But increasingly I'm thinking it may not be that people outside of New York and Boston are particularly nice; it's just that we're all jerks. We all hung out for a while after I played. A few people missed the point of a mailing list and put their actual mailing addresses down. These people will be getting postcards. This is Pen Pen performing Ben Folds Five's entire discography in under 2 minutes.

After the show, I headed back to Eliza's place and set up her air mattress in the living room. It self inflates and sounds like a house collapsing. Truly, this is the future. We made pasta and stayed up for a while chatting about religion and science and Costco. I curled up on the surprisingly comfortable air mattress of the future with a cat at my side. Day one of the tour: total success. This is Pen Pen in the future.

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

Scrooge Without A Frown by The Tremendous Seasons

Adventure #28: October 2010 Tour (Days 13 - 15)

Due to an unfortunate series of computer related incidents, this blog entry was lost. I may some day reconstruct it if I feel like it, but I probably wont. Suffice it to say that Wilmington, NC is basically my new favorite place in America, and Emma's wedding was awesome. Congratulations North Carolina, you're actually a pretty cool state. Nicely done!

Adventure #27: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 12)

Adventure #27: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 12)

Around 8:30 AM or so I woke up from an oddly vivid dream in which Mike Riggs imprisoned all the One Year Leasers at his oceanside manor (Mike: I know where you keep the gold. Don't even try it.) to a 4 year old Trenton about 3 inches from my face yelling “Uncle Nathan! Wake up Uncle Nathan! Mommy! Look who I found on our couch! Wake up, Uncle Nathan!” I haven't seen Trenton since he was 2, so I was impressed that he remembered me at all, let alone with such enthusiasm. We walked Lexy down to the bus stop, where Trenton insisted on introducing me to all the kids who take the bus with her, then headed back to Jenny's to play blocks. And trains. We raced our trains. I won. Take that, 4 year olds! This is Pen Pen with his favorite non-blood-related nephew and said nephew's lucky pine cone.

In continuing with my quest, we decided to go to the William Howard Taft House which is in Cincinnati. 4 down, 40 to go! Jenny brought Samantha and Trenton, who were both oddly well behaved. Trenton was actually interested in my weird little quest, and kept asking where the museum was. At one point, I just shrugged and said “I think we're in it.” The tour guide was overly enthusiastic about Taft in that hyper-specifically-focused-historian way that I find totally charming. This is Pen Pen and what I can only assume is a life-sized bust of our nations largest president.

We dropped Trenton off at school, and got a quick lunch at Adam's restaurant before I had to hit the road. Bridget was right. The drive through southeastern Ohio is actually quite nice. The view of the mountains rising up beyond the highway was breathtaking and totally unmarred by strip malls and chain restaurants. This is Pen Pen showing his appreciation for the beautiful part of Ohio by erecting a wooden modernist sculpture at a rest stop.

I made it to the venue around 8:30, and there was someone inside playing accordion. I had a brief panic that maybe I had gotten the night wrong or something, but no, my name was on all the posters. The girl, who henceforth will be known as Ashley, because that's her name, was on a tour of her own and had shown up and asked the bartender if she could play before I started. She played a lot of Appalachian music and other sort of folk stuff, and was quite good. It's not every day you see an accordion player in a bar, unless you're Ashley, in which case, it probably is. By the time I finally got started around 10:30, there were still only a handful of people in the bar. The bartender told me that the combination of the thunderstorm and the Marshall game that night basically screwed my chances of having much of an audience. Nevertheless, I played a 2 and a half hour set, with Ashley backing me up on a few tunes, and the few people who were there were really digging it. I wasn't really sure what to expect my first time in West Virginia, but I definitely wasn't expecting a girl to keep asking me to play Misfits covers, so that was pretty cool. Everyone there was pretty rad, especially the sound guy, so hopefully I'll be able to come back some time on a better night. Next up: Wilmington, North Carolina. My last show of the tour. Then Emma's wedding! I'm sad for it to be over, but I'm pretty excited to not have to wake up every morning and drive 6 – 8 hours. This is Pen Pen curious if this is only Charleston's #1 live music venue by default.

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

The Abatements - Come Up by keroscenerecords

Adventure #26: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 11)

Adventure #26: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 11)

The guys at the Chicago Toyota dealership said there was nothing leaking from my car, so that's good. But apparently I have a bunch of other work that needs to be done, so that's less good. They said it could wait until I got home, but I should try to take care of it as soon as I can. So I got back on the road and headed off towards Cincinnati. The road passed through Indianapolis. I had an hour or so to kill, and I thought of stopping and visiting the Piradical guys, but I couldn't remember the address to the house, and it seemed like driving around arbitrarily, hoping I recognized a street was probably not a great idea. Instead I decided to stop and visit the Benjamin Harrison House because there were signs to it. For reasons still unknown, the Piradical House is not a national landmark. This is the 3^rd presidential landmark I've visited in the past 4 days. I've decided that my new quest is to visit the birthplaces of every American president while on tour. Not sure when I'll be able to make it to Honolulu though (or Kenya if you're an idiot). This is Pen Pen grateful for the opportunity to cultivate yet another esoteric hobby.

As I pulled into Cincinnati, my trip-o-meter clicked 3000 miles. I called Jenny, who was on her way to the show and tried to find a place to grab a quick dinner. As it turns out the venue itself has an outstanding vegetarian selection, so we just ate there. This is Pen Pen with his travel companion, Jew Duck, beholding the awesome might of round numbers.

The show was a lot of fun. Jenny's whole family (minus Michelle who's in Boston, and her kids, because they're tiny) came out for the show, which was awesome. There were also a few people that I didn't know who were there just for the show, which is always a good feeling. I played for 2 hours, and the owner and some of her friends even danced a bit during some of my patented ridiculous covers. By patented, of course, I mean copyrighted works for which I don't pay royalties. Shhh. Don't tell anyone. This is Pen Pen excited to have 2^nd billing to the vegan soup of the day.

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

Nathan Leigh - Arms Outstretched

Adventure #25: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 10)

Adventure #25: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 10)

I slept through most of the morning (including the complimentary continental breakfast. Sad face.) but was determined to see some of Milwaukee. At the suggestion of Cassandra, Edwin from The Commuter Exit's wife, I headed down to the waterfront. I crossed a river near, the Pabst Theatre where Darius Rucker will be assaulting the unsuspecting denizen's of the city that beer built with his greatest hit later in the week. I parked and went down to the river where there was a life sized bronze statue of one of my childhood heroes: Arthur Fonzarelli. This is Pen Pen coining a new term by jumping the Fonz.

I headed down to the lake and watched the sail boats, wishing I had could rent one and sail around the lake for a bit. Before heading out of town, I remembered that Jesse had told me to try their frozen custard, so I stopped at the first place I saw with a sign for it: an Omega Burger. I'm certain going to Milwaukee and getting frozen custard at a fast food place is the equivalent of going to Brooklyn and getting a bagel at Dunkin Donuts, but it was tasty nonetheless. This is Pen Pen enjoying Milwaukee's greatest delicacy that's not cheap beer.

The drive to Chicago was painless and short, but when I got in, I noticed something leaking from my car. Danger, Will Robinson. It was too late to get it looked at, so I resolved to get it taken care of first thing in the morning. Cars are expensive. Next time I'm just going to steal one. That seems like it'd be easier, although I'll have to learn how to hotwire. It can't be that hard, right? I had a few hours to kill, and also a few hours of work to do, so I holed up in a little coffee shop for a bit and tried to be productive. This is Pen Pen mixing some hot beats, or, you know, tasteful guitar and cello duets.

I met up with Brennan before the show and picked up some empanadas. We hung out for a bit before heading over to the venue. Monday nights are usually the hardest night to get people out to a show, so it wasn't surprising that it wasn't the best attended event in the history of mankind. I was mostly just happy to see some old friends and not have to drive 8 hours for once. But there were enough people there, all of whom seemed to have a good time and genuinely enjoy it. The bartender and the door guy were pretty awesome and asked me to come back next time I'm coming through Chicago, so I definitely will probably. Brandon came up and sang a few songs with me, though my attempts to cajole him into singing Hound Dog were unsuccessful. After the show we went back to Brandon and John's place and hung out for a while playing Halo. Like Rochester, this maybe wasn't the best show of all time, but it was still a really fun night. This is Pen Pen taking over the Olbow Room and running the bar.

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

Selling Your Soul by nathanleigh

Adventure #24: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 9)

Adventure #24: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 9)

I woke up before the camp opened again (Apparently you need to check in to camp there. And register your car and camping spot. And pay...). I decided as soon as I got to Milwaukee I'd break down and get a hotel room for the night. And take a nap. After about 2 hours, I passed a sign for “Ronald Reagan Birthplace.” I couldn't resist. I followed the signs to Tampico, IL, which much like Springfield, had converted itself into a shrine to its' favorite son. This is Pen Pen hoping there's less cholera and snake bites on the Ronald Reagan Trail than on the Oregan Trail.

I followed the trail for a few miles, hoping to find his actual birth home. Maybe some sort of museum. At the very least, a 30 foot tall statue. After about 15 minutes of seeing nothing other than more signs for the Ronald Reagan Trail, I got bored, and turned around. The opportunity to annoy the anointed clerics who keep whatever shrine there is that lies at the end of the trail, wasn't really worth driving miles into farm country with poorly marked streets. There was a detour on the way back that forced me into what could only charitably be described as the Middle of Nowhere. I finally found my way back to the highway after about an hour and a half, and resolved that as soon as I get to a city, I'll buy a GPS. So I lost two hours, and never found much more than a plaque and a mural. I think Saint Ronnie would be proud to know that even 6 years after he died, he's still making life hard on poor people. This is Pen Pen paying tribute to the greatest Republican actor to ever star in a movie about chimps, who's not Charlton Heston.

The Days Inn was just outside of Milwaukee near the airport. It was the closest hotel to the venue that I could reasonably afford, and all things considered was pretty nice. I checked in around 3 and promptly proceeded to indulge in the official comfort food of travel: Law and Order reruns on TNT. I'm not sure exactly when I fell asleep, but I woke up disoriented and confused with about 20 minutes left to get to the venue. So much for exploring Milwaukee. This is Pen Pen just prior to totally trashing the hotel room like the rock star he is.

The venue is a little divey place that reminds me a lot of All Asia and O'Brien's in Boston. The guys from The Commuter Exit were already there when I showed up. White Elephant showed up shortly thereafter. But no word from the acoustic act who was supposed to open. We agreed that if he didn't show up by 10:30 or so, we'd just get started. I spent most of then night hanging out with The Commuter Exit guys, who are generally awesome. They reminded me a lot of Placebo circa Sleeping With Ghosts. The show was fun, but I was pretty beat from the 3 hour set the night before, and the general lack of sleep in between, so it maybe wasn't my best performance. But people seemed to enjoy it, and Edwin from The Commuter Exit said next time I'm in town he'd try to set something up. Next up: The Elbo Room in Chicago. This is Pen Pen playing a short set of Screaming Jay Hawkins covers.

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

The Record Goes On by nathanleigh

Adventure #23: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 8)

Adventure #23: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 8)

Around noonish the clump of people who fells asleep watching Shutter Island started to stir. I had breakfast, and ended up having a long conversation about various forms of Sci-Fi geekery with JD. I finally got on the road about 1 and headed off to Quincy, Il. I was providing the PA for the night, so I wanted to get there early to get everything set up. I was stressing because it seemed like I would just barely make it there on time, with maybe an hour to kill to find some food before the show. Then I remembered about Time Zones! So when I saw a sign for Springfield, IL (Lincoln's home town) with all sorts of signs about “historical attractions,” I pulled over. This is Pen Pen glad we're not on the holoshed because a 30 foot tall evil Abraham Lincoln would destroy us all.

I drove downtown to the historic neighborhood where Lincoln lived. It was already 4:30 so the tours were over and the exhibits were starting to close up. When I was a kid, I was a huge Lincoln buff, so it was actually pretty cool. Then I grew up and discovered that despite having freed the slaves, he was actually sort of a racist ass, and my Lincoln love never quite recovered. Nevertheless, the town of Springfield has wholly embraced Honest Abe and essentially converted their city into a shrine to him. This is Pen Pen reenacting the mid-1800s when penguins still roamed wild around the streets of Illinois.

Around 6, I got back on the road, and headed back on the road to Quincy. I drove through miles of farmland, suddenly wondering if I've eaten food grown in these fields. Also suddenly remembering that Sim Farm was a great game, and that I should get a DOS emulator for Linux. Nerd nerd nerd nerd nerd. I made it to Quincy as the sun set over the cornfields, and started setting up. This is Pen Pen making a total mess of their club.

I guess the other out of town act, Spence Mulder, canceled, so it was just me and The Sharrows, two twin sisters who sing in really tight harmonies. They're a local act, and brought out a ton of people. Most of whom stuck around for my set; at least the beginning of it. The crowd that stuck around started calling out covers, and I did my best to oblige; culminating in an entirely mumbled cover of The Goo Goo Dolls' Iris. I wrapped it up around 1, and the bar manager said everyone had to leave so they didn't get in trouble with the cops. That included the guy who had offered to let me crash on his couch (it's a very comfortable couch, he bragged). Good times. So I decided to head part of the way to Milwaukee, and find a camp site. This is Pen Pen watching some Mighty Boosh before passing out in the van.

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

The Ocean by nathanleigh

Adventure #22: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 7)

Adventure #22: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 7)

The drive from Harrisburg, PA to Indianapolis is long. Really really really long. And flat. And boring. It is not a drive I will ever make again without a stop or two in between. I passed through the entirety of Ohio, which was about as beautiful as I had always expected. Their strip malls and chain restaurants are second to none. I pulled into Indianapolis slightly stir crazy from the drive, and hungry. When I got to the venue, no-one was there yet, so I decided to head off in search of food. This is Pen Pen trying to pick the lock to no avail.

I drove down College Ave (where the Dojo is located) hoping to find some sort of small cafe where I could get a sandwich and maybe a little internet. At the intersection of College Ave and Massachusetts Ave, I parked and started looking for a place. My thought process was this: “you know what usually has cheap sandwiches? Colleges. And you know where also has a lot of cheap sandwiches? Massachusetts. This is perfect.” It was not perfect. It turns out Mass Ave is where all the night clubs are. It's Indianapolis' equivalent of Landsdowne St. in Boston, or Manhattan. I saw a sign that said “Frozen Yoghurt and Coffee” and decided that was the most realistic contender. The barista had that sort of Midwestern effervescence that makes me slightly uncomfortable. I don't understand it, so I'm powerless against it. Somehow I ended up without a sandwich, but with a small pumpkin frozen yoghurt instead. She was right, it was delicious. Why can't Midwesterners just be bitter and angry like normal people? This is Pen Pen pretty sure that the frozen yoghurt with blackberries counts as at least 2 food groups, and is therefore an acceptable dinner.

After “dinner” I headed back to the venue which was starting to bubble with people. It's another small DIY affair, basically a storefront. Literally a storefront, if you want to be technical about it. I played totally unplugged again after 3 local acoustic acts. The group before me, From the Rooftop had some killer harmonies, and haircuts that made mine feel totally inadequate. Damon, their guitarist, looks almost exactly like Julian from The Mighty Boosh. Although no-one was there to see me specifically, most of the people stuck around for my set, and bought CDs. After the show, one person compared me to Tim Kasher (specifically from his stuff in the Good Life) and another to Dylan. Usually I find artist comparisons annoying, but if I'm going to be compared to anyone, it might as well be to 2 of my all time heroes. Although, for future reference, if comparisons are necessary, I would like to be described as “like Donovan with drum machines” because Donovan is awesome. This is Pen Pen admiring the carefully hand caligraphied signs at the venue.

After the show I went over to the Piradical house where the guys who booked the show live (or just hang out a lot, I couldn't really tell.) They were an awesome bunch, if gratuitously obsessed with Kim Possible (Christy, your fans are nuts. Sorry...). They're watching a horror movie every night in October, also celebrating Octobeard by growing out their beards. So we watched Shutter Island all bearded and such. I fell asleep about 2/3rds of the way through, but woke up just in time for the big twist before passing out for good. I liked the movie, but I think it was better when they remade it as Inception, although Ellen Page's character was totally extraneous. This is Pen Pen admiring the collection of posters for shows they've thrown holy crap they booked The Casualties! Also Westbound Train's CD release show

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

Letters, Postcards, Telegrams by nathanleigh

Adventure #21: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 6)

Adventure #21: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 6)

I woke up around 8 to the sound of Rooster, Devan and Claire's cat, running at full speed back and forth across the room. For a moment, I missed Katy's cat Fatty (aka Fatty2Dope). Just a moment. I was having none of it, so I curled back up and passed back out. I woke up again at 9 remembering that Harrisburg is 8 hours away, and not getting any closer. The police were generous enough to leave me a $30 ticket on my car. Great. This is Pen Pen cursing whatever mounty left that ticket and the horse he rode in on.

At the border, I decided to make things easy on myself and just told them I did theatre sound (hence the gear). Apparently so does the border guard's brother. He couldn't remember the tour he was on, and I didn't recognize the name. Still, small world. This is Pen Pen surprised they had a special line for birds to cross the border.

The trip through New York and Pennsylvania was mostly small country roads. I got turned around once or twice, and resolved that as soon as I can, I'm buying a GPS. Relying on hand scrawled directions from Google Maps, is maybe not the best system for navigating the country. I can't imagine how people did this in the dark ages when they only had AAA maps. I made it to Harrisburg around 6 and headed straight for Messiah College where I was playing. Harrisburg is a small city (especially for a state capital...I had always assumed it was Pittsburg) but quite pretty. This is Pen Pen admiring the Romanesque bridges that span the river.

The show was a total DIY affair. We played in what was basically a dorm common area. I spent most of the night hanging out with Kyle Rictor and his wife Kelsey who played right before me. Apparently they had played at All Asia the week before I did. Again, small world. Or perhaps it's a big world, and I just go a lot of places. Either way. The show itself was a lot of fun. I played totally unplugged on top of a dresser to the various residents of the dorm. After the show, Phil, the guy who set it up, made us all dinner. Although it's a far cry from places like Piano's, I love playing this sort of show. Playing to people who are genuinely attentive and enthusiastic, and not just mildly appreciative of the background noise, is one of the best feelings in the world. I'll definitely be coming back here. Show #6: Victory. Next up: the longest drive in the world, to Indianapolis. This is Pen Pen calling the top bunk.

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

Apart by nathanleigh

Adventure #20: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 5)

Adventure #20: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 5)

The drive from Rochester to Toronto goes through Niagara Falls. It's one of those places I've always sort of wanted to see, but not quite badly enough to go there for its own sake. But since I was going there anyway, and didn't need to be in Toronto until later, I decided to take a short stop and see it. So I got up had my luxurious complimentary continental breakfast of Cheerios, Sunny D, and one of those prepackaged gas station danishes, and hit the road. It was still raining when I pulled in to Niagara. My knowledge of Niagara Falls is limited to jokes from Breakfast Club, and the short lived show Wonderfalls. I couldn't figure out how to get down to the Maid of the Mist, so I wandered around the American Falls area. Although a lifetime of seeing the Falls from crane and helicopter shots has given me unfair expectations, they were still unspeakably beautiful. This is Pen Pen suddenly animating and giving Jaye Tyler crappy relationship advice.

The rain finally broke as I left Niagara falls, and the sun started to peak through the clouds. Metaphor for my tour, or literal description of events? You decide. I made it through Customs without incident. Luckily Sol had warned me not to say I was playing a show. When they saw my gear and asked if I was planning on performing, I just told them I was planning on visiting my Uncle Joe in Toronto. Which isn't the most untrue thing I've ever said. This is Pen Pen hoping they don't ask for a passport.

As soon as I got in, I called up my uncle, and we met up downtown for dinner. We went to a vegetarian cafeteria-style restaurant called Commensol. It was fantastic. They had vegan cheesecake, which I'm not even sure is possible. I assume it's made of soy. Or magic. Or magical soy. This is Pen Pen eating pure magic and getting +2 dexterity.

I headed over to the Smiling Buddha after dinner and checked in. The bartender told me they didn't have a sound guy for the night. Or a door person. Luckily all the acts were acoustic, so I set up the sound system, made a sign for the door and waited for the rest of the acts to show up. Around 8:45 they trickled in and we got set up. And then we waited for people to show up. And then waited some more. A handful of Kevin Myles Wilson and Devan Burke's friends showed up, and we got going. This is Pen Pen working the boards.

When it became clear that was all there was going to be for an audience we agreed to make it a free show. I made a new sign and posted it outside on the street. A few more people wandered in after that. Although it was a small crowd, they were fun to play for. Kevin and Devan's friends stuck around even through my set, which was full of Prince songs by request. Also because I wanted to play them. After I played we decided that Prince was what we really needed to listen to, so I pulled out my Archos and turned the bar into the smallest 80's dance party ever. We hung around for a few hours talking about Canadian musicians (Did you know Drake is from Canada? Also he was on DeGrassi), then went over to Sneakey Dees for some cheap beer. And some more 90's oriented dance partying. No diggity. No doubt. We hung around for an hour or so, and then Devan, Claire, and I headed back to their place and I passed out on their futon. It was a fun night, and I'm really glad I got to meet and play with Devan, Szan T No, and Kevin. Hopefully I'll be back to Toronto soon. Next up: Harrisburg, PA for another house show. This is Pen Pen enjoying some Canadian hospitality courtesy of Devan and Claire who, it should be noted, were very tired when we took this picture.

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

Tightropes by nathanleigh

Adventure #19: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 4)

Adventure #19: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 4)

I made it to Rochester around 2:30 with my brand new free tire (always Always ALWAYS purchase the Road Hazard Insurance) and picked up Rosy at the train station. She had the day off so took the train up from Brooklyn to spend the day adventuring around Rochester with me. It turns out there's not a whole lot to do on a rainy Tuesday in Rochester. Go figure. This is Pen Pen waiting for the train.

We headed to a little coffee shop to get some tea, lunch, and internet. I was hoping I had a message from the booking guy at the Bug Jar letting me know what was going on with the show. Still no word. So we looked to see if there were any cool museums or attractions in Rochester that might be open. We decided to head to the High Falls and see the old mills. The sign on the door for the museum read the following:

CLOSED

Monday and Tuesday Closed, but often Open in the Afternoon (call 325-2030)

Wednesday Thursday and Friday Definitely open 10 am – 5pm

Saturday Really Really Open 12 noon – 6 pm

Sunday Favorite Day to Be Open 1 pm – 5pm

Seriously. Unfortunately this was one of the Tuesday Afternoons that it wasn't often open. So we wandered around the premises and looked at the little historical plaques. This is Pen Pen deciding not to go over the falls in a barrel.

Afterwards we headed to the graveyard to see the tomb of the leading suspect for the Jack the Ripper murders, Dr. Francis Tumuelty. You know there's not a whole lot to do in a town when one of their attractions is the tomb of someone who might have been an infamous murderer. Maybe. We drove around the cemetery in the rain. Robert Smith would be proud. This is Pen Pen disemboweling Victorian prostitutes, possibly.

We found a cheap hotel with no history of bed bugs a few miles south of The Bug Jar called the Towpath Motel. Of the comparably priced ones, they were the only one with a free continental breakfast. Easy decision. It was run by a friendly elderly Indian man who told us he'd give us his “best room.” We made dinner, watched an episode of Caprica and I scoured the internet for any information about the show. Nothing. This is Pen Pen enjoying a bounteous feast of microwave Indian food in a palatial hotel suite.

The Bug Jar opens at 8, so I decided to head over right away and see what was going on. The place was pretty much empty when we showed up. I asked to speak to Paul Burke. I was told he probably wasn't coming. I explained that I was supposed to play. They had no information about it either. Apparently Paul Burke had gone AWOL on them so they scheduled a DJ for the night. I explained that he had gone AWOL on me too, but I had come all this way to play. The owner and the whole staff were understanding and said I could still play a set once the bar gets hopping. I can't say enough about how friendly and generous these people were. Rosy and I killed some time playing pool. Neither of us are very good, but we both like playing. We ended the night 2-2. Around 11, there were still hardly any people there. We agreed that if no-one else showed up, I'd play at 11:30. So I got up and played a set of mostly new stuff to the 10 people at the bar, all of whom seemed to really enjoy it. The highlight was the drunk hardcore guy with gaged ears and covered in tats who got up on the stage with me right as I started playing “Let's Get Lost” and said he was going to stage dive. I told him this was my quietest song, and maybe he should wait it out. Also there wasn't really anyone to catch him. It wasn't a great show, but everyone there had a good sense of humor about it, so it actually ended up being a great night. So thanks and no thanks Mr. Paul Burke. I ended the night doing shots of Jameson with the owner and playing one last round of pool. We got back to the hotel around 1 and passed out so Rosy could get up at 4:30 to make her train back to Manhattan. Show #4: Slight Success. Next up: Toronto. This is Pen Pen hardly losing at pool at all for once.

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

What can you do by nathanleigh

Adventure #18: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 3)

Adventure #18: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 3)

My car is sort of a mess. I only drive it long distances, or to gigs, so it's full of various food packaging, ancient sheet music, cracked CDs, and scrawled directions to various places I'll probably never go again. I clean it about once a year. Usually less. As such, the occasion is celebrated in several small island nations as an omen of a good harvest. They sacrifice ducks and offer burnt offerings. It's a lot of fun, I'm told. I woke up early and emptied the car, filled a trash bag with various paper and mail, and played an elaborate game of Tetris trying to repack all the things I need to bring along with me. And yes, I sang the song in my head. Also, out loud. This is Pen Pen achieving victory over my trunk.

Before I hit the road, my mom took me out to lunch at Johnny's in Newton Center. They have the best french fries. About 2 minutes onto the Mass Pike, my little car tape adapter thingie started cutting in and out. At first I thought it was just Radiohead, but when Shellac came on and it kept going I figured it out. Always test your audio gear with Shellac. I contemplated finding a piece of metal to stick in the socket and try to resolder it, but that seemed like maybe not a good idea. Luckily I had a roll of duct tape and was able to do a quick fix. About 20 minutes later the little check tire pressure light came on. Hooray! I refilled the air in the tires and headed back out. 5 minutes later the check pressure light came back on. Then it started raining. I spent the rest of the drive to Troy convinced of my impending death. Needless to say, I drove slowly. This is Pen Pen hoping he remembers how to change a tire.

Luckily, I didn't die in a horrible fiery cataclysm somewhere on the Mass Pike. Troy, NY reminds me a lot of Worcester. A former industrial center that the industry has mostly abandoned. Lots of warehouses and turn of the century houses with brightly painted brick. The Flavour Cafe and Lounge is located in the “Little Italy” neighborhood. I showed up and decided to explore the neighborhood a little bit. This is Pen Pen contemplating ditching the show and playing bingo instead.

The show was small, but fun. Nancy and Frank, Nate's mom and step-dad showed up. Frank had to leave halfway through but Nancy stuck around the whole time. I played for a handful of people who were generally attentive. There was a man in the back of the room who either gave me “polite applause” or more intent applause with a little nod that said “I approve of that one.” I appreciated the degrees of his appreciation. It was an appreciative ouroboros. This is Pen Pen guarding my stuff from my legions of rabid fans in Troy.

After the show I checked my tires. Still losing air. I decided first thing in the morning I'd pick up new tires. The last thing I need right now is to be stranded in the middle of nowhere in somewhere like Ohio, where I don't even speak the native language. They call soda “pop.” Soda is the name of the chemical that makes it pop, jerks. One describes what it is, the other describes what it does. I followed Nancy back to her and Frank's house a few towns over and set up in their guest room. She made me a grilled cheese sandwich with imported (by her) Irish cheddar. Yum. Next up: The Bug Jar in Rochester, NY. There are no details on the website, so I have no idea who else is playing. It'll be an adventure! This is Pen Pen relaxing with a beer after a long day of travel of not-dying.

This is a song I wrote this one time. You should download it and share it with your friends.

Breathing In Fast by nathanleigh