Adventure #35: Summer 2012 Tour Lock Haven, PA

It is my determination to not let this become one of the millions (billions?) of blogs whose final post starts with something like “I really need to update this more...” before going the way of myspace and friendster. I actually wrote blogs for many of the shows on my last few tours but ended up never having the time to post them. So to summarize the past year or so worth of adventures: many were good. Some were terrible. I got really sick and canceled a bunch, then my car got sick too so I couldn't really do much for about 9 months. Then I had surgery on my gimpy lung, bought a new car (The Hatchback of Notre Dame) and now I'm playing again. Victory and cake for all!

There's something about the first show of every tour. There's always something. This time around it was insane traffic and repairs on my touring mate's car. So I showed up 45 minutes late without the other act (Joshua Stephens, formerly of 19 Action News, who for those of you following along that would be the band I played with the last time I bothered to update this thing.). I am the king of professionalism. The show itself was pretty good. The folks at Avenue 209 are always super friendly, so even when there's hardly anyone there at least it doesn't feel like a wasted night. It was weird performing again after so long off. I kept expecting my lung to hurt, afraid of every high note, but it handled OK. Singing after major surgery on your lungs is a bit like driving a new car. It's not better or worse. Just different. I think the tour might not be a horrible mistake after all. This is my lungs, being OK.

I got up and headed off to Cleveland in the morning. I stopped for lunch in Clarion, Pennsylvania. It's the kind of town that has heavy artillery in the town square. It's also apparently the kind of town where you can see an elderly woman with a walker stumble out of a tattoo parlor at 2 in the afternoon on a Tuesday. In other words: it's awesome. This is Pen Pen trying to buy a copy of the next book in the Foundation series at the local bookstore and shaking his fist in rage at the sky because they only had the first book.

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

Adventure #31: 2011 Tour (Lock Haven, PA and Lima, OH)

Adventure #31: 2011 Tour (Lock Haven, PA and Lima, OH)

In the summer of 2005 I worked at a tiny theatre in Mill Hall, PA called The Millbrook Playhouse. The hours were long and the pay was...minimal. True, I met some close friends there that I am deeply grateful to know, but it still stands as a low water mark in my life when I need something to compare a bad experience to in order to make myself feel better. I lived in the Lock Haven dorms, where my greatest joy was tormenting my roomate, Eric. Also drinking. Those were as far as I can recall, my only two joys of that summer. Luckily I did them both whenever possible. As such I've felt no need to return to the great city of Lock Haven, PA. But while planning this tour, I saw a coffeeshop venue in Lock Haven that had good reviews from some performers that had passed through. The vampire's call of nostalgia was too powerful to resist. So into my Toyota Albatross I climbed and set sail for adventure! I made it to Avenue 209 Coffee just in time for the show. This is Pen Pen playing a rousing rendition of Denis Leary's Asshole song which almost got Eric and I fired this one time.

The show was small, but it was an enthusiastic audience at least. A few people bought CDs, and I was deeply amused to discover that there were 2 Millbrook board members in attendance. Sadly they were not Hobermans, the makers of the kugel that basically saved my life that summer. There was a woman there with her son who spent the whole time drawing in the background. Before she left, she handed me an abstract picture she had drawn in Cray Pas. She told me it was my show in painting form. I think it's probably better than my show was. This is Pen Pen, frankly humbled.

After the show I hit up a bar with Camille and a few of her friends. Sadly I couldn't remember the name of the bar where I wasted many a post-show evening back in the day. I'm pretty sure this wasn't it. There were no darts, as far as I could tell. And Journey was most definitely and disappointingly not playing on the jukebox. Somehow I got into a discussion about Nirvana vs. Dubstep. This is like arguing Apples vs. Hoverboards. Both good, but not really comparable. We compromised on the dubstep remix of Smells Like Teen Spirit, which is pretty sweet. Camille let me crash out on a couch in her dance studio which was surprisingly comfortable. This is Pen Pen totally hitting on an Elite Cheerleader.

In the morning I had 3 goals. They were:

1. visit the Millbrook Playhouse and see if it was still not on fire. (It was. Not on fire, that is)
2. visit Sheetz for a sweet sweet Shmagel; the holy grail of road food. Also one of the two things I ate that summer. Lock Haven is not known for it's vegetarian faire. (Hence the life-saving Hoberman Kugel)
3. See the Amish hitching their horses and buggies in front of the Walmart across the street from the theatre (that was quite literally their advertising tagline back in my day. The Millbrook Playhouse! Across The Street From The Walmart! I kid you not.)

I accomplished 2 of those goals. Sadly the Amish were too busy raising a barn. This is Pen Pen in front of a theatre which is not on fire.

The drive to Lima was unexciting. Much like Lima. Everyone at the Meeting Place was super friendly, but the place was pretty much dead. If the previous nights' show had been small but appreciative, this was just small. Most people in the place sat as far away from the performance area as possible and interacted as little as possible. John, who works there sometimes brought out his guitar and asked if I'd play it since he'd never used its' pick-up before. It was a nice electric acoustic Alvarez with a really bright tone. I think the highlight of the night was when he asked if I knew Desperado. I said I didn't, and somehow we compromised on Mr. Bright Side which I had also never played but at least figured I could fake it. The Eagles vs. The Killers? Hey 2006, I've got a great idea for a mash-up for you! I think I'm going to add it to the repertoire now. This is Pen Pen playing imaginary chess with the imaginary audience.

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

Family of Ghosts (demo1) by nathanleigh