Adventures 76 - 78: Pittsfield, Agawam, and Binghamton

When I first started touring as a solo act 3 years ago it was as much out of defiance as anything else. The life I'd made for myself looked nothing at all like the life I'd always thought I'd lead. I hadn't intended to become a sound designer. I'd intended to be a writer, a composer, and a performer. But sound design was fun and close enough to the thing I really wanted to do, so it was OK for a while. But as theatre companies came to know me only as a sound designer, and people I considered friends were dismissive of my ambitions as a writer (“aw that's cute! The designer thinks he can write plays! No, Nathan, we write the plays. You make them sound good. OK?” or my personal favorite “we've hired this amazing composer for this project! You're really going to like working with him.” “But I'm a composer...” “I know! That's why you'll work so well together!”) I came to be irrationally resentful of my successes as a designer, and the only thing I could think to do was to make a clean break for a little while and head off on the road.

It's been three years, and certainly the trajectory has not been what I'd expected. It's been harder, more exhausting, and more thankless than I'd ever thought possible. It's also been better, more fulfilling, and more incredible than I could have ever imagined. And though I'm still quite far from where I want to be, every once in a while, it's good to take a second and appreciate where you are. So that was the story when after a fairly lackluster afternoon show in a coffee shop in Pittsfield, MA, I got ambushed by a million messages of congratulations. “I assume you've seen this...” they all said. “Seen what?”I thought to myself. And then I did. A stellar review for Icarus, the latest play to nearly kill me, in the New York Times. Having my songs compared to Kurt Weill in the New York Times? I'll take it. (I'm trying to take the comparison to Mumford and Sons as the compliment I think it was intended as...) I'm still not totally sure how to process it. Right now: gratitude. More rational thoughts can come later. This is Pen Pen doing his best not to totally embarrass himself by doing cartwheels in a coffee shop.

So I headed to Agawam for the real show. 30 or 40 kids piled into a kitchen in a punk house next to a church. Kowabunga! Kid opened and were awesome as always. I snagged one of their 7”s and am a little sad to hear they wont be touring much in the future. Thus ends the triumphant and unintentional 48 hour Kowabunga! Kid / Nathan Leigh Northeast Tour of 2013. I also got a cassette. They have cassettes. Word. CJB are this rad ska band from Detroit. I confess to making fun of their “PNKROCK” vanity plate as they pulled it, but they were really sweet guys and a killer band. So I'm OK with them having a goofy license plate. There are worse things in the world. Like Mumford and Sons. Dérive finished off the electric part of the evening with some mind-bending prog indie rock. It was a little weird closing out the night as an acoustic act. I was by a wide margin the quietest act of the night, but the crowd seemed determined to fix that by shouting along as loudly as possible. It was awesome. Truly truly awesome. This is Pen Pen pimping it in the grimiest lounge chair in Agawam, MA.

I made it back to Brooklyn, determined to sleep in my own bed one last time before 4 weeks of uncertainty. The next morning I'd frantically get up. Finish the last minute cleaning and packing I'd intended to do before I left, and then try to see Icarus one last time and give my cast my love before skipping town again. This is Pen Pen enjoying the glory that is one's own bed.

As usual, I was late for coffee with the prodigal Carson before we headed to the show. (I'm nothing if not a sucker for awkward situations.) But it was really wonderful seeing the show, this time with the certainty that other people seemed to like this bizarre little Folk Opera we'd created. For once I wasn't second guessing every decision. Every note a resounding question. “Should this have been an A? It would be better if it were an A.” The notes are what they were, and it seems like people were enjoying the order I put them in. That's cool. And it was really wonderful seeing Carson again after 4 months. If all of my friendships are going to persist in being truly strange, I'm at least glad to have strange friendships with good people. This is Pen Pen battling New York like an American Godzilla who is also a penguin and winning.

On my way out of town (again) I swung by Ma's House to pick up a bag of zines to distro on my travels. No luck in finding a copy of yesterday's New York Times. The folks at the bodegas I asked thought I was crazy “No. We only have today's. Why do you want yesterday's?” Because I want documented proof that The Man thinks I'm cool, OK? (Does this mean I have to stop bucking The Man and trashing the general inadequacy of the Mainstream Media at every opportunity? I hope not. I really don't have a whole lot of other topics of conversation at my disposal...) This is Pen Pen preparing to spread Anarcho zines through the country like an anti-Capitalist Johnny Appleseed!

Saturday's show in Binghamton was small, but still fun. We'll go with intimate? Yeah, intimate sounds good. But people who were there were the right people, and it made it into a really enjoyable night. Also there was this couple who kept asking for preposterous covers (“Laughing Gnome!” “Me and My Arrow!” “Coldplay!”) Part of me feels like this is the real first night of the tour. The other part of me is having trouble telling where one adventure ends and another begins. We like to compartmentalize our stories. We like them to have a beginning, middle, and end. And then another one begins. Chapters. Sequels. In the biopic, my story would end with a glowing review in the Times of my new musical. A triumphant button on 3 years of struggle and sickness. In reality, the story is just beginning. This is Pen Pen telling you about the town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where this happened here, they got three stop signs, two police officers and one police car, but when we got to the scene of the crime there was five police officers and three police cars, being the biggest crime of the last fifty years and everybody wanted to get in the newspaper story about it.

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

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

Adventure #17: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 2)

Adventure #17: Fall 2010 Tour (Day 2)

I woke up on Rich and Rose's couch about 10 minutes before my alarm went off. Couches will do that to you. We had breakfast and hung out for a bit before I hit the road. Krissy came over to pick up Rose, further proving my theory that the complex where they live is just our dorms from sophomore year transported a few miles west. This is Pen Pen being eaten by Krissy.

The drive from Uconn to Boston is basically autopilot for me at this point. I mostly spent a lot of time trying to figure out the chords to Jawbreaker's “Tour Song,” and avoiding speed traps. I stopped at my folk's place in Newton first to drop off some things and empty out my car a bit. But I forgot my keys to their house in Brooklyn. Go me! So I headed over to the venue instead. This is Pen Pen in front of the All Asia.

I used to play All Asia pretty regularly, so it was nice coming back to it. Sort of a homecomming show. Rebecca showed up with her cavalcade of siblings in tow, and Corrine stopped by on a break from a rehearsal. My parents came too. Also lots of other people. The room was pretty much packed at it's peak. Not bad for a Sunday afternoon. Thom Dunn started things off and played a killer song about being in love with Ellen from Pete and Pete. Seriously. I am determined to make a mashup video at some point. Marina Evans followed. She's friends with Dave from The Bremmentown Musicians, and I was totally blown away. The Bremmentown Musicians played a set of awesome folk and bluegrass, including "What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor." I've known those guys in varying other bands for years, so it was cool to see their new project. I think this was their 3^rd or 4^th show. I played last, and did a mix of old and new stuff. It was nice when the room of people chatting quieted down for “Let's Get Lost.” That can be a hard one to do in a full room. I think people really enjoyed themselves, and I definitely did. Show number 2: total win. This is Pen Pen wishing they had Big Buck Hunter at the bar.

My parents took me out for Indian food after the show at this place nearby. It was delicious. It's sort of like going out for pizza after soccer practice, except I didn't really play soccer as a kid, and I'm 26. If there is a more perfect food than saag panir, I'd like to see it. And then eat it. After dinner, I stopped in at the rehearsal for the next Speakeasy show (Body Awareness) that I'm designing and composing later in the month. The score is for 2 acoustic guitars and a cello. It takes place in Vermont. I decided harmonica was overkill. This is Pen Pen on his way to the rehearsal hall.

I got back to my folks place and started getting stuff ready for the rest of the week. This is the last stop on my tour where I have a guaranteed bed to sleep in. From here on out: couches and floors! Next up: Troy, New York. Because, why not? This is Pen Pen enjoying his last night of relative comfort for a few weeks.

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

You'll Never Want to Go Home by nathanleigh