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

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

Adventure #16: October 2010 Tour (Day 1)

Adventure #16: October 2010 Tour (Day 1)

The first show on my October 2010 solo tour was a DIY basement show in Willimantic, CT. I miss playing those sorts of shows so I was actually looking forward to it a lot. The show didn't start till 6, but I had a lot to do before I hit the road. Because I'm totally responsible, I put most of it off to the last possible minute. This is Pen Pen finishing printing up copies of my new EP.

I got in my car, fresh from a gratuitously expensive new tune-up, and started off towards the mythical land of Central Connecticut. Luckily about two minutes onto the BQE I hit some epic traffic. I spent the next hour and a half trying to navigate back roads and random “expressways” hoping to get out of New York. The only thing missing was Kurt Russell. I finally made it to the show just as the first band was finishing and found Roxanne, Ethan, Rich, Rose, Em, and JD hanging out in the kitchen around a bowl of quinoa. It was delicious. This is Pen Pen eating all the quinoa.

The other bands were awesome. Big Eyes especially. Apparently they're from around New York. So hopefully I'll catch them again. Nice people too. My set was sort of blah. I asked JD to sit in on drums for a bunch of songs he'd never heard before, and ditched the set that I had prepared in favor of trying to play my loudest / hardest / fastest songs. Some of which I haven't practiced in a year. I have a bad habit of trying to appease an audience that doesn't really seem to be in to my stuff by changing up my set. Sometimes it works, but usually I just end up playing poorly to people who probably wouldn't care if I played the best set of my life. This was that kind of set. Such is life. This is Pen Pen getting his penguin pimp on while Jesus chaperones.

After the show, we headed over to Willi Brew. I'm pretty sure that's an abbreviation, but I don't remember for what. We got food. Then karaoke started. Roxanne and Ethan sang “I Wanna Be Sedated.” I nearly sang Prince. We stuck around for a few hours before we all headed back to Rich and Rose's. I gave Em a ride back. Despite getting horribly lost on the back roads of Mansfield, we somehow ended up right behind Roxanne's car. Em suggested we found a shortcut. I'm pretty sure Roxanne just drives slowly. This is Pen Pen being molested by his original owner.

We hung out for a little while before Ethan, Roxanne, and Em headed out. Rich, Rose and I stayed up longer and watched Get Him To the Greek. I'm not sure why, but it put my lame set in perspective. I passed out on the couch, exhausted, but optimistic that tomorrow's show will go better. This is Pen Pen battling a giant cat.

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

A Bloody Game by nathanleigh