Coming down from a great weekend. On Friday morning I took the $20 bus up to New York, had a delicious lunch at the diner in downtown Astoria (It’s amazing how much better the food and service are at privately owned restaurants over big chains, especially considering the costs are about the same), and met my pal Sasha (www.sashazand.com), who graciously lends me his guestroom when I’m in NYC.
That evening we went to a studio opening party at the Engine Room, which is a sort of complex of studios run by Mark Christensen (no relation). The party was to celebrate the opening of Andy Baldwin’s studio within that complex. Andy’s a great guy from Australia. I don’t think I’ve ever been around so many Australians in one place, ever! There were lots of great people, including some Tape Op friends, fine conversation, and plenty of beer. It was a fun evening.
Saturday Sasha and I went to the Life Café (www.lifecafe.com) with a friend of his, Scott. I had a delicious turkey burger and enjoyed a debate about how much an artist should tailor their work toward audience expectations versus their own artistic desires. I’m not sure anything was solved…
That night I played a set at Googie’s Lounge, upstairs at The Living Room (www.livingroomny.com). Woody Guthrie’s daughter, Nora, was there. The most vocally appreciative group was some folks from Seattle who were in New York to see the Sonics reunion. Turns out that one of the group was the niece of a Sonic. Fun show!
Sunday was spent mostly relaxing and playing music. Sasha wants to cover my “Last Round” (from Roses For Sharon), so we spent the evening working on that.
On Monday I rode back down to Washington DC with Matt Keating. It’s always nice to spend some time with like-minded musicians. The ride went by very quickly & Matt was great to talk with. That night we played the Galaxy Hut in Arlington. I played what I think was my best set since I’ve been playing again after four years off. Then Matt came on and was totally fantastic. He’s just finished a new record with Adam Lasus – it’s going to be a double CD. Matt played me some tunes from it and it was great.
I really appreciate the folks at the Living Room and the Galaxy Hut for being so nice. I also really appreciated you people who’ve been downloading my songs. Hope you’re liking them.
I guess that’s it for the weekend. This Friday I hope to drop into Politics & Prose here in DC for their weekly open mic, then get some recording done over the weekend. See you next time!
