Tea Bag Blues

Well, the gig at the Whistling Kettle has come and gone. I was disappointed at the small turnout, although the support of a few relatives and friends present made things bearable.

I'm still getting the hang of performing in public, and about three songs into the gig I realized I was uncomfortable because all the people seated in the place were to my right, and all the tables on my left were empty. I had to abruptly rearrange my microphones and wheel around slightly so I could look at the folks.

Perhaps the most confounding detail of the experience is that apparently nobody noticed my tip jar. Seems odd, considering I had it set up as illustrated in this photo. How could the gnome fail to get everyone's attention? Why, the following day at the Gloversville Farmers Market, my "spit backwards" tip jar attracted many a loose greenback... Surely a little play on words couldn't go over the heads of my hip Saratoga County audience at the Kettle. Are gnomes commonplace in tea lounges and coffeehouses these days? I blame the Travelocity commercials.

At any rate, I thank the folks at the Whistling Kettle for having me perform, and I hope to play there again and draw a larger crowd next time. They brew a mean passionfruit iced tea, take my word.

I did manage to record the gig, and a few of the songs might be worth posting on the old Web:

Here's one, an attempt to bluesify a cover of the Who song Squeezebox.

Here's another, a ragtime guitar instrumental I call Sister Kate's Fling.

And another, a cover of the Jesse Fuller song San Francisco Bay Blues. Enjoy.

 

Upcoming Gigs (more shamless self-promotion)

Just got word that I'll be the first performer in the Fall 2005 concert series at St. James Lutheran Church. The show will start at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, at the church on North Main Street in Gloversville.

And be sure to join me at 6 p.m. this Friday, July 29, at The Whistling Kettle, 24 Front St., Ballston Spa. It will be my first gig in Saratoga County (other than some open mic appearences), which is exciting indeed. The kettle is like a coffeehouse, but it specializes in tea (and it also serves beer and wine, so you can't go wrong).

The Saturday morning gigs at the Gloversville Farmers Market continue to present challenges (like waking up before 9 a.m.), but I've had a blast. This past Saturday I was joined by acoustic rocker Kevin Scott of Johnstown and folk-ragtime troubador Sandy Shoor of Glens Falls. We managed to overcome our utter lack of preparation and endured two hours of crooning in the hot July sun, but the free green beans made it all worthwhile.

 

A New England Vacation Odyssey

Note to my readers (both of you): Please forgive my long delay in completing this post. I had written a full entry, but AOL somehow failed to load half of it, and I didn't have time to rewrite the second half until today. Here's the complete entry:

We've just returned from our New Hampshire vacation. Check out the photos, and stay tuned for the full report, complete with highlights, lowlights and "heated poo."

LATER ...

Okay, so here's the report, as promised: The vacation was a good, relaxing one. Jen and I started the week away from home by attending the wedding of our good buddy Alex "Smooth Douve" Douville. The reception involved an open bar, great food and a couple of cheap-but-good cigars, but it was far too short for fully reminiscing with all the friends from our college days.

Jen and I and the boys spent the following week with mom and dad and my sister Nancy and her new hubby Chris. Here's the rundown:

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Beautiful location on a quiet, isolated pond in the New Hampshire woods.

2. No deadlines.

3. Quality time with the family.

4. I got the chance to play my first golf of the season, both the regular and miniature varieties. Birdied one hole on the real golf course, and three on the little cheesey one. Won a free round of mini-golf but never got to claim it.

5. One of the places we saw while looking for a likely miniature golf venue was called "Logs of Fun." It boggles the mind.

6. Jen saw a sign outside one of those water-slide parks: "Come Enjoy Our Heated Pool." Expect the "l" was missing, hence "Heated Poo." Alas, we were not able to photograph this gem, because ...

LOWLIGHTS

1. We lost our digital camera. I have a habit of placing objects on top of the car while loading and unloading it. Last time we went to New Hampshire, it was the diaper bag that flew off as we merged onto a busy highway. This time, apperantly, it was our expensive new camera, with a memory stick full of irreplaceable family photos. Maybe I should buy an industrial-sized roll of velcro and use it on the roof of the car and all the small objects I might absent-mindedly put there.

2. Bugs. The mosquitos were ferocious, and the deer flies were no slackers, either. During our round of mini-golf at the "Fun Spot," the skeeters wre so thick at times that we were literally brushing six or seven at a time off each others' backs.

3. Liam accidentally "fed the fish" in the pond.

4. Jen and I went to a drive-in movie theater with Nancy and Chris. It would have been more fun and romantic if we didn't have to swat mosquitos and crane our necks to see the screen the whole time. I'm not sure why we sat hunched up like a bunch of Quasimotos to watch the double feature of "War of the Worlds" and "The Longest Yard."

5. Mom and Dad had to cut their vacation short and return home. It seems my youngest sister, who was left at home for the week, had "a few friends" over and there were some repercussions. Shocking behavior for a teenager!