First and foremost, if you were hoping to read daily updates from the road, you will be sorely disappointed. My ability - and desire - to blog is somewhere at the bottom half of my list of things I claim to be mediocre-to-decent at, and as such, I really only do so when a strong spirit moves me.
However, Mark Paich and I are at my parents house; I am sipping tea, and Mark is playing video games, so the spirit is moving in full. This will be the only guaranteed night of a good night's sleep on this tour; the rest, we will depend on the kindness of strangers, or sleep in the van. Either way is fine!
Things kicked of on a crazy note yesterday, beginning with our first act as airport shuttle service...taking Mama Miller to the airport in Pittsburgh at the ungodly hour of 5am, then amusing ourselves for many hours until showtime. Many cups of coffee drank, several miles walked for fun, and all manner of good times. Checked out a modern art museum in Pittsburgh called the Mattress Factory - it was, as all modern art galleries are, both inspiring and agitating. Went to a Goodwill, where Mark bought the single greatest t-shirt of all time: a white shirt with an 8-color print, featuring more than one ethnicity AND more than one species enjoying the pleasures of a good book, and above - in bright pink letters - the words 'book passion.'
As of yesterday, "Book Passion" is the theme of the tour.
Unfortunately, things did not work out for the scheduled show, but thankfully my dear friend Brian Morgante and his pals in Deadhorse were playing a show nearby and graciously allowed me to open their set with a quick poem. I spit "Scene From An American Film" and the show went on. If you've not yet heard or seen Deadhorse, PLEASE do so now! Without the benefit of a single spoken word, they create music that is passionate, pure, and heartbreakingly beautiful. It's poetry on a level I only wish I could write myself. I'm not ashamed to say that during the closing set of their show, I wept...it is an experience I wish for everyone.
Incidentally, for those unfamiliar, two full performances can be downloaded in MP3 format via the band's Bandcamp profile - http://deadhorse.bandcamp.com
I can't thank Brian and Deadhorse enough for opening their stage to me on what was rightfully their night to own.
Tonight, we stopped by the Summer House Coffee open mic in Mark's hometown. During the day, we hit up a thrift store wherein I acquired typewriter #19, and also ate one of the best meals I have had in many days. Something about eating beans from a can, heated over a Sterno stove, while drinking coffee brewed with that same Sterno, and munching on a vast array of 7 different fruits, all while enjoying the cool summer breeze in a park on a warm June afternoon just makes me glad to be alive. I've performed at the Summer House once before and enjoyed every second of it, so I knew this was gonna be a good night. The joint ended up being fairly empty, but the few people that were there were fantastic. We were blessed with a chance to hear some great young voices singing out a harmony or two, as well as Kenyan's marvelously over-the-top enthusiasm for the role of host. Remembering that the last time I was here, the venue preference was "Family Friendly," I worked up a quick PG-13 set, including a couple old poems that I haven't done in a while. I fairly outright butchered "Kids Like Us Will Be Alone Forever" and "Epiphanies" but still managed to pull it off without a single profane outburst. Go me!
Upon everyone's return from a smoke-break, it was decided that the crowd would like me to perform a sort of encore; to my surprise, the venue owner gave a thumbs up to a more R-rated set. I have to admit, the poems where I say the occasional "fuck" here and there are a bit more fun for me to perform, so the second set may have had just a little more spice. I managed to record the whole second act, so perhaps one or two of those will pop up here some day soon.
After a good night's rest tonight, we're off to Brookville tomorrow for a benefit show with my good friends Neocracy and His Day Has Come. Can't wait to see the Neocracy dudes; it always feels like it's been too long since the last time our paths crossed. After that, state lines will be crossed, the Astronaut Writer will join in, and further adventures will be had.
Until then,
Cheers!
W.James
1982-XXXX
0 comments:
Post a Comment