Catch 22 (Reflections)

 2022 Started playing to a large festive indoor crowd. Something unheard of the past few years. But then I was thrust into the bleak winter slowly getting back to normal playing wise. I got COVID by the end of January I recovered very quickly, and was back at it a week later.

Valentines Day was on a Monday. Super Bowl Sunday was the night before. I booked a Grand Suite at the Hotel Northampton, so I could wake up on Valentines Day with a hot tub, two balcony porches and all of Northampton surrounding us outside.

                                       

April was about family, as my girlfriend's dad passed away, and we flew down to Florida for a memorial dinner in Fort Meyers. We rented a U-Haul to bring back a few family belongings, and visited Saint Augustine on the way back. I had never been to Fort Meyers, and I'm sad to see the damage from the recent Hurricane that struck the area. Just as I was getting to know the place and have it be a part of my life. It won't stop me from coming back, but the next visit will be just as sad as the last.

In June, I took Amy's two kids up to New Hampshire and stayed in an old house near the boardwalk at Lake Winnipesaukee. A throwback to my childhood.

Summer is flying by at a massive pace. I get a guitar gig in Brattleboro playing Beatles songs for Rock Voices. Then We get to see Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe at the Pines Theater, which was an amazing show. A few weeks later, we would be on the same stage playing a Janes Addiction tribute for a tribute concert benefitting the Northampton Arts Council.

Fall was in full swing, and we took a road trip to North Carolina, where Amy and I performed an alumni event at Greensboro College. We stopped in Chincoteague, VA on the way back.

Not long after playing the part of Janes Addiction, we got to see the real band play in Boston (opening for Smashing Pumpkins). We found a hotel right on top of the TD Garden.

Halloween had its usual craziness, and we managed to land a fun gig as a duo playing at Six Flags in Agawam. One of the last outdoor shows of the year.

Winter closes in, and the club gigs just keep on happening. So many weddings that got put off due to COVID and so many fundraisers and private events. All of it came rushing back in at once. 

Hey! Bring it on, it's been three years after all!

Brewfest. Mohegan Sun.

The Big E

Mystic

Avery Point. Groton

The Pavilion. Olde Lyme.

Crystal Bees. Southington

The year winds down. and a few more holiday parties fill out the schedule.

Saint Clements Castle. Portland.

 

Shadows (and Light)

 I wrote a bunch of original songs over the past 10 years, as part of home studio projects. But then home ended up moving, and I ended up having to start over at a great deal of things. But I managed to write several new originals (in varying styles) which I am now recording in a basement with a drum kit, some cool guitars and small amps.

The demos I had put together were under the title "Shadows". I was suggesting that this was only a vague glimpse at what the songs could later become.

 A clearer picture has emerged, now that the songs are being filled out with bass, drums and electric guitars. A glimpse into the subject matter of the songs reveals a little more about how the last few years have gone, and what was on my mind.

"12 Miles" is a love song about how I would drive from my house to my girlfriend's house. "12 Miles, 3 Exits and 17 minute drive". 

Smithereens covering "Need You Now".

"A Good Life" is a tribute to my Dad and my Grandfather. "He was listening to Jazz until the midnight Hour. Grandma had some smokes and a whiskey sour". 

Ryan Adams (back when people still liked him) or The Eagles (before Hotel California).

"Purple Heart Town" is a fictional song I made up after seeing a sign in Greenfield that said "Purple Heart Town" - It made me think about how many towns probably have a veteran who was bestowed such a medal. My guess is a lot. It became a very deep subject for me to delve into. 

Steve Earle meets John Doe at a truck stop diner in Roswell, New Mexico.

"Complicated Love" was a song I made up on the fly, and is about how things can be... complicated" The term is thrown about as a relationship status. But what does it mean? It means different things to different people. To me, it's about something that takes time, thought and consideration. 

John Hiatt in the "Drivers Seat". 

"Mean Old World" was going to be called "Gas Station Girl" but I completely changed the subject matter, and with good reason. I didn't want it to be about a person. Originally a Tom Petty tribute - It ended up being an homage to... 

Led Zeppelin... with a Bo Diddley beat.

On the other hand, "Unfriended" is definitely about a person. Although it could be about any person with social issues. Rockabilly Boogie. Snotty vocals and heavy guitars. 

Bobby Bare JR with The Beat Farmers.

"Bottle Redemption Song" (a dobro-laced acoustic number) and "Unfriended" are both the most Blues-inspired songs I came up with. "The jig is up, my ass is out, just like empty bottles of porter and stout" sounds like the stale smell of sadness.

(Tom Waits and the ghost of Jerry Jeff helped me out with that one)

Writers Gotta Write

 During the height of the Pandemic, my girlfriend and I were shut in and bored, when we came along a songwriting challenge. We were supposed to put out an albums' worth of original material in one month. we wrote enough material, but I wasn't able to complete the project in time. I had a few good reasons. One was my computer went into a coma.

I had previously used Pro Tools as a recording platform on an ancient iMac. For 20 years, I was able to make what I thought were acceptable studio recordings, and over time, I got pretty good at recording everything including drums (although I'm not a very good drummer). But the old iMac finally ran out of room to run, and O had to learn another program after two decades...

I recently started coming to grips with Audacity, and after a few frustrating attempts, have finally started to slowly figure out, nearly two years later.

    Now those 10 songs are being pieced together and sound like a kick ass Rock band.

The Road to Reality

 I play a great deal of shows in the Hartford area. When I was a teenager, I yearned for the nightlife of downtown. Never intimidated by any perceived or real dangers within the city. I've played many events in recent years, and it throws my mind off the present and into the past every time.

Downtown Hartford was where I was born. It was where I saw my first concerts, and for the past 20 years, it's where I've played colleges, weddings, private parties, fundraisers and just about anything else you could imagine. It's a sign that whatever it was I wanted to do with my life way back then has actually happened.

Truck On!

Played a fun club gig down in Central Connecticut a few weeks ago,

It's called the Truck Bar.

They brought the goods.

The Workers Playground

 

Amy and I had our first gig at Six Flags Amusement Park in Agawam. I had performed here way back when it was Riverside Park in the mid '80s. Many features still exist from the old place, and we got to do a little bit of strolling about in between sets. 

Things started to get busier as it grew dark, but we performed for a good solid 4 hours as people checked us out for a little while in between rides, food and drinks.

Our stage was located next to a Barbeque Joint/Sports Bar and between Oktoberfest, Halloween and a Patriots-Jets football game, there were enough people to make it a good turnout. Plus the incredible weather that was on our side didn't hurt. We had a great time and good some very positive feedback from the staff and the visitors. 

Out of the Fog

 I went for a few walks during the afternoon. Clouds have been hanging low, and were clipping the tops of our low-lying mountains in the Valley.

a few hours later, the sky was quickly growing dark, and the fog had covered  the area to the point that I realized I was surrounded in it.

My mom passed away exactly nine years ago, on a day much like this. I miss her every day (as I do my father, who passed just a couple of years ago). In the years following her death, I was taking care of my dad, who had dementia and was completely lost without her. I felt lost as well, but I was able to stay strong to show the love and devotion that they ultimately showed to me growing up. 

It took a long time to emerge from that fog, and when I did. Everything was different. with no choice, I started over at just about everything, and it took a number of years before I felt like I was anything close to myself again. 

I think it's important to recognize and feel sadness, because it can open yourself up to experiencing joy as well as sorrow. There has been plenty to feel joy about in my life, and I make sure I welcome those feelings, because it's all part of life.