This Yellow Taxi Cab In Which I Ride

While in Lake George this past Saturday night, we were stopped by a random person and asked for some information. Wayne, as he later introduced himself, was from Staten Island and was looking for something to do. As an "adult" he needed to be where there was "adult" stuff happening--music, dancing, clubs, etc--not family stuff. I pointed him in the direction of the bars--although, I regretfully informed him that I didn't know of any clubs--after which, he told us that he was staying in an area that had nothing but "water and trees," and that he drove until he found some lights. Which is where he was when he found us. It was quite an entertaining conversation. Stephanie and I played minature golf at Pirate's Cove (twice--two different courses) and got ice cream at Bob's Ice Cream--the go to place for ice cream in Lake George. We also had dinner, earlier in the evening, at Jitter's Cafe in Saratoga. ------ On Friday, we had gone to Fresnos af

Last night was the MochaBlend Cafe show in Troy. Overall, things went pretty well. I had a great crowd that included a bunch of friends and some casual listeners--pretty much all of whom gave me nice compliments on their ways out. MochaBlend is a great cafe. The seats are incredibly comfortable and plentiful. It's a small place, as most cafes are, but it doesn't feel crowded. The performance space works quite well; I was able to play to everyone. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling too great while I played. Earlier, I had hurt my neck. I'm not even sure how it happened, but I pulled a muscle pretty badly. Badly enough that I went to the chiropractor for help. Still, during my set, I was in pain. I played two sets with no set list. The first set was a little iffy, as I was trying to save my best songs for when more friends came. My second set started out pretty good. I played some of my more upbeat songs at first, then I tried to slow things back down. For some reason, I cou

Last night at Caffé Lena's open mic the task of hosting fell up on my shoulders. I have done it a couple of times before when the normal host needed a day off, but it has only been a couple of times and each time I do host, it is still a new experience. Hosting is difficult. You must be entertaining and engaging. You have to keep the listeners listening and be sure that they give all levels of performers their attention. I got some nice compliments regarding my hosting skills, so I must not be too awful at it. This is a jpeg of the list of performers. It is all scratched up because many people switch places and some decide to leave as the night progresses. ------ Tonight is the MochaBlend show. I am quite excited about it. My friend Maurizio lives near the cafe and told me that it is a great place to play. I am listed in the Times Union's Preview, which is a section of the newspaper that lists events in the area. It's very exciting to see your name in print, even if it is j

We had a crazy hail storm here the other day. I took some video of it and edited it down to less than two minutes. It was pretty crazy and a little scary--as can be discerned by Stephanie's statement in the video. Here is a picture of a "golf ball sized" piece of hail. It's kind of amazing how hard these things actually are. A careful inspection of the photo will also reveal some of what we occassionally eat here in the James Frederick residence. ------ Last night I attended the Fulton Book Company open mic and stayed for the featured performer, who was no other than my neighbor Bill Ackerbauer . He does an old-time folk, blues, country style. Some of the songs he played were from songwriters whose names I hear often at Lena's--Mississippi John Hurt, for example; all, really rootsy stuff. And played quite well. I played "Endless," "Walking; Standing Still," and "Sink or Swim." Bill gave me English teacher points for using the key

I have been neglecting of this blog lately. And for that, I apologize. Actually, I have been quite busy with more pressing matters of various important natures. Even so, I have had time to enjoy some interesting experiences of which I would like to share. Here goes: Saturday the 9th, I played a lunch time show at the Coffee Planet in Ballston Spa. Things went well. Although, I had a difficult time bringing my songs down to the level in which they are intended to be played. At lunch time, there are a lot of folks coming in for food, waiting in a haphazardly developed "line" for their food, and then leaving with their food to eat outside or somewhere else or occasionally not leaving and chatting with their companions while I play. The "line" in which I speak of is often formed directly in front of where I was set up, and in between me and the rest of the restaurant--which causes difficulty for the performer who can't really make eye contact with the people sitting