On the Road - Tour Diary - CT & NY
This week I had the chance to play two shows back-to-back. Thursday night I was in Black Rock, CT, just off the cusp of Bridgeport. Got into town early and stopped off at this nice little cafe called Port Coffeehouse. Really cool, laid back place. Definitely helped get me into a peaceful mindset.
Then headed over to Burr Creek and snapped this little shot just as the sun was about to set.
Quite inspiring to say the least.
I really love finding little spots like these in small towns or cities that I'm visiting for the first time. Even if it is just for half a day, it's all about the little spots you find that could really make the journey worthwhile. Wish I had more time to spend in Black Rock.
Although I was there for a show at the Acoustic Cafe and it turned out to be a really good show.
I played a 45 minute set, had a nice audience and opened for this band Euri and the Soul Brasil Band. What a cool band. They were great musicians, hypnotically rhythmic and soulfully exotic (yea notice the use of those adjectives) . They had a really refreshing sound. Glad I got to open for these cats.
After their set, I drove home from Black Rock back to Queens only to get up the next morning and head upstate to Beacon, NY.
I drove alongside the Hudson River and stopped to take some photos near Black Bear Mountain.
Again, its all about those little spots that you find to make the trip worth it.
After my little nature-inspired photo shoot, I continued north towards Beacon with my girlfriend, Nancy directing me through the twists, turns and confusion of upstate country roads. Eventually, we made it up in time for the show at Beacon Square Coffeehouse.
I got to play outside on the patio as the sun was setting which was a real treat. I feel that is the perfect setting for my songs. So, it worked out perfectly!
I played a 2 hour set to an enthusiastic crowd of locals who drank pitchers of sangria and triple ristretto shots. Nonetheless, it turned out lovely as I got a lot of nice complements from the locals and sold all the CD's I had brought up with me.
All in all, I'm really starting to enjoy playing out of NYC, especially given how tough it can be to play shows in NYC, given the need for a large following. It's just really refreshing and exciting to travel to these small towns around the Northeast and play my music.
I'm getting ready to book some more dates for the Fall months. But I will continue to keep you updated on my tour as I look forward to my upcoming shows in upstate NY at the end of August and my west coast shows in San Francisco in September.
If you have any recommendations for venues/coffeehouses in the Northeast, please let me know. Would love to find more places to play.
