On the eve of a Monday, where the financial markets are in crisis, we'll be six weeks away from a presidential election, the Yankees will have played their last game at Yankee Stadium, and I have a Zoology exam.
I need some sleep.
Had a great week this past week. Despite the minor turmoil I've endured the past few months (some of you know, and some of you don't know), I'm in really good shape. I've got a smile on my face, a new outlook on life, and most importantly, writing is coming along. Shall I do the ol' recap? I think so, because the last blog was all about my deep affection for "Recovering the Satellites" (Counting Crows), and made no mention of our/my recent shows.
9.6.08 - Mocha Maya's, Shelburne Falls MA - (Hurricane Hanna, you're a bitch). I like this place a lot. I'm pretty sure I've devoted many words, on several occasions, to my belief that if all music venues were run like this, my world would be a better place. However, that ain't gonna happen... as they say... and well, this will have to be my one little saving grace as far as venues go. For some reason, I feel like the shows here are robust with personal gratification, enthusiasm for experimentation, and the intimacy of storytelling. Even though the hurricane that weekend may have literally rained on my proverbial parade (oxymoron, anyone?), I had a fun time performing for the small crowd in the room that braved the stormy weather. And like almost always, my good friend Gerry was by my side making it even more enjoyable.
9.9.08 - Open Mic with UltraRadio.com at Viva Zapata, New Haven CT - Truth be told, this isn't really a show... but I just thought I'd mention it here... kind of sneaking it in... The next one is October 7th. Bring your guitar, your voice, and your preferably original songs. It's been a good time for me meeting my fellow players. I'm looking forward to the next one.
9.10.08 - Main Pub, Manchester CT - "Holy reunion, Batman!" This show was a true delight for me. I grew up playing music with a drummer friend of mine named Brian Konopka ("Duke" for those in the know). Together we shared an affection for Led Zeppelin, Cream, Motley Crue, and the dream of becoming rock stars. He and I haven't played a note together in about 15 years, but it was like we never missed a day in between. I literally sent him the songs about 4 days before the show. He assembled some parts on the hand drums, learned the harmony vocals, and we kicked it like we've never kicked it before. Sometimes life comes full circle... It certainly did that Wednesday... I think we'll be doing some stuff again in the future.
9.11.08 - Kenny's Castaways, New York City NY - I find it interesting that some people refer to Bleecker Street as some sort of death knell for music... that it's just not as hip as other parts of Manhattan. Personally, I don't give a fuck. I've seen and had the pleasure to play with some great bands on Bleecker Street. I love it there. We usually do The Bitter End, and we'll return there soon, but we decided to give a different room a go. The show was great... people there were great... and umm... yeah... it was good to break out some new songs. Check out Kenny's the next time you're in Manhattan... I think you'll like it. Anyway, topped off the night with a fantastic Spanish dinner with the boys and our friends Maureen, Karen and Jen. Good times.
9.14.08 - Border's in-store, Wareham MA - Not too much to say... folks there were nice and I had the fortune of influencing somebody to do something musical. Other than that, I got lost, drove a lot, and ended up being late for...
9.14.08 - Kennedy's, Boston MA - I was supposed to play at Kennedy's at six. I rolled up in front of the building at 6:01, figuring that I'd be a couple of minutes late. The next 40 minutes of my life were a complete and utter waste of life. There was NO parking anywhere. I finally ended up underneath Boston Common (a parking lot under a park... actually pretty cool). I asked the Harvard graduate security guard at the top of the stairs, "Which way to Tremont Street?" After studying her Boston Parking Authority issued map, which apparently was used as a prize at the bottom of Cracker-Jack boxes at one time in history, she points "That way." Thanks but no thanks as she sent me walking completely in the opposite direction. After circling around the park, and finally getting along my way, I see that the Orpheum Theater was hosting The Mars Volta that night. No wonder there was no parking. I chuckled a bit as I saw a guy outside the theater holding a sign that read "No Jesus, No Salvation." C'mon dude... it's 2008, and The Mars Volta isn't exactly Marilyn Manson. Anyway, I get to Kennedy's where I'm greeted with a sarcastic "Nice of you to show up." Right. I get on stage, play my balls off for four songs... "The Last One," "Everything Is Wrong," "Promise," and "I Think I Like It Better." Shortest set EVAHHHHH! For some reason, it also felt like the most redeeming. Even through all the non-sensical doo-doo of the prior 40 minutes, I still was glad to be there. Sold some CDs, talked to a few folks, had myself a very lovely Smithwick's, and headed home.
9.16.08 - Farmer's Market @ Spring's Glen Church, Hamden CT - Well... these are interesting to do... In all honesty, it's not really my "audience," but the folks at these things are always very cool, especially the vendors. Plus, I firmly believe in supporting local growers, as their produce is usually better than what's at "the stores." There's something about the spirit on independence in the face of so much conglomerated, homogenized way of getting our food.
9.18.08 - New York City NY - Didn't play a show, but had a fantastic time! Woo-hoo!
9.20.08 - Starbucks, New Haven CT - It's great to be an independent musician in the face of a behemoth coffee company. The irony is great and I love that sort of twisted mentality. Yes, some may call it "not-so-rock-and-roll," but when the city of New Haven, a city I love, only offers 2 and 1/2 places to play, well... you make do with what you got. And personally, I like playing here. Always have. People come in, they listen, they buy CDs... What's not to like? There are several other positive attributes to playing here, but I will remain a gentleman.
So there you have it...
I'm heading off to Dewey Beach DE this weekend for 2 shows at the "Unplugged @ The Beach" series. It's part of the Dewey Beach Festival. I'm heading down with my producer, Vic, and we're gonna eat funnel cake like it's going out of style. I think I'm gonna write some songs about how much I loved a night in Little Italy...
As always, thank you for listening, supporting, and spreading the word. It's all deeply appreciated.
Cheers y'all!
-Seth
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Recovering the memories...
When I turned 21, the world opened up a little more for me and the possibilities came pouring in. No longer did I have to sneak alcohol, wait for certain nights when I knew I could get into places because I somehow had a connection to the person working the door, or try to act "cool" to get the attention of a female that was a year or two older than me. Nope. Now I could go out and experience all of the thrills of alcohol consumption and meeting a lot of girls.
So around 10 summers ago, I did meet a girl. Her name was Heather. She was a waitress at a restaurant on the shoreline in CT. I remember the day... I was hanging out with my "recently turned 21" friends, trying to act cool and impress the socialites gathering around the tables, lying to some girl and actually trying to be a dick because I thought it would impress her (hey I was 21... what the fuck did I know?).
At the end of the night I noticed a girl cleaning tables and getting ready to mop the floor. I coyly introduced myself as to not come across like the person I was pretending to be with some other girl earlier. She had a great smile and I'll never forget making her laugh. I found myself compelled to ask her to go for a hike sometime with me, and she agreed, much to my surprise. After all, I was half in the bag from what I remember, and I guess I didn't say anything too stupid to make her reluctant to talk with me.
That was at the beginning of the summer, some 10 odd years ago.
By the end of the summer, Heather and I were going along pretty strong. Remember, I was 21, and I think when you're that age, the world is pretty much huge... everything is a big deal. This relationship that I found myself in was a big deal and I was most certainly in love.
One morning Heather and I woke up to go out to breakfast, much like we always did on the weekend mornings. We stopped for coffee before heading out for the day and that was when she crushed me like I had never been crushed before. She told me she was moving to Arizona and not coming back. I was not welcome to come.
Remember... everything is HUGE at the tender age of 21... at least it was for me...
I spent the remaining days of that summer, into the latter part of September listening to a lot of "Recovering The Satellites" from the Counting Crows. Never before had a record spoken so much truth to me. I could recite all the lines and tell you what they meant to me, but that would take up a lot of time. There was a beautiful comfort in my tragedy, and these words sung by Adam Duritz absolutely cradled me in my sadness. Listening, crying, singing along to this record was cathartic, depressing, joyous, and enlightening. I learned a lot about myself, my purpose and my life during that time.
So, why do I bring this up today? Well, lots of reasons. Today was like one of late summer/early fall days back then, spending time with Heather before she left for good, before I'd see her ever again. The air was still warm, but there was the most gentle, cool breeze, hinting that fall was only a few weeks away. But it was beautiful outside, just like today. The leaves were just beginning to transform from lush green to a hint of a golden amber. The sadness and optimism were lingering in the air, just like for me today. And while I'm never, ever truly alone in this world, as I've got some great people in my life, I still felt alone today... a lot like I did back then.
"Gonna get back to basics
I guess I'll start it up again
I'm falling from the ceiling
I'm falling from the sky every now and then"
Interesting how history truly does repeat itself...
Well, here's a toast: To great records... to great songs that transcend the times... to great friends by your side...
See ya soon...
-SA
So around 10 summers ago, I did meet a girl. Her name was Heather. She was a waitress at a restaurant on the shoreline in CT. I remember the day... I was hanging out with my "recently turned 21" friends, trying to act cool and impress the socialites gathering around the tables, lying to some girl and actually trying to be a dick because I thought it would impress her (hey I was 21... what the fuck did I know?).
At the end of the night I noticed a girl cleaning tables and getting ready to mop the floor. I coyly introduced myself as to not come across like the person I was pretending to be with some other girl earlier. She had a great smile and I'll never forget making her laugh. I found myself compelled to ask her to go for a hike sometime with me, and she agreed, much to my surprise. After all, I was half in the bag from what I remember, and I guess I didn't say anything too stupid to make her reluctant to talk with me.
That was at the beginning of the summer, some 10 odd years ago.
By the end of the summer, Heather and I were going along pretty strong. Remember, I was 21, and I think when you're that age, the world is pretty much huge... everything is a big deal. This relationship that I found myself in was a big deal and I was most certainly in love.
One morning Heather and I woke up to go out to breakfast, much like we always did on the weekend mornings. We stopped for coffee before heading out for the day and that was when she crushed me like I had never been crushed before. She told me she was moving to Arizona and not coming back. I was not welcome to come.
Remember... everything is HUGE at the tender age of 21... at least it was for me...
I spent the remaining days of that summer, into the latter part of September listening to a lot of "Recovering The Satellites" from the Counting Crows. Never before had a record spoken so much truth to me. I could recite all the lines and tell you what they meant to me, but that would take up a lot of time. There was a beautiful comfort in my tragedy, and these words sung by Adam Duritz absolutely cradled me in my sadness. Listening, crying, singing along to this record was cathartic, depressing, joyous, and enlightening. I learned a lot about myself, my purpose and my life during that time.
So, why do I bring this up today? Well, lots of reasons. Today was like one of late summer/early fall days back then, spending time with Heather before she left for good, before I'd see her ever again. The air was still warm, but there was the most gentle, cool breeze, hinting that fall was only a few weeks away. But it was beautiful outside, just like today. The leaves were just beginning to transform from lush green to a hint of a golden amber. The sadness and optimism were lingering in the air, just like for me today. And while I'm never, ever truly alone in this world, as I've got some great people in my life, I still felt alone today... a lot like I did back then.
"Gonna get back to basics
I guess I'll start it up again
I'm falling from the ceiling
I'm falling from the sky every now and then"
Interesting how history truly does repeat itself...
Well, here's a toast: To great records... to great songs that transcend the times... to great friends by your side...
See ya soon...
-SA
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