2012 Fall East Coast Tour Blog # 7 (day 28)
Driving Stats:
Miles Driven - 4312
Average Speed - 48 mph
Miles Per Gallon - 44.5
Total Driving Time - 90 hours, 34 minutes (3 days 18 hours, 34 minutes)
We left off after I passed the strange pickup truck / motorcycle accident near Uniontown, PA. I was en route to my first show at Cristina's Cafe, and my first visit to the small town of Strasburg, VA. This was almost two weeks ago; I am way behind now.
The venue is very cool, and I hope to return. But this show did not go well, unfortunately. The local high school's homecoming football game was that same evening, which I am sure did not help. That's just one (among many a) thing that makes planning tours more difficult than it already is. Especially in small towns, one seemingly common event on the weekend can virtually eliminate any chance for a decent crowd. Nevertheless, there was a good number of people there, eating dinner, during the opening act's set. The opener was a Chapman Stick player who went by the name of Flint Blade. I am nearly certain that it is a stage name, though he continued to go by Flint for the entire time that I interacted with him.
I usually don't do shows with other acts on the bill (and was originally the only act for this evening), but the owner of the venue suggested that adding another act would be good for everyone. Flint played for about 80 minutes, and I grabbed dinner during his set, while I listened to him. As he was reaching the end of his set, people were already beginning to head out the door, as they had finished eating dinner. I tried to set up as quickly as possible, with the hopes that I would start while some people were still around. One group, as they headed out the door, asked me where I was based, and after I said "Nashville", they voiced their disappointment at having to miss the set. They said that they were on their way to something else... maybe the game. But they probably assumed that I was a country artists, so maybe it was a good thing that they didn't stick around. Unfortunately, almost nobody stuck around. I think I played 2 songs, and then did a quick explanation of what looping is. After that, there were only three people in the room, not including me. And Flint and his girlfriend were two of them. I was going to cut the set short, but a couple people came in, and instead of sitting across from each other, sat on the same side of a booth in order to be able to face the stage. One of these women had an expression on her face most of the time that they were there that I can only describe as a seemingly-excited smile, one that indicated that she knew me (and I felt like I was supposed to knew who she was, and was trying to think of who she might be while I continued playing). I never figured out who she was, and I don't think she knew me, either. I played a few more songs, and the women came up to check out the CDs. They grabbed a copy of the latest disc. So, considering that only three non-performing listeners were in the audience, 33% was an okay result. I just wish that more of the people would have stuck around, as there were about 25 people there at the start of the show. I guess you can't win them all, but it was a pretty big dud of a show, especially for a Friday night.
But the venue was great, and definitely has potential, as long as I can try to be sure that nothing else is going on in town. The owner of the venue also puts the artists up in her house, which is hugely helpful. I wish more venues would offer this to touring acts, and am, frankly, a bit surprised that they don't. Thankfully, I have a great network of friends and fans who continue to offer a place to stay, so this is usually not a concern while I am on tour (thanks, tour hosts!). In addition to putting us up Friday night, the owner told me to stop by for breakfast on Saturday, on the house. I gladly took her up on the offer after waking up and packing up again to hit the road. I spent a couple hours there, eating a huge breakfast (it was closer to lunch time) and catching up with some things online and making plans for the upcoming drives for the tour.
My show on Saturday the 13th would require another long drive - one from Strasburg to Princeton, NJ. I decided to drive through Harrisburg, PA in order to avoid the DC area. DC traffic is the traffic that I hate the most. It's the worst, and though the distance for the trip via DC and Baltimore was a little bit less than the route I took, it could have made the trip at least an hour longer, depending on what was going on in the area. As it was, the trip took about 5 hours. I was instructed by some friends to get dinner at Hoagie Haven upon my arrival in Princeton. But there was a long line for ordering (out the door), and no available seating (it was pretty chilly that night). So I went next door to A Slice Between, and got a couple slices of pizza. Some day I will partake of a Hoagie Haven hoagie.
The last time that I performed at Small World Coffee was at least 4 years ago. I played on a Thursday, and there were very few people there throughout the evening. This time, it could not have been more different. I was luckily able to snag a parking space almost at the door of the venue (it's on a fairly busy street that was completely full, but someone was pulling out of the spot as I waited at a red light). Thanks to this parking miracle, I had ample time to unload my gear to set up for the show. I needed my PA system, which obviously requires more set up time. The place was packed, and it is large for a coffee shop. The staff had to ask a group to relocate in order for me to set up in the corner of their upper level. It was pretty loud there before I started. I think this is due mostly to the number of people there and the material which makes up the surfaces on the inside. I was a little bit concerned that it was going to be more like a bar gig with all of the noise. But a woman and her daughter came up to me to ask when I would be playing, which was encouraging. I started maybe 5 minutes after the scheduled start time, and as I began, the volume became a little bit less of an issue. It was still loud (especially for a coffee shop - it was the loudest room of the tour up to that point), but it was obvious that there were tables of people that wanted to listen. I sold 6 cds by the end of the night, including two to a student who was doing work, and was on the first level of the coffee shop, in an area that was one of the worst places to be able to hear the music. He asked me why I was playing coffee shops and not bigger clubs. I am flattered by these comments, but I never know what to say. I just told him that I gotta do what I gotta do, and that it's not easy for an independent artist to set up and get people out to shows at bigger venues. If any readers know the secret, I'm all ears.
After finishing up the show and talking with some listeners, I ordered a chai latte for the road. Small World makes there own chai mix, and it is the spiciest chai that I've ever had. The barista told me that she'd weaken it for me, but it was still very spicy. My throat wasn't feeling the best (it rarely does after shows in loud environments, as I tend to over-sing in those situations), and I wasn't particularly enthused by the idea of consuming a very spicy chai. I had about a 40-minute drive to my hosts' home, and finished the chai during the drive. It was still very spicy, but it actually made my throat feel much better.
I stayed with friends of my wife's family that evening. I assumed that they waited up for me, but they were more awake than I was, so they might be night owls. Speaking of animals, I had this waiting for me on the bed where I would be sleeping:
I caught up with my hosts over a slice of pumpkin pie, and got ready for bed, as I had to hit the road again on Sunday morning, to make a drive to Maryland for an afternoon vineyard show.
Miles Driven - 4312
Average Speed - 48 mph
Miles Per Gallon - 44.5
Total Driving Time - 90 hours, 34 minutes (3 days 18 hours, 34 minutes)
We left off after I passed the strange pickup truck / motorcycle accident near Uniontown, PA. I was en route to my first show at Cristina's Cafe, and my first visit to the small town of Strasburg, VA. This was almost two weeks ago; I am way behind now.
The venue is very cool, and I hope to return. But this show did not go well, unfortunately. The local high school's homecoming football game was that same evening, which I am sure did not help. That's just one (among many a) thing that makes planning tours more difficult than it already is. Especially in small towns, one seemingly common event on the weekend can virtually eliminate any chance for a decent crowd. Nevertheless, there was a good number of people there, eating dinner, during the opening act's set. The opener was a Chapman Stick player who went by the name of Flint Blade. I am nearly certain that it is a stage name, though he continued to go by Flint for the entire time that I interacted with him.
I usually don't do shows with other acts on the bill (and was originally the only act for this evening), but the owner of the venue suggested that adding another act would be good for everyone. Flint played for about 80 minutes, and I grabbed dinner during his set, while I listened to him. As he was reaching the end of his set, people were already beginning to head out the door, as they had finished eating dinner. I tried to set up as quickly as possible, with the hopes that I would start while some people were still around. One group, as they headed out the door, asked me where I was based, and after I said "Nashville", they voiced their disappointment at having to miss the set. They said that they were on their way to something else... maybe the game. But they probably assumed that I was a country artists, so maybe it was a good thing that they didn't stick around. Unfortunately, almost nobody stuck around. I think I played 2 songs, and then did a quick explanation of what looping is. After that, there were only three people in the room, not including me. And Flint and his girlfriend were two of them. I was going to cut the set short, but a couple people came in, and instead of sitting across from each other, sat on the same side of a booth in order to be able to face the stage. One of these women had an expression on her face most of the time that they were there that I can only describe as a seemingly-excited smile, one that indicated that she knew me (and I felt like I was supposed to knew who she was, and was trying to think of who she might be while I continued playing). I never figured out who she was, and I don't think she knew me, either. I played a few more songs, and the women came up to check out the CDs. They grabbed a copy of the latest disc. So, considering that only three non-performing listeners were in the audience, 33% was an okay result. I just wish that more of the people would have stuck around, as there were about 25 people there at the start of the show. I guess you can't win them all, but it was a pretty big dud of a show, especially for a Friday night.
But the venue was great, and definitely has potential, as long as I can try to be sure that nothing else is going on in town. The owner of the venue also puts the artists up in her house, which is hugely helpful. I wish more venues would offer this to touring acts, and am, frankly, a bit surprised that they don't. Thankfully, I have a great network of friends and fans who continue to offer a place to stay, so this is usually not a concern while I am on tour (thanks, tour hosts!). In addition to putting us up Friday night, the owner told me to stop by for breakfast on Saturday, on the house. I gladly took her up on the offer after waking up and packing up again to hit the road. I spent a couple hours there, eating a huge breakfast (it was closer to lunch time) and catching up with some things online and making plans for the upcoming drives for the tour.
My show on Saturday the 13th would require another long drive - one from Strasburg to Princeton, NJ. I decided to drive through Harrisburg, PA in order to avoid the DC area. DC traffic is the traffic that I hate the most. It's the worst, and though the distance for the trip via DC and Baltimore was a little bit less than the route I took, it could have made the trip at least an hour longer, depending on what was going on in the area. As it was, the trip took about 5 hours. I was instructed by some friends to get dinner at Hoagie Haven upon my arrival in Princeton. But there was a long line for ordering (out the door), and no available seating (it was pretty chilly that night). So I went next door to A Slice Between, and got a couple slices of pizza. Some day I will partake of a Hoagie Haven hoagie.
The last time that I performed at Small World Coffee was at least 4 years ago. I played on a Thursday, and there were very few people there throughout the evening. This time, it could not have been more different. I was luckily able to snag a parking space almost at the door of the venue (it's on a fairly busy street that was completely full, but someone was pulling out of the spot as I waited at a red light). Thanks to this parking miracle, I had ample time to unload my gear to set up for the show. I needed my PA system, which obviously requires more set up time. The place was packed, and it is large for a coffee shop. The staff had to ask a group to relocate in order for me to set up in the corner of their upper level. It was pretty loud there before I started. I think this is due mostly to the number of people there and the material which makes up the surfaces on the inside. I was a little bit concerned that it was going to be more like a bar gig with all of the noise. But a woman and her daughter came up to me to ask when I would be playing, which was encouraging. I started maybe 5 minutes after the scheduled start time, and as I began, the volume became a little bit less of an issue. It was still loud (especially for a coffee shop - it was the loudest room of the tour up to that point), but it was obvious that there were tables of people that wanted to listen. I sold 6 cds by the end of the night, including two to a student who was doing work, and was on the first level of the coffee shop, in an area that was one of the worst places to be able to hear the music. He asked me why I was playing coffee shops and not bigger clubs. I am flattered by these comments, but I never know what to say. I just told him that I gotta do what I gotta do, and that it's not easy for an independent artist to set up and get people out to shows at bigger venues. If any readers know the secret, I'm all ears.
After finishing up the show and talking with some listeners, I ordered a chai latte for the road. Small World makes there own chai mix, and it is the spiciest chai that I've ever had. The barista told me that she'd weaken it for me, but it was still very spicy. My throat wasn't feeling the best (it rarely does after shows in loud environments, as I tend to over-sing in those situations), and I wasn't particularly enthused by the idea of consuming a very spicy chai. I had about a 40-minute drive to my hosts' home, and finished the chai during the drive. It was still very spicy, but it actually made my throat feel much better.
I stayed with friends of my wife's family that evening. I assumed that they waited up for me, but they were more awake than I was, so they might be night owls. Speaking of animals, I had this waiting for me on the bed where I would be sleeping:
I caught up with my hosts over a slice of pumpkin pie, and got ready for bed, as I had to hit the road again on Sunday morning, to make a drive to Maryland for an afternoon vineyard show.
posted by Jeff Miller at 5:38 PM
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