Yesterday was a day of great music that was unexpected, and traveling woes that comes as no surprise. I’ll tell the tale in that order.
Yesterday after lamenting that I had no music on my calendar I got a message from Micki asking if I wanted to see Caravan of Thieves in Stage One of the Fairfield Theater Company. I had only been there once, to see Aoife O’Donovan with Kevin but I seemed to remember that we parked at the train station so I could get there by public transit. After finding out that I remembered correctly I said an enthusiastic YES! I had never met Micki, I knew her from the WFUV Question of the Day Facebook group. She knew I loved the band. She volunteers at the theater, has a plus one, and knew I’d appreciate it. I have suggested them for the Question of the Day.
When I got there Micki and I played getting to know you and discovered that we knew people in common independent of music, the people I spend Pesach with, Louis & Sylvia and Louise & Larry. The latter two are her neighbors. I love how small the world can seem.
A quick of my photos showed me that I first saw Caravan of Thieves at John Platt’s On Your Radar on July 13, 2010. They are on the very short list of favorite OYR discoveries. I have tried to not miss their New York shows since then. I’ve sold their merch. They are one of My Bands. Sadly they are one of the bands I don’t share with anyone. This might have been the first time anyone has ever come with me to a show. That’s just wrong, they are a truly great band.
One of their signature songs is a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody. I realized last night, it only took me 8 years, that CoT IS Bohemian Rhapsody. A complex art song with dazzling virtuosity, that is so much fun that it’s irresistible to a mass audience. How did I not make that connection before? They are the perfect combination of musicianship and showmanship. They should do a cruise and call it, “The Ship of Freaks.” Freaks is the loving name for their fans. No, that’s not because of me. They were called that before I saw them; but it’s a title I proudly wear.
They do more but if you wanted to put them in a musical box it would be Gypsy Jazz. Fuzz is a musical heir of Django Reinhardt. He and Carrie started as a guitar singer/songwriter duo then added a violin and bass and became Caravan of Thieves. They took an excursion back to the duo, but are now back to the band, at least for some shows. Fuzz is not just a master guitarist, he’s a mad genius on percussion. At one point the band left the stage and he did a percussion solo. If your name is not Eddie Hartness, that usually bores me. Not Fuzz, he pulls it off. If there were no sound I’d enjoy just watching him.
Who is going to join me next time I see them? When will one of the Festivals I frequent book them? I’m talking to you Anne, Gidge, and Peter.
Now for travel travails. I planned things out with care. I couldn’t find my gloves and that cost me vital minutes. The result of that was I just missed the 4 train to Harlem; I saw it pull out as I got to the station. That’s OK, I always give myself a margin of error. I didn’t need to make that train, the next one was fine. The next train came right on time, … and didn’t stop. No explanation was given. I get on the second stop. That shouldn’t happen. The next train came eight minutes later. It ran slow and I missed my MetroNorth train to Fairfield by a few minutes. I had to text Micki and cancel our dinner. I had to settle for dinner alone at Wendy’s. That was a disappointment. When the train came it was packed like a subway at rush-hour. I could barely squeeze in the car. Only two people made it on after me. This was more than having to stand, this was being crushed in a crowd until the train reached Norwalk. It was worse than need be. Two women decided to sit down on the floor in the aisle. That blocked off the rest of the aisle. There was room to stand comfortably there but I couldn’t get at it.
The trains home leave only once an hour. I was hoping to make the 10:21. The show ended at 10:26. I could have made it but would have meant missing the encore. I couldn’t bear to do that. I hung around the theater and talked to Micki and Carrie.
I went to the station with about 20 minutes to spare. That started the trial of the Fairfield train station. It’s a lovely town, with a great attraction, the Fairfield Theater Company, right at the station. It has the worst station that I’ve seen on MetroNorth, perhaps any New York Area commuter railway. I knew from when I got off that I had to cross to the other side of the tracks to get the train home. Good thing as there were no signs anywhere that tell you which direction the trains go in. Every other station has some indication. There was no sign saying where to cross over. I saw there was an overpass and found my way to that. It wasn’t the typical MetroNorth covered pedestrian walk. No, it was just stairs to a street that crosses over the tracks. I made my way down to the platform and looked for the heated waiting area. Every other station I know, even the tiny ones like University Heights, have heated waiting rooms, even if there are no seats. The Fairfield Station doesn’t. It was cold, I would have hung around the theater longer if I knew. Someone came up to me and asked if this was he platform to New York. I told them yes. As I said, there were no signs. They drove to the station and there was absolutely no information given. Every other train station I’ve been to has signs with departure information. Not this one. Good thing I have the app that told me. If I didn’t I’d have to find the pocket-sized paper schedule that I found, not by the platform, but outside the station house. It was poorly lit. There was no way I could have read it. Whoever is in charge of that station should be ashamed. There wasn’t even a clock to tell the time. I have to find how to contact them and let them know they need to step up their game. It reflects very poorly on the town. If the weather is bad I would not take the train there, I’d stay home
I have more music tonight, Sophie Buskin at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3. Come join me.
Wise Madness 