Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. I didn’t have a good excuse. It seems like a small thing but it has a lot to do with my other problems. We’ll be discussing this at my next therapy session. As a consequence I now have to catch up with what happened on Saturday before I get to yesterday’s adventure, seeing The End of America.
There were two things I needed to do on Saturday, take a walk for exercise and go shopping. I combined the two, I walked to Stop & Shop. I haven’t done that before and in doing so discovered new things in the neighborhood. From looking at maps I knew there was a body of water between me and the store, the buses go around it. On Saturday I walked around it. It’s the Jerome Park Reservoir. They are doing all sorts of restoration around it so you can’t see it from the road. There was a sign from the Parks Department saying that it will open in 2021. There was one small spot where I could get a view. It’s a beautiful lake surrounded by a path. I’d love to walk around it. This is a true hidden gem and it is hidden by fences and construction machinery. It’s taken me a year but I’m finally exploring the neighborhood and being rewarded.
This was Clearwater weekend and I didn’t go. The lineup did not thrill me. Apparently many other people felt the same way, a friend said that the attendance was down a third even on Saturday when the weather was beautiful. Yesterday it rained.
I was worried about attendance at the End of America show. It was up against Clearwater, Red Molly in Port Washington, and worst of all, a Pete Seeger tribute in the same building. EoA was at the City Winery Loft and the tribute in the main room. I was delighted to find that my fears were not grounded. There were plenty of people up in the Loft including many that I knew. I wonder if any were there because of my invitation. I helped promote the show on Facebook. I sat with Gail and her husband, sorry husband, I forgot your name, and Perry & Beth. The daughters of Gail and Perry & Beth joined them. It was a Fathers’ Day celebration. Also in the room were Glenn, David, and Shelley. Whom am I missing?
The End of America has cultivated an audience I don’t know. As I go to all their local shows I can’t figure out how that happened. They had groupies. They have fans that treat them like the Beatles.
They also had people at the show who bought tickets for the wrong band. Unsurprisingly I was one of the first people to arrive; it was before doors opened. The Loft is not well marked, it’s easy to miss. There was no sign saying who was playing. Some people came there looking for the show in the main room. I was directing traffic. Two guys were looking for the loft but they didn’t even know the name of the band. They asked me if this was the Loft and I said, “yes.” Then they said they had never seen the band and asked, “Are they close?” Huh? Close to what? They thought they were seeing an Allman Brothers Tribute Band. Someone had told them that one was playing at the Loft on June 16th. I wonder if it could have been at City Vineyard. They had already purchased their tickets so they stayed. They asked me what the End of America was like. Think for a second, how would you describe EoA to a couple of guys there to see an Allman Brothers Tribute? I asked Gail and she said the same thing I did; “They are like Crosby, Stills, and Nash.” In the folk world I say, “Male Red Molly,” but I knew they wouldn’t get that reference.
This was my first time seeing EoA with their full band, a drummer and electric bass. I liked it. They added to the mix. There is always a danger than more can be a distraction. It is the End of America’s natural habitat. It’s so odd to say that as I’m used to seeing them in people’s apartments or the Budgiedome. They thrive on the intimacy but readily expand to fill the available space.
After the show I gave myself an extra treat; I walked up to Cones Artisanal Ice Cream on Bleecker Street. It’s surprisingly close, about 8 minutes away. I was able to get there about 15 minutes before closing. I usually get the dark chocolate ice cream as that’s the best ice cream anywhere. Other things look good but when I order them too often I say to myself, “That’s great but not as great as the dark chocolate.” This time they had the redundantly named, “Coffee Mocha Chocolate Chip.” It looked and sounded so good I had to try it. I wasn’t disappointed! It was amazing. This was my first visit to Cones this season. It won’t be my last. It’s good to remember how close it is to City Winery. I can also stop there after Rockwood shows. It means getting off the subway but it’s not that far. Cones makes my life better.
I’m about to enter a desert. I have no live music on my calendar until Sunday when I see Carolann Solebello and Joe Iadanza at Pronoia, aka Bri’s house. I feel like Lawrence and the Arab rebellion preparing to cross the Nefud. I hope I survive.
Wise Madness 