Dateline BoltBus to Philadelphia. The Bolt Bus free Wi-Fi is officially useless. I’m hoping to get enough out of it to be able to post this. As for everything else online I’ll use my phone.
Yesterday’s adventure was seeing Darlingside at the Irvington Town Hall Theater as part of the Common Ground Coffeehouse series curated by Carter Smith. I love Darlingside, I love the Irvington Town Hall Theater, I love the Common Ground Crew, and I love Carter so despite the fact that it’s out of town it is still a home game. Last time I went my bus was a little late and I had to run to catch the train. It had actually started pulling out of the station when I got on the platform and stopped for me. This time the bus was on time and the train five minutes late. That’s far easier on my nerves.
The best part of Irvington Town Hall is that it’s too blocks from Revenge Barbecue. Carter said, “I know you just come for the food.” I was looking forward to it all day. When I arrived at 5:45 there was a sign on the door, “Sold Out.” That’s their system, they stay open until they have no more food. That way there’s no waste but it meant that I was out of luck. They saw me at the door with a forlorn expression on my face and gave me a sympathetic smile. I’m not sure if they know me, I only go about 4 times a year, but I always chat them up when I do. I always write about them.
Crushed and hungry I proceeded to the theater. I asked where I could get a quick bite and was told a deli on Broadway, a few blocks in the other direction. When I mentioned that to Sara she said that it wasn’t very good. When I passed a pizza place on the way I stopped there instead. It was OK for out of New York/Long Island/New Jersey pizza. I don’t know why Westchester has the worst Greater New York pizza; perhaps fewer Italians moved there. Do other New Yorkers agree with me about this? Is it just my limited sample size? These are the issues that science must address. I’ll apply for an NSF grant.
It’s been way too long since I’ve seen Darlingside, one of my favorite bands. They fall into my sweet spot of classically trained musicians playing folk music, chamber folk. They are kickass on their instruments but it’s their harmonies that get the most attention. They fall into another sweet spot of mine, bands that express themselves through harmony, that do more than sound sweet; one-three-five only gets you so far. Can I get their instrumentation down without looking? Yes and no, I need to check their last names.
Auyon Mukharji – Violin and Mandolin
David Senft – Electric Bass and maybe guitar. I know I should know,
Harris Paseltiner – Cello and guitar
Don Mitchell – Banjo and guitar
I am not confident about anything but the bowed instruments. The only one whose last name I remembered was Harris and last night I found out I had been pronouncing it wrong. It’s PASS-el-TEEN-er, not TINE-er. Forgive me Darlingside for I know not what I do. I take advantage of being an idiot to use as an excuse. Only fair as I so often pay a price for it. There will be an idiot story before I’m done.
I of course sold the merch. I don’t believe I’ve ever sold as much vinyl as I did last night. Their audience is younger and more ethnically diverse than the usual coffeehouse crowd. I like being far above the median age in the auditorium. I was particularly taken with two young fans. One was all of 12-years-old; she and her mother came up from Brooklyn for the show. She heard them on the radio and fell in love. I love that a 6th Grader can have such great taste and not just inherit it from her parents. She found Darlingside on her own. This was her Chanukah present. When I was photographing the show, I went up front to take pictures from the side of the stage and saw her in the first row totally enraptured. That was worth making the trip for
After the show a young adult woman came to buy an album, give them flowers, and talk to the band. It was like watching young Fruheads back in the day. I love that there are others that love music as much as I do though they show it differently.
My friends were the usual suspects, Perry & Beth, Peter & Paula, and Barbara. Is that really it? It’s tougher for me to remember at Irvington as I sit in the back and don’t see where people sit. I just remember them as they come up to talk to me. I need the geography to organize my memory.
I was fortunate that Elana was there. She can give me a ride to the Scarsdale train station which is on the same line that I live on. I can walk home from the Botanical Garden Station instead of having to talk a walk to a bus like I would from the stations on the Hudson Line. Yesterday worked out perfectly as I like to go up on the Hudson as I get the epic view of the river. That’s worth the extra traveling.
After Elena dropped me off I realized that I didn’t have my phone charger. I had left it on the merch table. Why? Because I’m an idiot. I hope by now you all get the right. I texted Carter even though I knew he had already left. I then got an email from Sara asking if the charger were mine. I forgot that we had just exchanged emails earlier in the day. Why? No, I will not tell you. How else will you learn?
Why am I on a bus to Philadelphia? I’m going to see RUNA for the first time in years. They are one of my super favorite bands. When they started I said that I would follow them around in psychedelic VW microbus. I am the one that came up with the name of their fandom, RUNAtics. How do they repay my love? By never playing in New York. I couldn’t take it anymore. It’s also been far too long since I’ve seen LORi, so I killed two birds with one stone. I’m seeing the show and crashing with her afterward. I’m hoping to kill one more bird tomorrow. John Gorka talked about scrapple on Friday night. Now I’m craving scrapple and I’ll be in Philly. When in Rome do as the Romans do. When in Philly, eat scrapple for breakfast.
Wise Madness 