I still have to will myself to write. I know it’s worth the effort, but I wish I didn’t have to make it. Today I’m doing something new, I’m writing while watching the US Open. I used to watch lots of tennis then somehow, I stopped. I watched some of Wimbledon. I root for Americans and against Djokic, that’s about his not getting vaccinate. Coco Gauff is about to start, It’s easy to root for 20-year-old American without the hype machine of the Williams sisters. ESPN said that naming her Coco was a good career move by her parents. I assume she was named after my friend Coco, the former godmother of Brooklyn folk music.
Yesterday’s adventure was going to see Carolann Solebello do the 6 PM aka Happy Hour set at Rockwood Music Hall. That’s early but it proved to be a good time for all of us involved. I made a shopping stop on the way. Rockwood is on the lower east side and Trader Joe’s and Broad Nosh Bagels are on the Upper West Side, but they are on the way. Odd thing, there are no bagel stores withing convenient walking distance from me. I have found the best thing to do is combine my trips for bagels and Trader Joe’s. From there it’s an easy ride on the subway to Rockwood. When I got there, I found my posse, Fred and David outside. I didn’t get that Rockwood never makes you wait outside. I asked and found that they hadn’t tried to go in. I of course did and we could wait indoors where there was AC and a place to sit. The sound guy asked if we were the performer. We had to disappoint her by telling her we weren’t. Notice I said both “sound guy” and “her.” As far as I’m concerned guy is a gender-neutral term.
If you remember the last time Carolann had a 6 o’clock show I didn’t get there until after 7 because I’m an idiot. I had the time wrong. It is much better to get there early and be able to get comfortable and socialize. Carolann did get there in plenty of time and as she is one person with one guitar and her own DI set up is simple. More of our crowd came in after us, Jon, Ina Mae, and Mark, Carolann’s husband. I am of course sure that I’m missing someone who will never speak to me again for slighting them.
Carolann did an interesting mix, she did a song that she hasn’t sung before this weekend in 20 years, someone requested it at a private show over the weekend and she wasn’t going to waste relearning it. She also did quite a few new songs, using Carolann’s definition of new, “not recorded yet. There was at least one so new that I never heard it. She said the new songs would be on the album she plans to release at the end of 2020. You read that right. When I questioned “2020?” She said her 2020, it’s been a very long year. That’s just another way of saying what I often say, Time stopped working when Covid hit. I see Carolann often but her show never gets old. I never phone in listening, I pay attention to every song.
As I hoped, after the show we went out for dinner, a great thing about a 6 PM show. I know how many people were in our party so I should be able to name everyone, Carolann, David, Fred, Mark, a man Carolann acted with 30 years ago, and a woman Carolann went to high school with. That’s six and I was the seventh. Here’s something odd, everyone either lived or worked on Staten Island except for me. That’s not a common situation in New York. We ate at my first choice for post Rockwood diner the Remedy Diner which might or might not have formerly be a pharmacy.
Why are these people my friends? I noticed that there was a cheeseburger (choice of cheese) and a bacon cheddar burger. I asked why was a cheeseburger and the other specifically cheddar. Instead of giving me a dope slap like most people Mark said that you can only get the latter with cheddar. I asked if I asked for a bacon cheddar burger with Swiss I they’d give it to me. He said, “no, it says cheddar.” Guess what I ordered, I had to find out. She I said, “a bacon cheddar burger with Swiss” the waitress didn’t bat an eyelash and asked how I wanted it cooked. Mark got the last laugh. When we got the check it said, “bacon chedder burger,” notice the misspelling. It’s like when they get away with giving you vegan cheese by calling it cheez. It’s a miracle that I have any friends. Luckily for me I do, post-concert dining with friends are the best meals.
One last advantage of a 5 o’clock show. I was home in time for the bottom half of the 2nd of the Met/Diamondback game. The Mets won 8-3. Put the game and they day in the books.
Wise Madness 