Last night I had a musical doubleheader John Platt’s On Your Radar and Barnaby Bright, both at the Bitter End. It’s tough for me to write about On Your Radar as I do the social media for the series so I’m going right to Barnaby Bright. They are not just favorites, but they are one of the bands that are family. They’ve played the homes of my friends, Chris and Gene & Isabel were there last night. I’m their regular merch guy when they are in the City. I had Nate’s sweat on my arm till I showered. I guess that needs explaining. Nathan Bliss has a well-known propensity for sweating on stage. He or his wife and bandmate Becky warned me the first time I gave him a hug after the show. I of course hugged him last night. I just realized I lied to him. I told him that I’ll never wash that arm again. Sorry Nate. Let’s put it this way, they are a band that I feel comfortable talking about their perspiration. I think this says more about the way my mind works than the band.
I sat with Chris and Kevin, but I had so many other friends there. So many that I’m not going to give my usual list of names. Let’s just say this was a gathering of the Tribe. Barnaby Bright playing New York is an event. They said it was their first time since 2018, that sounds right. After that we had a plague, they moved to Kansas City (Kansas not Missouri) added a bandmate, Carmen, a fiddler, and oh yeah, had a baby. She’s 22 months old, I’m expecting her to be on stage the next time they come to town, and maybe driving the van.
Since the last time I saw them I discovered South for Winter and much of what I write about them is true of Barnaby Bright too. What Renaissance was to rock they are to folk. Perhaps I should call them Art Folk. I will call them Art Folk. They write Art Songs in the folk genre. You can tell they are folk songs because so often somebody dies. They have a fondness for murder ballads. Highway 9 is a manslaughter ballad but isn’t that just a kinder, gentler, murder ballad? I’m preparing a set of murder ballads for Gord’s Gold. I knew I wanted to put Highway 9 or the premediated murder ballad Castle Rock in it. I decided to go with the one they played first. They opened with Castle Rock. If I didn’t understand English, I’d still love them, there is so much going on, the three voices and three instruments dance around each other, breaking off into different pairs and trios. That is my sweetspot of sweetspots. This was my first time seeing them with Carmen, she must have a last name, let me check. She does, it’s Carmen Dieker.
I had misadventures going to the show. I had to stop at Trader Joe’s first. The closest one is right by the Spring street station on the E or C train. That’s so easy for me to get to, I take the D train from home to W 4th street and switch to the E or C. I was busy doing something on my phone and almost missed the station. I caught it just in time and was one of the annoying people leaving a crowded train while people were boarding. There was a local right across the platform, I got on it. The only problem is that the C and E trains are on the upper level. I was on the lower. I got on the M train. I had to get off at the next station and go back one stop. Fine, I still had time. I got back to W 4th street, walked up two flights to the upper level, and quickly got on an E train., One problem. I forgot to cross over. I got on an uptown E train. There is a word for someone who makes two mistakes like that, an idiot. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I’m an idiot since I resumed blogging. It’s a hallmark of my writing. I crossed over and took a downtown train and got to Trader Joe’s a half an hour later than I wanted to but that’s because I leave lots of time for things to go wrong. I’m an idiot but is prepared for the consequences of being an idiot. The only problem was that Trader Joe’s was out of the luxury item I had my heart set on,
I think I was being punished for being a subway idiot. That was well deserved. Despite this and despite being rewarded with an amazing time at the show I gave myself a treat and went to the new gelato place on Bleecker. Figo il Gelato Italiano. They serve their gelato on fresh warm brioche. As my friend Allison taught me, that’s how they serve it in Sicily. I have to remember to go there when I’m on Bleecker. You can thank me when you go. You can also thank me for the waffles.
OK. Time to eat dinner. It’s 10 PM. This is ridiculous.
Wise Madness 