The Music of Eli August

This post should best be understood as a celebration of smaller towns and less so as a denunciation of big cities.  After all, I live in New York for most of the year, and I have no intention of leaving anytime soon.  That said,

New York City, you done me wrong!

In spite of your many buildings, your attractive women, and your ample hot dog supplies, being with you can feel like being alone.  I know I said I’d come back to you last night, but I’m staying out here.  This is just something I have to do – I know you’ll understand.  We’ve been building a bit of momentum in the past couple days, and instead of me taking a bus back to New York with my bass at 6:00am, I decided just to finish this little stint and go back home to Wisconsin for a while.  After all, Nakamacon is coming up next Saturday, and Eli August is playing at 8:00pm. Equally as importantly, this Sunday at 8:00, we’re playing at BoBo Art Gallery in Asheville, NC.  We had some great shows in Ithaca, Lock Haven, and Catonsville this week, met some cool people, and sold some CDs – we’re hoping for the same this weekend.

As to Catonsville – we had a last minute venue change and wound up playing at Caton Tavern with our new friends Petal Blight.  I will be honest, at first glance, I didn’t have high hopes for this place as a music venue, owing to the prominence of flat screen TVs and dining families.  I’ve played in places like these in both Wisconsin and New York and came out feeling mightily sad, but therein lies the difference between Catonsville, MD and these other spots.  What is the difference?  I don’t know.  Could it be that people were happy to see something new in a bar that doesn’t usually have music?  Could it be that there was not a whole lot else happening “within walking distance!,” as the bar’s slogan touts?  Maybe it’s that Petal Blight has awesome friends and neighbors, and you should move to Catonsville right now.  Whatever the case, we set up in a corner below a too-low hanging lamp, and the whole place was ready to hear new music, which is rare.  We felt very welcome, and I was quickly ashamed of my skepticism.  Caton Tavern also has giant drinks – you should spend all your money there whenever you go to Maryland.

The same can be said about Lock Haven, PA and specifically Avenue 209.  Sleepy town at first glance, but once we started playing, things started waking up a bit.  Evidently, some of the listeners started texting people telling them to come to the show.  Turned out to be a cool show and a great show of support from people we had never even met.  The point I hope I’m making here is that evidently Lock Haven and Catonsville provide audiences a million times more adventurous and enthusiastic than New York City does, with all its cultural centrality.  Pick up your game New York.

Also, last night, we stayed at the home of Brennan of Petal Blight and his wife.  They have Mario stickers on the ceiling in one room – I took pictures.  Thanks for the hospitality!

Mike D

p.s. Considering the tone of this post, the following video, taken in Central Park, may seem somewhat inappropriate.  Frankly, I don’t care.  It’s a good song and the scenery’s nice.