Day 184 - September 11th 2009
I wake up early to do what I’ve done every 9/11 for eight years.
I say a prayer for the victims, their families, the troops, and their families. A lot of people lost their lives that day and as a result of the things that have happened afterwards. They rebroadcast the NBC Boradcast from September 11th 2001 today on MSNBC. I remember seeing the events unfold live as they happened. All I could think that day was that this was some awful Michael Bay movie come to life. I remember walking out of my house the next knowing that world would be different from now on. I remember how everyone was so nice to each other in the days and weeks following.
I turn my focus to today’s task. We have a gig in Ithaca today, opening for local funk powerhouses The Rozatones. I got get everyone in the car and get them up in time enough to get a sound check. Not to mention pop dukes wants me to check the tire pressure and the oil before I go. I also noticed the rain outside. This wasn’t regular rain, it was like God was emptying his buckets or something. What a giant pain in the ass this was going to be. MJ (cousin/driver) arrived a little before 2 so we went over to Tommy’s Tires to take care of everything. Fortunately for me we went over there cause the car needed two quarts of oil.
We met up with Rob and Jake, loaded the car and bounced. We threw on some tunes and I can’t help but fill every quiet moment with conversation. I get really excited whenever we go someplace to play especially out of town. I could feel the pressure I was putting on myself, I wanted to be the very best I could be tonight. Especially since last Friday’s gig at World Café Live didn’t go as well as it probably should have. We stopped and got gas and I programmed Tom-Tom to tell us where we needed to go and how fast we were going to get there. Then we hit the road, we hit some traffic first but then it started to loosen up.
Something peaceful about the open road. Not a whole lot of BS, just people trying to get where they need to go. There were very few cars on the road once we really got going and the rain stopped, two things that really surprised me. It’s always fun riding with these guys. We laugh a lot. Hopefully that’s what touring with them is going to be like. I’m always taken a back at how much I love being out here, even if it’s just for short periods of time for now. I’m a patient man. I have to have faith in my strategy.
We arrived in Ithaca after about a 4 hour drive and there it was, Castaways, like an Oasis in the desert. Castaways was Bang Camaro’s Ithaca stop back in March, it was the first time my friends got to see me sing in this weird quirky band that I dropped everything to tour with. For everyone else it was just another night, for me it was a chance to talk to the right people about getting a gig here. Like Austin and Nashville Ithaca is a great music town. Where people just come out to see live bands, the local music scene is a great part of the community experience (to the point where the bartenders asked the Camaro guys why they didn’t have a local band on the show that night) and with an even better reputation for great Funk/Rock Bands I knew this was a scene that I wanted to take a peak at.
As I walked inside I remembered everything about the last time I was there. Every nuance, every smell, where the bathroom was. I went to pee and saw a poster for tonight’s show. The Rozatones w/Boy Wonder. It was kinda cool to see, I saw us on the calendar as well. I went back to handle the business and came back to load in the gear, through the same door we loaded in last March. The green room, minus all the stuff on Camaro’s rider complete with a Leslie sticker on the wall. It brought back a lot of memories of sweaty t-shirts and dry hand towels. But I’m here tonight to forge my own memories. Hopefully leave something behind tonight for the residents of Ithaca to remember me by.
I briefly met the Rozatones and we discussed gear. I had been waiting to meet them for so long I was actually kind of nervous. Tonight I’m not the great and powerful Oz, I’m just an artist who’s grateful that such an amazing band would let me and my boys breathe the same air as them. It’s funny how that just changes your demeanor. All I have to worry about is putting my band on stage. We decided that we’d share amps but our drummers would use their own kits. We hopped on stage and got a great sound check. I was able to get what we needed sound wise without being made to feel like a diva. Kenny’s monitor mix was like butter.
After hearing we wouldn’t be going on till after ten I went to this place down the street with Chris. I wanted to run down there when I was here with Camaro but I was still scared to go too far off the beaten path. I went and got a prime rib which was tasty. Rob, Jake and MJ met me later. Rob found 85 dollars in the restaurant and returned it to the owner to see if the rightful owner would be able to reclaim it. He’s a good kid, and honest kid, comes from good strong upbringing. I looked at my watch and it was about 9:40 and I was like “Well we better get over there.”
I got to warm up in the green room, change my shirt, tie my tie and then we waited. Whenever we go someplace other than Philly my thought is always, no one’s gonna show up for us. As the opening band, no one’s heard of us, no one cares, they would show up for the Rozatones the band they came to see. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong, there were more people there before we started than for the Camaro Show, and by the time we started the place was packed. The plan here is to hit em hard and fast. I’ve got a great Power Trio and I’m supremely confident with Jake and Rob backing me up.
Set List
Superhero
(Oh) I Wish Loved You
The Way You Make Me Feel
How Can This Be Love
Feels So Good
Destiny
Wasted
Hit Me Baby One More Time
Leavin
The crowd kind of looked at us with their arms folded at first. But about midway through the crowd really started showing up, we got a lot of people coming up to the stage, they were dancin, groovin, some of the girls were just being sexy for no reason. We did our best to keep em movin. We played pretty great although I do think it would have been better to replace Destiny and Wasted with some tunes that are more groove oriented they seemed to like us nice and funky. But I have to slow it down until my ankles back at 100% and I can really get back into shape. We ended to the biggest ovation I think we’ve ever gotten out of town.
We sold a bunch of CD’s and I had people grabbing me by my arm to tell me how much they liked what we did. It was truly an amazing experience to play for them. We may bring some horns up next time we’re here, just to add to the awesomeness.
The Rozatones hit the stage and it was literally the fastest changeover I’d ever seen. That’s one of the best bands I’ve ever seen live. They had it in all phases, musicianship (the keyboard player in particular was spazzin out) tightness, stage presence, not to mention Revy is probably one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen, and when you add her presence and sick rhythm guitar skills I dare any man to watch her for more than 30 seconds and not fall in love. That band is nasty (R. Kelly sex tape nasty) and they are going to be large. They make me wanna go home and write, yet quit music altogether at the same time.
We hit a party after the show was over, but a noise complaint got us all kicked out early. We ended up at Chris’ house kicking back with a few brews talkin smack with some of his peeps. At about 3 I was all partied out and hit the sack. I can’t get over how amazing the night has been, dreams of bigger and better things dance in my head for the first time in a long time as I close my eyes and drift away.
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