Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 141

Day 140 - July 29th 2009

“If you wanna make God Laugh tell him what you have planned”

I take for granted how much I use my legs on a daily basis. With no car generally if I’m traveling anywhere I walk at least a block or three to even get to public transit. With this injury it makes it a tad difficult to get around. Luckily I only had one place to go today and could sit at home and rest.

Casey and Zach came by in the afternoon and brought by Green lantern First Flight the newest DC Direct to DVD Animated Feature. It was pretty good, I’m hoping that the Ryan Reynolds live action adaptation will be just as good. They really picked up my spirits as I have been a miserable prick for the better part of the week.

After we came up with a new life motto they left and my folks got home. When I was ready I hobbled into the car and we drove down to Lickety Split. Kelvin and the crew were waiting as I arrived. He was playing solo acoustic tonight and he brought some buddies with him. I had some concerns about the attendance since it rained for the better part of the afternoon.

Frank Biscotti kicked things off and he played a solid set followed by Justin Barron. Both of these guys should be packing joints the World Over especially Justin. The night didn’t really get going until Kelvin hit the stage. He presented something that was on a universally different vibe than what he does with The Absolute Zeros. I think He may have only played two tunes from the Zero’s catalogue. Alan Ens hit the stage next. I dig him cause it sounds like chaos unless you’re really listening. The guys really good and everything he does is so deliberate.

JT and Hi Beta closed out the night spinnin some 70’s soul. They did an excellent job of keeping people there. And the party was still goin at 1:45 when I left.

I went home iced my ankle took some Aleve and went to sleep. I’m getting used to sleeping with the leg elevated. Not to mention I’m starting to feel better, I should be thankful. The injury could have been a lot worse

Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 140

Day 139 - July 28th 2009

The swelling was worse this morning that it was last night, mom made an appointment. I hopped into the car and was driven into Jefferson Family Medicine where the doctors took a look at me. He figured it was a sprain but wanted me to get an x-ray…great. Who knows how much that’s going to cost.

My dad drives me over and I got to the X-Ray place. The nice security guy throws me in a wheel chair and gets me to my destination. When I go to the person at the front desk she asks do I have insurance I tell her no and she looks at me as if I told her that I eat ass. She goes in the back and comes out and lets me know that I have to pay for this. Something I am painfully aware of. She processes me and I get my X-Ray. I get wheeled outside and when I get there my Dad’s waiting with another wheel chair.

Dad wheeled me back to the sports medicine office. If you’ve ever met him the very sight of him pushing me through the streets of Center City is simply priceless. The doctors confirm my suspicions, it’s a sprain. I don’t even need a boot. Just an air cast for when I’m walking around. t means now I have to go to Rothman. The doctor even mentioned physical therapy since I’m athletic (I guess if you call jogging and playing guitar with your teeth athletic)

Dad wheels me inside up the elevators and into Rothman. I approach another lady at a front desk and I have to tell her that I don’t have insurance. Then I have to watch her give me the east ass face…twice in one day. We get the air cast and I’m instructed in the fine art of wearing it. I long for the days when I can stick my foot in something and it heals my injury in seconds.

It’s going to take to heal my doc says. I’m not that patient a guy when it comes to this stuff. I’m terrified of the bill. I know it’s going to be high as hell since I’m uninsured. Didn’t I vote to put the democrats in the house and senate so they could help The President get this done. Fix this Shit.

I only had one guitar lesson today which was a lot more trying that usual since I had to walk on the bum ankle. Good thing for me I purchased some Aleve. I would have preferred some vicodin but Aleve’ll have to do. The lesson went pretty well then I got to go home and rest my ankle.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better than today. I have a Festival Gig this Saturday and I still have to figure out how I’m gonna do it on one leg.

Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 139

Day 138 - July 17th 2009

Jogging something I do everyday. With no day job I like to take full advantage of the fact that I can run in the morning. It helps me stay in the kind of shape I need to be in to perform at my physical best. It’s about the same mile everyday. A medley of old 80’s songs or Off The Wall plays while I’m getting my exercise. I’ve done it just about everyday since I’ve been back from tour and nothing strange has ever happened… until today.

I screamed bloody murder as I nearly tumbled to the sidewalk, my foot bent inward pointed towards my face. A sharp pain that I rarely ever feel shot up my leg and coarsed through my body, something’s wrong, really wrong, I can feel it.

I limp half a mile home like the dumb ass that I am. My ankle is pretty screwed up and I’m filled with fear. How serious is this? Cause I have gigs to play, stuff to do, all these things I need a pair of good legs. Do I need a doctor? I have no health insurance. What if it’s broken? What if I need surgery? What if for some reason they need to chop it off? I think all these things as I limp home like your common garden variety asshole. It’s obvious that I have Beavised my ankle…DAMNIT!

I get home and it’s swollen. I’m icing it I’m soaking it and nothings happening. It hurts…bad. I gotta call mom. She thinks I fractured it. That’s 8 weeks in a cast, that’s no good. Through some on-line research I deduced that my condition was closer to a really bad sprain which is no picnic either. Mom wants me to come see the doctor. Not into that. With no health insurance you might as well bludgeon me to death with a tire iron and leave me in the corner of the ER to die.

Hard as it was I needed to get my mind off of it because we were back at Philly Rising at World Café Live for the first time in two weeks and for the third time really this summer. Tonight would mark the end of our hiatus. I move around a lot during the course of the night so it was going to be difficult to say the least to do this. I figured though with the long layoff there’d barely be no one in line and it would be a relatively light night as it was going to take a while for us to build steam again…wrong

When I got there almost a full 90 minutes before I was slated to do signups it was already at double the capacity. There were gonna be a lot of sad faces tonight.

We got people signed up and the fun really began. We started early and one thing was apparent from the get go, this was going to be a night that was pretty heavy on talent. It seemed like everyone that hit the stage was going to be a real contender to win our competition. From New Wave Veterans Spoons for Adam to Soul newcomers the Overexposed, to The Parachuting Apostles, to banjo wielding Huston. Tonight it looked like the best acts in town were showing up and really competing.

The winner ended up being Gabby Fleishman, a young woman who’s been coming to Philly Rising off and on for about two years now. It was close bu she managed to make it out alive on a night where the competition was truly stiff. I was proud to be a Philly Musician tonight, and even though it didn’t make my leg hurt any less (actually it was pretty sore from all the walking I had to do) It made me smile, something I hadn’t really done all day.

Off to bed with me now. Gonna see if I can get some sleep, I’m almost certain it’s gonna be a long one tomorrow

Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 138

Day 137 - July 26th 2009

Nothin like goin to church after spending the previous night in hell…I swear my vision of hell is a club where they play techno music.

Another good service. My pastor usually let’s some of the other associate ministers like my Dad preach in the summers while he and his wife are away in the Bahamas. Today it was Rev. Bruton. Her sermons always come from a more social place, helping the poor and what not. She seemed to refer back to Jesus feeding the 5000 a lot.

I got home and that’s basically where I stayed for the remainder of the day. I’ve been running myself a bit ragged lately and rest was the only thing that was going to help with that.

I’m looking forward to Philly Rising tomorrow, we haven’t been doing it for the past few weeks and it’s going to be a pleasure returning (finally) to World Café Live .

Off to bed now.

Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 137

Day 136 - July 25th 2009

I woke up in jersey in a fog. The Malibu Rum I used to mix the drinks with’ll do that to you. I slept in till about 11 something I don’t normally do.

I heard the TV blasting and when I went upstairs I saw my sis and nieces were watching Torchwood, this British Sci-Fi series. It was pretty sweet, I’m sure an inferior American version will be on the way soon.

My folks got there around 2 and my mom and sis went to target while dad and I watched TV (the Phillies game and Eagle Eye respectively) and slept. They brought Chinese and we watched Push, decent movie.

I then got a call from Zach telling me that he and Rob were goin to the Barbary on Deleware Ave. I hate electronic music but I decided to give it a shot.

We got there around midnight we grab a drink or two and I’m approached by a blonde girl with a dick necklace. We chat for a minute mostly about her whiteness and then the conversation take a weird turn.

Blonde: So can I buy you a drink

Me: Sure

Blonde: I’m married so don’t try any funny stuff.

Me: What?

Blonde: I’m married.

Me: What does that have to do with you buying me a drink

Blonde: Fair enough

Then she slaps my butt and walks away. Weird drunk girls are insane.

I ended up running into an old friend of mine that I worked with when I was working at CAPA. That was kinda weird especially since I almost asked her to dance.

I attempted to dance but I could dance to this pulsating techno crap music.

I would tell you about the rest of the night but it’s foggy.

Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 136

Day 135 - July 24th 2009

I’ve got this thing about feedback. The morning after a big event I search the internet and talk to as many people as possible to get a feel for how the event was overall (me being the one that puts it together) and my actual performance. Having that information helps me make everything better so I’m hungry for it. I pop on the websites of the other acts to see what the feedback was, if there were problems I didn’t notice, things that people thought could have done better, so that if and when we work with these artists again I can improve.

The feedback so far ahs been good. One of the bands said they had sound issues with sound which is something we’ll be able to improve upon when we do shows with other bands in the future. The calls would come in next from people who came to the show, what they liked and didn’t like, who they wanna see again, who they don’t wanna see again, which girls were smokin hot (which was the feedback I kept getting about my string players…boys you’ll have to check with them about their availability)

What I hope is that people enjoyed themselves and that they tell people if you weren’t there you missed out. This time around especially I think that’s true. From top to bottom I thought it was an excellent show.

This weekend would be a rare time for leisure I met Steve (My bro in law) at Penn and we took a ride over to my sisters house. We played with the kids for a while and then when they went to bed we made drinks from the recipes found on the Red Lobster drink menu.

We got drunk watched Mike Epps and passed out.

Boy Wonder: Professional Musician 135

Day 134 - July 23rd 2009

Today’s the day.

I woke up this morning with the realization that this may be the biggest show of my career to date. The sheer level of people that I would be sharing he stage with was intimidating at best and to top it all off I was closing.

I spent some time with the questionarre sent to me by The Cellar Sessions pod cast, I’ll post it when I’m done. It’s pretty long.

My day basically started at 3:30 when I arrived at World Café Live for Soundcheck. Curt Chambers and Franklin Bridge got there around 4 and it was basically a matter of them getting things done and moving through so that we could start on-time. On a big show like this (8 acts, 4 Main stage and 4 Acoustic) there are a lot of factors and the number one factor is starting on time. I was worried when it was 7:03 and we hadn’t started.

We kicked off the show with Liat, a very talented young lady that I’ve been booking for quite some time she played four songs but apparently had problems with her guitar chord and it was shorting in and out. Her dad came up and tried to fix it probably throwing her off just a tiny bit. A brilliant 20 minute set.

Caitlin Potter would hit the stage next, as I was watching her I was standing next to Angela DiPalantino who was slated to perform next and I was talking about how when you have a long term relationship with an artist like I’ve had with Caitlin (almost two years now seven if you start from when she recorded that song on my first album) you get an opportunity to see them grow. She has really gotten to the point where she commands attention for all the right reasons. Caitlin truly has all the tools that you would want if you’re a female pop singer, great voice, great look, good songs, good stage presence, it’s only a matter of time.

Angela DiPalantino was up next. Angie spent some time in my band as my background singer. She’s really been working hard on her solo project since leaving and it shows. The songs sounded great and she has a very tight grasp of what she’s doing. She’s going to be an excellent pop artist.

Then Phunkyman hit the stage and basically destroyed it. I’ve always had a lot of love for them as a band and as people. It just amazes me that they make a sound like that. It’s Funky as hell, melodic, heavy, basically anything you would want out of music. The energy was fantastic. If I can sound like that in ten years I’ll be quite content. I can’t say enough about them I wish everyone could come next time and just check these guys out. They never ever disappoint and their audience seems to be growing. I learn so much just by watching them.

Emerson B would take the stage next and boy did he bring it. His hip hop mixed with Reggae mixed with funk is the perfect buffer to give your ears a break after a band like Phunkyman. People seemed to be running their mouths more during his set. I’m gonna try to put him on right before me next time to alleviate that just a bit.

It was time for the mighty Curt Chambers and Franklin Bridge would take the stage. Probably the most prominent band we’ve had on a HYPE! Show to date, it was a major coup for me to get them. Curt has a certain vibe and energy that the people soak up. His swagger is undeniable and the girls seemed to love him, my favorite moment was probably his closer Purple Rain. He actually went out into the audience and played a guitar solo while sitting on the soundboard. It was hilarious

The Damon Hamilton Project would follow. Probably the most elaborate of the acoustic acts. Like all the others it’s a shame you can only give them 20 minutes to do their thing. They’re one of my moms favoirte groups that I book. You gotta love Abracadabra and the Apple Juice Song.

Then after all this Amazing music the crowd (who strangely enough was still there) was forced to listen to my black ass for an hour

Set List
Superhero
(Oh) I Wish I loved You
The Way You Make Me Feel
How Can This Be Love
Feels so Good
(I Think We Should) Breakup
Leavin

It was Rob’s first gig back since his tonsillectomy. We didn’t seem to miss a beat. Our lack of time together caused us to do something that we do very well which is listen to each other. We were tight, it’s a great feeling. By The Way You Make Me Feel we were really cooking with gas. Bob Beach Came out and laid it down. I’d love to incorporate him more in the band. We talked about doing some duo acoustic stuff at some point in the near future. The horns were on point as usual. They are just getting better and better by the show and I may or may not add trombone to the proceedings once it’s all set and done. We were kicking ass. It was like the Eagles playing at the Linc, we had the home court advantage and the crowd was on their feet and dancing.

I had to get my Caucasian brothers and sisters on point with the clapping. I don’t get clapping on the upbeat. It’s on the 2 and 4 form here on out….lol. I have the best friends/fans on the planet. Hell even Val, Dani and Jaimi from Lickety Split showed up. It was an amazing show.

Someone described it as loose and colorful, very un-World Café Live like. But I love that place it’s awesome, you can turn it into a party there if you have the right kind of music, I had a great time

We ended with Leavin and Jake and I both had out of body experiences which would explain why we fell one measure behind the string quartet who looked absolutely gorgeous.

Encore
Billie Jean

The Encore is like the condom in the wallet, everyone knows it’s there but no one talks about it. We ended the night for real with a rousing version of Billie Jean.

We played for almost an hour and still ended the show 15 minutes early. I paid everyone and went home.

All in all it was the best show I have ever played to date and we’re just looking to take it to the next level from here on out.