Charlie's Tour Blog 1/31/2010
On the Metro North train from NYC to Beacon, heading up to spend some time at Chez KETP with Kelly and Tim, play some songs, eat some food, laugh a bunch, excited. The train is skirting the Hudson River and the sky is bright blue today, sunshine glittering off the ripples in the center of the river and ice chunks on the sides. Beautiful day.

Spent last night in NYC and took the 1 and the F from Mike Skliar's place up on 104th & Amsterdam down to Delancey St to see Spottiswoode and His Enemies play at The Living Room on Ludlow. Had a nice chat with Jonathan before the show, it was cool to see him again. It felt like he's in transition, his hand in some new potential projects, his feet dragging in previous engagements, not quite sure where the train was headed. He said he was "idling" a couple of times I think, that verb had a few repetitions. I hadn't seen the band since just after 9/11 so it was kind of fascinating to me to see how they'd all aged together. The saxophone player that I remembered as an intense black-haired film school student type back then now looked more like a NYC career woman, the kinetic drummer I remembered as the crazed engine of the cavalcade now impressed me more like a matured rhythmic glue that held the circus together. The conversation with Jonathan before the show colored my perspective of his performance I think, he said he had a bit of a scratchy throat and then proceeded to sing with awesome dynamic variation, from perfectly pitched falsetto whispers to confident narrative baritone verses and on to blood curdling screams (that he often did completely off-mic in the intimate space). My skewed perspective of 9 years passing between performances made me feel a subtle change in the band's personality, they felt slightly more resigned in their cynicism and satire, perhaps a shade readier to go for the laugh, whereas before the dark spectacle of the cabaret dominated the emotional impact. It's hard for me to explain. Perhaps more to do with my new perspective from 9 years passing than theirs.

The FAWM Party at Mike Skliar's was warm fun, with finger veggies, pita and hummus, followed by pizza delivery. Several people played a song or two and I managed to do the radio show using my cell phone and Mike's PC. I caught the 1 back downtown with "Swampjaw" who jumped off at PABT to catch a bus back to Binghamton. I gazed longingly across the expanse at his professor career, in a nowhere town in the north, the 3rd such career on this trip after Greg and Burr. So desperately appealing and unsettlingly static.

Had a great discussion with Dustin Schell at his apartment and over lunch at a Thai restaurant just around the corner earlier in the afternoon. Dustin had gone to a life coach for 7 months of sessions recently and felt very peaceful and focused on pursuing a fulfilling life. I met his partner Alex briefly as they packed to catch a bus to Amherst for 4 days of writing and some meetings, he was grounded and creative and wonderful, with soft understanding eyes and a novelist's insightful gaze. Dustin's film is touring in a festival from Australia to Paris to LA and he sounded happy and pragmatic. It was good to see someone with a grounded perspective on creativity rather than the starry-eyed potential home-run hitters I'm more used to speaking with.

Man, this ride up the Hudson is beautiful. We're literally right on the water.

I have to pack up to get off the train. More soon. -Charlie