Writing this on the plane back to Boston. Maybe it's because I'm half asleep from traveling & working & flying in airplanes w/ my ears blocked & everything sounds like rushing wind. Probably it's because I just finished reading Toni Morrison's Jazz & just began reading On The Road (for the dozenth time it seems).
Last night I landed in North Carolina. Never stayed there before. Just drove through quick once with my son (racing on the highway like nascar drivers). My flights got all screwed up & I checked into the hotel hours past when I expected to. But I had planned on going into Chapel Hill chasing music & lack of sleep & a late hour were no reason to back down now. I found The Cave on West Franklin, just down the street from some college (no idea which one), down a short alley and down the cement stairs. Not really a cave, but a basement, with a ceiling so low, that everyone had to duck. Had a couple of brown beers & a bag of bar nuts for my supper, listened to a couple of bands & chatted w/ the girl taking names for their mailing list & selling CDs. I bought the one from the guy who sang songs so sad it hurt.
Next day, woke up early & started in on coffee (voting early & voting often). Went to do the gig I was sent there for - lucked out when stuff finally came together & worked right around 4pm (after 7 hours straight, no break except to stop for more coffee and to pee). Leave on a high note - always leave them laughing. So I changed my return flight & high-tailed it out of there heading home. One last stop in Chapel Hill for a nice dinner at a micro-brewery before my flight (pasta primevera with too much cheese - like being in Wisconsin). In their bathroom was a poster for a free concert that night with "Lost in the Trees". Damn! I caught them at the Lilypad last year! They're a big band with like 8 or 12 musicians traveling the country in a old school bus running on fryolator oil. Crazy awesome sound of alt / folk / country / blues with just a touch of symphony hall thrown in for good measure. Almost great karma, but my flight was already changed and hotel room emptied. Should have stayed one more night but I was already falling towards Boston. I hope to catch the latin band "La Clave Secreta" at the Regatta Bar on Friday night.
So are you that girl? Chasing music, listening to folk or country or jazz or punk or noise or bluegrass or throat singers from Mongolia. Hearing some bad stuff, but knowing you don't want to risk miss hearing something fantastic that you'll remember forever.
Are you that woman? full grown, but still feels the child inside your heart? Riding your bike because it still makes you feel free and adventurous. Makes you feel like a cowgirl riding the city streets late at night.
Are you that girl? Am I your guy?
