When I was a drama kid, I was required to take Theatre History. It was mind-numbing for most of the time, but one awesome thing I took from it was a tidbit about vaudeville actors. Apparently, when vaudeville was in its prime, two complete strangers could meet at the stage entrance, compare notes, and do…
For those of you that don’t know, the Irish Rover is located on 38th St and 28th Ave, in my home base of Astoria. Every third drink is free!
March 31st, 2008, I had just finished moving my stuff from Pittsburgh (home for over 20 years) to New York, assisted and enabled by the ever-generous Kari, and was struck by inspiration. I was never one to go for April Fool’s jokes, but this one couldn’t be missed! The morning’s MySpace bulletin read: “Ha! I…
Yesterday, I got an email letting me know that “Sad Songs,” one of the songs off the album Boy Meets Girl, is going to be played at the end of the 6th inning on May 6, 2010, at PNC Park. I don’t know if they’re playing the full song or not, but they’re putting my…
“My real life was when I was just a working guy. You know, it’s OK to head out for Wonderful. But on your way to Wonderful, you’re gonna have to pass through All Right. And when you get to All Right, take a good look around, and get used to it, because that may be…
Do you live in Astoria? If not, do you like Astoria? If not, how do you know you don’t like Astoria? I mean, have you been there? Well, don’t you think you should try it out before you knock it? Good! Then do that on this or any every Tuesday, by stopping out to Winegasm,…
Last night, after a co-write session and a few stops off at clubs to inquire about future bookings, I hopped the F-train to Bergen St, and a pub called Ceol, where on Wednesday nights, Niall Connolly hosts the Wednesday Night Song Club. Niall was one of the first dudes I met on my way out…
As I type this, I’m sitting on a vinyl-coated bench at the tiny-yet-spaciously-intriguing Root Hill Cafe in Park Slope. It took me an hour to get here from Astoria by train, but that hour is well spent on the pursuit of a boundless opportunity — a new open mic. Open mics are a huge part…
Remember 6 months ago, when Facebook forced us all to talk about ourselves in.the third person, by starting every status with “(First Name) (Last Name) is:”, and then they took the “is” away so we could decide for ourselves whether to be narcissistic douches? I’d like to think we’re better as a society with the…
A special thanks is in order, to the crowd that came out last night. That was an hour of pure privilege. Picking a performing art as a career involves a lot of self-assurance and a thick skin. You hear “no” so much more often than “yes,” and you deal with a lot of callous disrespect…