A String of Honky Tonk Friday Nights

As you may already know, I've just been on tour with Danny Kay & The Nightlifers, a honky tonk band based out of Baltimore, MD. We were having a great time and a good tour until we hit some unexpected rough patches. The last straw was our bass player, Johnny Lawless, falling ill. We had to pull the plug then. Big apologies to those who had been planning to come out and see us. We will try to reschedule for the spring.



L-R Johnny Lawless, Danny Kay, Memphis Mike @ The Parlour, Providence, RI

Some of you may be wondering "So, how was the rest of the tour?"  In short, GREAT!

We kinda got a late start though. Johnny drove up from Virginia to pick me up in Pittsburgh and then out to the middle of nowhere in the mountains where Danny Kay is now residing. We're talking Bigfoot Country. Once we were all aboard and packed up and strapped in, it was straight to Harrisburg, PA for our first show of the tour.

Susquehanna Ale House 22  Harrisburg, PA

In case you didn't know, we had NO rehearsal for this tour. Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. I had done one show with these guys, back in July...just one set...that's all the practice we got. DK had given me a list of songs and I learned them. Once it was showtime, it was time to prove that I had. We had a nice turn out, especially for a Wednesday night. Folks were moving and grooving and singing along. We sold a fair amount of merch (merchandise = CDs, t-shirts, etc...for those not in the know) too. Hell, I even sold 3 of my CDs...and it wasn't even my show!

A friend of DK's, Dale, was kind enough to put us up at his house...and WOW! what a place it was! Nestled back in the tall trees, well off the road, it's a beautiful house complete with a bar, hot tub, movie theater room and more than enough rooms to comfortably accommodate us all. There was a little 'get together' with some friends and fans...that went on well into the night. We were pretty tired but it was nice to get to hang out with folks a bit. Dale's girlfriend had taken the day off and made us a batch of home-made "whoopie pies" (Gobs to you Pittsburgh folks) to take on the road with us...and let me tell you, not only were they good, they were well appreciated! It took us a few days to finish them off...but we did! I think I ate the last one in Connecticut. They traveled well!

After a good sleep, we loaded up the van and headed east to Philly...


The Shore Road Tavern  Philadelphia, PA

I hadn't played anywhere in Philly in years. Hell, I haven't toured in any real sense since my heart attack back in 07, so I was up for anything. I wasn't expecting the Shore Road Tavern!

The drive to Philly was pretty short...but Philly didn't disappoint when it came to remembering how crappy the traffic is. The GPS was going nuts and sending all over the place. We took a brief detour to DK's buddy Smitty's garage to get the van's heater checked out...as we figured we'd probably need it. (we did!) Smitty's is pretty well hidden but MAN O MAN what a treasure! If you're a fan of old cars and trucks, you'd love the place! There were a large number of old cars from the 40s/50s in various states of repair. It seems that Smitty gets these old cars and fixes them up for resale, as well as doing custom jobs and repairs. He also has 2 very cool old tow trucks. I made sure to get photos of them for a buddy of mine who is a tow truck driver.

From there it was on to the venue. Along the way, we drove down a city street that boasted no less than 30 different barber shops! If you need a haircut, obviously Philly is the place to be. Average price: $5. I saw a barber shop not far from the venue and they were charging $10! That place must be amazing to charge such an extravagant price!

We pulled up to the venue and it looked, from the outside, like any old city bar. We walked in through the stage door and I have to say that I was amazed at the petite size of the place. The stage wasn't much bigger than some drum risers I've seen...but it was well lit and they had a good PA system. They also have a trap door...so for a Munsters fan like me, I was loving it.

The bar really is tiny...but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in coolness. The owners, Mike & Kathy, are great folks and you can tell that not only do they love their bar, they love music! They are big supporters of live music and working musicians. It appears that they regularly have live music and the Thursday night that we played was no exception. In fact, there were 2 acts on the bill...us and Stevie Tombstone.  Stevie tours solo, just him and his guitar, but had a stellar banjo picker named Buck flying in for a few east coast shows.

After loading in and settling in to the apartment afforded us by the club (more about that in a minute), DK, Johnny Lawless, Stevie Tombstone & I walked a few blocks down to a place called Joe's for a Philly Cheesesteak sammich (sans cheese for me). While the food was good...the milkshakes were amazing! I loaded up on hot peppers too...so I almost felt bad for the band.

Back at the club later, Stevie & Buck put on an amazing show of blues-y honky tonkin' folky kind of music. It was breath-taking. I wish I could've caught the whole set but I had to S.S.S.(Shit Shower Shave) before the show. OK...I didn't shave. Didn't shave the entire tour. I wanted to see if I can grow a beard. I can...but it turns out to be a pathetic, patchy white mess.

The apartment that the club has for traveling acts is fantastic! Reminds me of the place my old buddy Perry Petrone had for traveling bands...and if you know that name, you know what I'm talking about! Clean, comfortable, and home-y. Nice beds, full kitchen, clean bathroom and shower...what more could you ask for? Lots of very cool posters and memorabilia too!

The Shore Road Tavern is a must! Check the place out next time you're in Philly!

We got back to the bar and caught the last of Stevie's set. The packed house was loving it. I knew this would be a tough act to follow...so we set up and gave it 125%! And it showed! We did 2 sets full of DK's original honky tonk and a few select country and rockabilly covers. The crowd danced all night. I was tickled to see my friend Grace there (one of my best friend's sister). She really enjoyed the show and her friend Mike also dug it.  By the night's end, we were pretty tuckered out...and were thankful to not have to load out until morning. We just packed everything up and stored it, and then had a few beers with some friends, fans, Mike & Kathy, and Danielle, the bartender. Good times! By 2:30 we went to the apartment to crash. I had a room to myself (something really important on the road...ya just need some alone time) and sat and played some delta blues on an old guitar left there by an aging country singer. As I was drifting off to sleep, I could hear DK in the other room watching the movie "The Commitments". This was the start of the Otis Redding nightmare.

I got up early, SSS'ed and went for a walk around Philly. We were blessed with pretty nice weather for this tour. It was cool but not cold. The Shore Road Tavern is in a very working class area of Philly and I went walking through side streets, up to the cemetery, down to the Wawa (an east coast convenient store chain) looking for instant coffee to take on the road with me, and eventually back to the apartment, where I ran into Stevie and Buck downstairs practicing some killer new material. If you're not hip to Stevie Tombstone's music...get with it! He's totally bad ass!

Finally, the 2 mighty sleepers (DK & Johnny Lawless) got up and ready, we loaded up the truck, said our thank you's and good-byes and hit the road.  The ride up to Vermont seemed endless. The GPS was mocking us with "unique" directions.

RIOT IN COWTOWN/The Barn  Pawtel, VT

I'd been through Vermont in my younger days but don't believe I ever played there. VT is mostly rural (from what I could see) and seemingly mostly white. It sort of struck me like a living, breathing LL Beane catalogue. Lots of people in expensive flannels and khakis. Don't get me wrong...a very nice place...but being a city boy, I really felt out of my element.

We pulled up to The Barn and from the outside, looked as advertised. On the inside, however, this is a pretty posh joint. Pawtel is a small small town, so this seems to be the place to go. The staff were great and treated us well. We were getting free dinner and drinks along with our pay, so it was time to dig in. I opted for the Guiness-marinated steak and let me tell you, THAT WAS SOME GOOD EATING! I rarely eat red meat anymore due to my ticker...but damn, that was one excellent big ol' hunk of meat! The spud, salad and rolls were great too. Washed down with a local lager and a cup of coffee and seriously, I could've gone and taken a nap....but it was time to work! They offered us dessert too...but I was already bloated like a tic, so we declined.

We set up onstage and by the 2nd number, some older folks in the crowd were up and dancing. I even stepped down off the stage during a song to dance a bit with an old gal who looked to be having the time of her life.

DK was having some throat problems but we kept it going. Johnny and I started the 2nd set without DK...to let him rest his throat for a few minutes. We did the old George Fleming song "I'm Gonna Tell" and Hank Sr's "Move it On Over". The crowd was enjoying the show big time. DK rejoined up and we honky tonked the crap out of the joint!

After the show, we went to the place we were being put up for the night; an old sap house converted to a cabin. I'd been told all night that the view in the morning was truly a sight to see...and I couldn't wait to get a good night's sleep so I could get up early and see it. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case....

I'll say this: there is NO light pollution in this part of VT. I haven't seen a sky that clear and star-filled since the last time I was in Australia. The constellations practically jumped out at ya and the sky seemed almost closer. It was gorgeous...but there was a big party going on at the sap house cabin...and things were gonna get weird.

DK had been trying to fix his sore throat with bourbon all night...not a smart move...and he paid for it...behind the van...all over the ground.

In the sap house is where the real party was going down. It's a small building with just a wood burning stove for heat...but it was hot & hopping in there! Plenty of beer, wine and whiskey and unless my olfactory senses deceived me, a bit of Auntie Mary Jane's Herbal Remedy. We all just wanted so sleep. It had been a long day...but people always want to hang out with the band, so I'm used to it. I had a few beers, played guitar a bit with one of the guests, and made a new friend of a guests' golden retriever G-Dog.

DK, feeling pretty much like crap by this point, was trying to crash on the couch in his sleeping bag. Johnny, being the smart one, climbed the ladder up into the loft. I'd finally cleared folks off of the couch on the far side of the room, and started stretching out...with my new friend G-Dog curling up with me.

Folks started to realize that we need some sleep, so they started heading out...except for one gal who was 'feeling no pain' and looking a male friend of hers. JD. We heard that name for the next few hours. "Where's JD?"  "Has anyone seen JD?" "JD, WHERE ARE YOU???"  "JD! JD! JD!"

Me, I can pretty much sleep through anything. I once slept through a tornado, right under an open window, as roofs were being blown off of houses. I slept right through it...so this didn't bother me much. DK & Johnny, on the other hand, were less than thrilled. This was also the continuation of the Otis Redding nightmare.

Someone had put on a "Best of Otis Redding" CD...and had it on continual play. For the next few hours, while we tried to rest, we heard the cries of "JD?!?!? JD?!?!!?! WHERE'S JD?!!!?" over the nonstop backing of Otis Redding. It was becoming a bit maddening...but I eventually fell asleep.

I woke up to the sounds of Johnny up in the loft explaining that no, he was not JD...but Johnny from the the band. I opened my eyes just in time to see a body fall from the loft...and land on DK! As she fell, she also brought down a shelf covered with fishing lures. The shelf, thankfully missed DK's head by a few inches but he was covered in fishing lures and this chick. The running joke for the rest of the tour was that "Girls fall hard for Danny Kay". As I didn't have my glasses on, it was all a blur. I heard Johnny yell down "Are you OK????" and while DK grunted that he was, the young lady also stated that she was and continued her search for JD. She then came over and asked if I knew where he was. I didn't, and went back to sleep.

After a few hours of fitful snoozing, I got up to check out this view I was told about. It did NOT disappoint! In my opinion, it was worth it! See for yourself!

I'll write more about this tour later on...but for now, I have laundry to catch up and I'm too busy enjoying being home, in my robe and slippers, playing with the cat and feeling content in the knowledge that there is excellent toilet paper in both of my bathrooms. See, that's what ya miss on the road: the little things we all take for granted. A hot shower, good toilet paper, your own coffee maker, slippers, etc.  But, if you love to make music, the road is always a joy. Entertainers are lucky people. Our job is to make people happy, one night at a time.