2 Years

2 years ago today I had just moved into a basement apartment. I was sleeping on a blowup mattress and the floor had just been finished so I was dealing with a constant nausea that comes from breathing in fumes. I had just finished a stint of sleeping on people's sofas for over a year, traveling like a wandering gypsy, bags and guitar in tow. The blowup mattress was a big step up.

I rushed with my guitar and equipment to a show held at Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn for Marriage Equality New York. As everything was being setup,I spied a boy in tight jeans with nice legs and very cute floppy ears. I told my friend that he would be my boyfriend. I of course never made eye contact or tried to approach him. It was more of a joke. I had given up on dating. My life at that point in fact did not even leave room for flirtation. I was content with and resigned to being alone.

I performed a set as my self while two dragqueen friends, Chic and Sassy held umbrellas over my head to sheild me and my guitar from the rain. Then, I performed a set as Kitt & Kaboodle, my cabaret alter-ego with Jeff Cubeta. I was packing up my guitar and winding down when I was approached by a tight jean wearing floppy eared boy. He asked if I had a mailing list. I said yes, but I had rushed and didn't have it with me. He seemed dejected. Was he flirting with me? I was impervious to such things and oblivious perhaps, but hopeful. Maybe I wasn't content with being alone. I had seen him earlier walking around with a microphone followed by a camera crew. I asked him what they were filming for and he told me it was for a television show produced by the LGBT community center. I gave him my email address and told him to email me to let me know when the show aired. (this is the short version, btw. He left and then came back minutes later. I thought I had scared him away...and the whole throughout the whole situation I was very confused with his intentions...if it was flirtation, professional networking...I had no clue.)

I received an an email a few days later

"Hello, Im the guy with the camera from the marriage rally. The show
will be airing the third thursday of June in Manhattan on time warner
34 at 1030 and some other time on BCAT. You can also watch it online
at gaycenter.org/out.
Also if you ever want to grab a coffee or something that would be great."

I responded:


"Hey Konstantine (a.k.a. guy with the camera)

Thanks for the info. I don't own a television, so I'll
have to check it out on the website.

I am always up for grabbing a coffee or something. If
that something involves an old wooden rollercoaster in
Coney Island or a game of pool, even better.
I'm free Thursday evening,this friday from 2-4pm or after
8pm(very specific, I know), and then I'm in Minneapolis
doing a show, but I'll be back on Monday."

I will spare you the details and just say, the rest is history.
Two year later, I'm engaged to a floppy eared boy who looks quite hot in tight jeans.
oh and he is smart and sweet and kind and gentle and all that stuff... If you need a puke bucket, I totally understand.

Nov. 1st at Googies

Come one, come all!
You can never recapture this moment once it has slipped away

Thursday, Nov. 1st
9:30 PM
Googies Lounge Above The Living Room
154 Ludlow Street
(between Stanton and Rivington)
website

This Sunday at Pianos

Me=LIVE!

This Sunday, I'm performing live(not dead)
Here in New York City.

followed by the delicious Maddy Wyatt at 8pm.

Aug. 12th 7pm

Pianos
158 Ludlow Street at Stanton (Upstairs)

Coming Soon....

"Northworst Airlines"
The gripping tale of a tour, a flight, a lost guitar and a man in a turban screaming outside a Brooklyn window. You will laugh. You will cry. You will join me in never flying Northwest airlines again EVER!!!!

The Empire Crumbles

Photo by Carrie Thomas

I find myself coasting down toward the landing strip after frantically circling for so long. There were times in the last year where I consistently got 4 hours of sleep per night. I have been so focused on my music and my goals that I have not given much time to myself to just eat pudding and watch cartoons. So, that is what I am doing. I am embracing two months of laziness. Don't fret though, I am never completely idle. I am working on writing songs for the next album and I go back into the studio on the 24th to record a song which is brand spanking new called Duct Tape and Super Glue. Some of you got to hear a preview of this song out on the road.

Lately I find myself focused on something rather important. It's odd how this subject came into my head, but it involves roads and bridges. Having found myself in unfamiliar cities across the country doing shows I discovered one disturbing trend, One thread of similarity. The paint on every bridge in this country is pealing away, chipping and the metal underneath is rusting. There are cracks in every sidewalk in every city and potholes on every street.

This may seem like a simple little thing with no meaning, but for me it is a sign of a decaying empire. Our infrastructure, our roads, our rails, our streets are literally crumbling and not being repaired. We have focused all our money and resources on a war that benefits only the few elite involved for their own special self interests. Our educational system is falling apart. Our healthcare system and social security are a mess, yet we continue to funnel money into a war with no end in sight, a war that ultimately makes this country a less safe place to live.

Historically, the end of most empires came when they tried to stretch their reach too far, focusing their resources on colonizing and controlling descenting nations.
We have become so arrogant in our neocolonization of the world that Russia has initiated a move towards a cold war attitude against the United States.

The empire is crumbling as our landfills grow larger with imported chinese trinkets. Penny by penny, those trinkets are building another empire.
We have become a nation full of consumers as manufacturing jobs move overseas. What we think we are saving in sweatshop labor, we are losing in the end.
It is the way of history and the world. One empire will fall as another comes to take its place.

We need to pass legislation to stop overseas sweatshops and outsourcing of jobs. We need to stand up to our leaders and say no to endless wars that take innocent lives with absolutely no justification for being initated. We need to change our direction as a country if we are to remain a world power or we all need to pull out that credit card one last time and buy a good book. I recommend a beginner's guide to chinese.

The empire is crumbling.

Friday & Saturday

Last Friday, I was supposed to go with K. to see The Year of the Dog.
Due to a mixup on the Angelika's website, we ended up in a theatre
clutching tightly to one another with a giant bucket of popcorn inbetween as
we watched 28 weeks later. I enjoyed the first movie quite a bit,
but this one was a bit too gruesome for me.
There were times where I had to turn away from the screen and bury my head in K's chest.
It scared the bejezus out of us. I think I still have claw marks on my arms.


We slept until noon on Saturday and then went to the park to look at the swans and take in the grandeur of nature. The one thing that we both found disturbing was how much trash people throw into the park. You see a beautiful pond and a swan family and then a floating plastic bottle. Despite this, living close to the park is so great. Though we could have spent all day there, we both had things to do. We took the train to queens so that K could go home and I could get my keyboard. I then rushed back to Brooklyn to grab some things out of storage, shower and eat before running into the city for soundcheck. The usual lack of consistency and order that is the trademark of the New York subway system sent me on a roundabout journey on trains I never even knew existed into a near brush with the underworld and the mole people.

I found myself running through the streets of the west village guitar in tow, trying to get to the duplex for soundcheck. I arrived drenched in sweat and was greeted by multiple people asking me if it was raining outside.
"No, I replied. That's just my sweat."

I batted my eyelashes and managed to use my manly whiles to get a fresh shirt for the show from the very sweet official guardian of the Gender offenders T-shirts, Mister Brian Maschka.

Before I knew it, the duplex was stuffed full. The house was packed. There in the audience was K. We occasionally were able to steal glances but for the most part I was in work mode. I did two sets....applause applause. After the second set I ended up standing on top of a toilet with my guitar in a dressing room that is more like a hallway as the dragqueens changed outfits for their final number. I was given the task of holding a wig and stuffing anything into Candy Samples' bra that might be hanging out. In case you hadn't figured it out, this was the highlight of my night.

I hung out for a bit with the lovely Jeff Cubeta, and the Gender Offenders who gave a stellar performance that night.
I left on the early side knowing that I had to get up at 5am to catch a bus to New Paltz for their pride celebration. I will sleep when I'm dead.

(Coming Soon...Sunday in New Paltz)

If You're in Minneapolis...

I will be appearing on
Fresh Fruit
May 17th at 7pm.
90.3FM in Minneapolis/106.7FM in St. Paul

As mentioned in a recent post, I am featured in the current issue Lavender Magazine.
(Scroll Down)

Last but not least and actually most important,
I will be performing at

The Wilde Roast Cafe
518 Hennepin Ave. E.
Minneapolis
May 26th at 8pm
$5 Suggested Donation(so mamma can eat)

Jesus lives in Ohio

Driving through the lush serene landscape of Ohio, I found myself
engulfed in a kind of peace that could only come from Jesus.
I knew that something was amiss when I looked in the Columbus phone book and found more listings for churches than bars, but I thought nothing of it.

Then there were the large signs that said "JESUS LIVES" "JESUS IS REAL"

We passed the giant tower that said "JESUS IS LORD"

Had we made a wrong turn into the bible belt? I thought for sure Ohio was closer to the bible nipple. Apparently I was wrong.

Right now, I am stretched atop the bed in the Dayton Econo Lodge. If you're really keeping up with my blog and obsessively checking it, you even have time to stalk me before I get to the bus station for my glamour ride back to New York.

I had something strange happen this evening. For the first time in my musical career, I had a woman return my cd. I gave her back her money as she apologized saying that she couldn't play my music in front of her children. This woman named Joel(like Noel) had sat through my first set this evening in Dayton and enjoyed the music so much that she ran to get cash and buy my cd. Apperently, she started listening to the cd after leaving the show, midset and got to the song, Marlboro Man, which totally rocked her world and not in a good way.

As I was packing everything up and getting ready to leave, here came Joel with cd in hand and a kind of embarassed look on her face. I gave her back her money and took back the used CD.

I found myself in an odd place this evening where I feared that speaking my mind and being who I am would offend people. I've never set out to offend people. I've only ever tried to speak from my heart without filtering or lying about who I am and what i feel. I changed a lyric mid-song. I don't live to give you head suddenly came out of my mouth as I don't live to make your bed.

I changed my setlist as I heard the woman working in the cafe talking about how the proximity to all the bars made this place the perfect location for her to minister to people. What better place than the street with the tattoo parlor and the sex shop? This is where she would bring people to Jesus. Pictures of Jesus hung from the wall next to a nude painting of a woman.

Where does the line exist between integrity and self preservation. I don't want to be run out of Ohio with pitchforks and torches and in fact I was received well by the folks of Dayton. It saddens me a bit that someone like Joel liked my music until she heard one song that conflicted with her beliefs. Suddenly I was the devil in CD form, come to corrupt her children and lead then down the fiery path to hell. If Jesus lives in Ohio, then maybe it is fitting that the devil lives in Brooklyn, a blonde boy with a guitar, now branching out to other states to tempt the holy through songs laced with sin.

Greetings from Ohio

There is nothing like a roach motel with cigarette burns in the curtains and an indescribable chemical smell used to remove some far worse smell to let You know that you've truly made it in the music business.

I took a bus, yes a bus from New York City to Columbus Ohio. I took two of my little dolls to help me sleep but even they could not distract me from the large man who was using me as a pillow. I woke up at 4am in the middle of West Virginia with the feeling that my neck might be permanaently damaged and in need of an emergency visit to the Chiropractor. I spent an hour in a bus station in Pittsburg sitting indian style on the ground, slumped over my backpack just so I could get a window seat on the dirty dog.

I arrived in Columbus with bloodshot eyes and a dazed and confused look that turned heads, wheeling a PA System, carrying a guitar, a backpack and a bag. I looked more like a packmule than a human being. I have become Robert German's roadie. The pay is terrible. The accomodations are 2star at best, but at the end of the day, I know that the twisted spine and sore muscles are all for the greater cause.

I left my cellphone in New York, which led to a rather neuotic spree of skype phone calls at the local Columbus Starbucks. I had my big bubble headphone on, yelling at my laptop. I'm sure I created some sort of scene, but it had to be done.

Last night I did an hour set at Q Bar in Columbus followed by socializing with my friend Michael Jackson (not the one who touches children) who came all the way from Indiana just to see the show. God bless you, Michael.

After a drive through serene country landscape littered with geese, sheep and outhouses, I find myself in Gambier Ohio. Oh, my good deed for the day was saving a butterfly. It flew into the car and we pulled over to give it back to nature.

It is the simple things that really make it all worth while.

More to come...

The Headless armless legless man from Worcester

Last weekend, I treked up north for a show in Worcester Mass.
It was only a 5 hour busride, so spinal damage was minimum.
I got off the bus and into a cab with a driver who started telling me
all about Worcester in an accent that is hard to describe. We shall just say that it was "New Englandy"

The highlight of the conversation was his warning to me about my safety on the mean streets of Worcester.
He pointed to a hill with railroad tracks and told me all about a body that had been found there with no head, no arms, no legs. Apparently there were no witnesses as to what might have happened or to who the torso might have belonged.

By the time I got to the venue I was scared to even go out onto the sidewalk with all the tales of crackwhores and murder.

I had some coffee, a blt and got to spend some time chatting with Lara Ewen, a fellow Brooklynite who came up to open for me. It was funny since we had never met, but we hit it it off as she is a kindred spirit out on the road doing her thing.

Lara's friends, the Noonans came to the show and stuck around for my set. I was delighted by their hospitality when they offered for me to stay with them in Barre Mass. Barre is this beautiful town smack dab in the middle of the state with a quaint charm. Lara describes it as the town where the show Gilmore Girls is filmed and I couldn't think of a better way to describe it myself.

The Noonans live in this beautiful farm house connected to a barn. Kim Noonan, a very skilled artist and vibrant soul, gave me the tour of the house, which was built in the 1800's. She also shared her art with me, which was quite spectacular. We all sipped herbal tea and chatted into the wee hours. I fell asleep on the plush sofa and awoke with a startle at around 3am. The Noonan's three cats were all on top of me. The ring leadeer, butros butros was kneeding his paws into my chest. I freaked out and sent the cats running.

In the morning I was greeted with fresh coffee and homemade banana muffins. Chaz, who is also a musician asked Lara and I to sing backing vocals in his home studio on a track he is working on. So there we were laughing and singing "I'm the Mudlark" haha
Oh, I love Mass.(the state not the church service)

Lara and I became road buddies on the way to Boston. She dropped me off at the bus statin and we said our goodbyes.
I took the Fung Wah bus back to New York. Though I was glad to be home, a part of my heart is still in Barre Mass.

Blah

I am guilty of neglectfulness in blogging. Oh my dear readers, I've been a bizzy bee. Where to begin...

Well, The music video is in the editing process. I have seen two seperate rough cuts and I'm very excited to see the edges rounded out and the little piece of mini-cinema to be ready for mass consumption. You've been chomping at the bit to see it, I'm sure you have. Unfortunately you will have to wait until the fall. Good things come to those who wait, I hear.

I've been doing lots of performing. I went up to Boston and over to New Jersey. This weekend I head to Worcester Massachussettes and find myself in Dayton and Columbus Ohio next weekend. I'm doing some New York performances as well.

I am currently though temporarily homeless as I wait for renovations to be completed on my new apartment. I neglected to mention that I've been living in Queens for the last 2 months in a sublet. I am not a queens boy. I have Brooklyn in my blood. I'm delighted to say that on May 15th I will again become a Brooklyn boy in a cozy new home by my favorite park in New York City. I am going to rollerblade and sun my pale skin to lobstered blissfulness. This is the definition of glamour.

I would like to give a big thank you to Chris for organizing and promoting the performance in North Brunswick, New Jersey. All of you guys were so warm and attentive and I enjoyed chatting with everybody. I was even sent home with a bag of sandwiches. For a starving artist I sure know how to eat. Thanks for indulging my glutenous ways.

Cafe Ole' Set List

Here is the set list from Cafe Ole'

Set1
Walking
Mr. Carpentier
Flapjacks
Sirens of Brooklyn
Single File
Glitters and Sparkles
Marlboro Man
Life Was Simple
God in the Telephone Book

Set 2
Lemon Scented
Follow Me Home
Follow
Hiding From Your Pain
Before You Go
Duct Tape and Superglue
Down So Low
This 2 Shall Pass
Fishnet Sailor

Thank you So much for the very warm reception. Most of all, I want to give a warm thank you to Errol who gave me a ride back to Brooklyn. You have a kind soul, good sir.

Connecticut and other Near Death Experiences

Saturday I did a show in Connecticut at a sweet little space called Jitters. I addictively sipped peppermint tea throughout the night and did two sets followed by a third short set. If you notice on the setlist, I played flapjacks twice, breaking a sacred rule of not repeating the same song in the same venue on the same night. However, to defend myself, Flapjacks was such a big hit with the people of Jitters...and when people start throwing their panties and screaming for flapjacks, I heat up the griddle like any good cook in the kitchen. It was also the owner of the venue, a sweet woman named Shirley who requested the song. Now how could I refuse? Thank You Shirley for having us. Thank you, Mr. Carpentier for driving me to the show and as always for being the best friend I could ever ask for.

I tip the biggest of hats To Mr McWiggens Chesteraurther III(Chris) for coming all the way down from Vermont to do the pyrotechnics(sound). Once again, to the woman in the red dress. I am really sorry for setting your poodle on fire during the Acoustic Black Sabath tribute.

After the show, we decided to drop by a local bar for a post performance drink. Though the loud hiphop and unfriendly stares initially had me on edge, I thought I would try to just blend in and relax as best I could. I am very white, by the way. I'm like one step away from being an albino.

I hadn't even taken 3 sips when a bar brawl broke out. You know it's bad news when there is a girl on her back on the floor and there are fists flying. I thought people were going to pull out guns. The fight kept shifting around the bar so that we couldn't find a clear path to the exit. I wondered if this was really it? "Oh Jesus, please please please. don't let them pop a cap in my ass."
Would I die in Connecticut? Luckily, we were able to escape.

It is rather funny that people perceive New York as being a dangerous place. The perception of Connecticut is that of someplace more wooded and quiet with chirping birds and cute little farms. Oh Connecticut, with your underbelly of violence, I applaud you for flashing my life before my eyes. Who knew I would one day breath easy arriving in the safety of Brooklyn?

Southington, CT Setlist

Some Crazy tales from the Connecticut road coming soon. For now, here are my set lists from the show at Jitters. A huge thank you to Chris for coming all the way down from Burlington to do the sound for this show.

First set

Walking Song
Flapjacks(unreleased)
God in the Telephone Book(unreleased)
Duct Tape and Superglue(unreleased)
Glitters and Sparkles(unreleased)
Marlboro Man
Life Was Simple(unreleased)
Follow
Mr. Carpentier(unreleased)

2nd Set

Lemon Scented
Selling Out(unlreleased)
Down So Low(unreleased)
Single File(unreleased)
The Siren(unreleased)
Hiding From Your Pain
Before You Go
Paper Bag(Fiona Apple Cover)
Well Formed Man
Afraid of The Dark(unreleased)
Sirens of Brooklyn

3rd Set

Fishnet Sailor
Flapjacks(repeated by request)
This 2 Shall Pass

For Carrie Thomas

Last night I had the pleasure of spending some quality time with the lovely Ms Carrie Thomas, master photographer, writer and general renaissance woman. I had a healthy helping of bacon, one of the ten random things make me happy while she ate her usual buffalo wings. Oh, we are such creatures of habit.

Well, as per our conversation, Carrie, Here you go.

UPCOMING SHOWS!!!

French Saturday, Chinese Sunday

Photo by Carrie Thomas

For some odd reason, my weekend was very thematic as though a sorority girl had planned out a list of activities. Maybe tonight is hula night and tomorrow is a 50's themed poodle skirt mixer. Who knows at this point?

Saturday was my French themed adventure with the lovely Mr. Carpentier. We started the evening by dropping my Chez Brigitte for some homecooked French comfort food just like grandma used to make, or at least Mr. M's grandma. My grandma is more of a batter-it-and-fry-it kind of a girl.

The food hit the spot and I give this hidden dining gem 41/2 stars or two thumbs up, depending on your choice of rating system.

After our din din, we scooted uptown to see Hannibal Rising at a theater on 34th street. Interestingly enough, the majority of the movie was set in Paris. We were joined by mister Jimminy Cricket, as my ex-roomate, the Finnish Wonder used to call him. We decided to have a post movie drink at Barracuda, but it was too crowded, so we decided to visit Xes. Once again, the strange French theme continued as they were showing the making of some calendar with French Rugby players on the video screen. I was both horrified and transfixed.

Livers saturated, We all hopped in a cab back to Mr. M's lovely abode, where we decided to watch The Triplets of Belleville, one of my favorite movies of all time, animated or otherwise. I had brought it over for Mr. M to watch and had forgotten it in his DVD player. Coincidence, or just another part of French Saturday, pre-ordained by fate and the mysterious workings of the universe?
I fell asleep watching the triplets and woke to the sound of my phone alarm playing this horribly annoying Chinese Song and kicking off Chinese Sunday. I had a bus to catch.

I was running behind and running through Chinatown as chinese new year seemed to be exploding all around me. The ground was cold and littered with confetti. Small children were throwing small fireworks with small hands. A general jovial jubilation was sweeping through chinatown as I shoved and inched my way ever closer to the Fung Wah Bus. This bus, for those of you that don't know is a $15 each way bat out of hell ride between Boston and New York.

You clench your clawed hand to the railing and watch the space time continuum being bent like a prezel and just pray you make it to your destination in one piece.

For some reason, the Fung Wah bus was not what I had pictured in my head. I had imagined live chickens in cages. In fact there were no chickens, and I was quite disappointed.

I got to Boston in one piece, meeting up with Ryan, Erika's Bass player. We navigated the train system to cambrige and dropped all our gear at All-Asia before leaving to grab a cup of coffee. It was good to have a bit of downtime before the show and it gave me a chance to try and fix my bed-hed which was at its all-time cracked-out high thanks to the Fung Wah trip and having rushed to the bus without time to shower.

Sunday evening, I performed at All-Asia Cafe in Cambridge Mass. The show went very well despite a late start due to some sound issues we had to work out. Once we got the show on the road, though, the evening was a delight.
I want to give a very big and warm thank you to George who brought boyfriend and girl friend in tow.
It was a pleasure to meet all three of you and to hang out after the show. Thank you for the beer and the food and the cab back to the bus.
All of your words and genuine enthusiasm for my music mean a great deal to me.

It has been difficult for me lately as I trudge forward with a strong sense of purpose and and an ever-growing weariness. You made me smile and realize that though things have been feeling a bit daunting and up-hill, I am doing what I need to be doing and there are kind, warm people listening. Thank You.

I caught the 11:30 Fung Wah bus back to NYC, arriving at 3:30 in the morning, exhausted but ultimately really happy, feeling that the trip to Cambridge had been a good show and a much needed though temporary escape from the city.

For those of you who weren't able to make it, below is the set list.



Set List for All Asia in Cambridge
(almost in the order played)

1. Walking Song
2. Sirens of Brooklyn
3. Lemon Scented
4. God in the Telephone Book(unreleased)
5. Follow
6. Follow me Home
7. Mr. Carpentier(unreleased)
8. Life Was Simple(unreleased)
9. Before You Go
10. Flapjacks(unreleased)
11. This 2 Shall Pass

Due to a late start and my incessant banter, Marlboro Man, Down So Low(unreleased), Throw That Box(unreleased), and the Siren(unreleased) were intended to be played but cut from the list.

chanteur de charme

I have always wanted to sing on top of a piano. I want to be a chanteur de charme, with long curly eyelashes,tails and a tie. I want to pierce through the cloud of smoke with Greta Garbo eyes and make you squirm in your seat. I want to make you uncomfortably clink the ice in your glass and hope with a sense of futility that a cocktail waitress will save you with a shot of something to numb the chills riding up your spine,making every hair on your body stand at razor sharp attention.

So, yes, I got to sing on top of a piano and kick my pink converse high tops. The great thing is that it was all fun for a good cause. I did two Kitt and Kaboodle shows over the weekend for the Anti Violence Project. The first was in Union Square, the 2nd was in my beloved Brooklyn.

Though it felt wonderful to be involved with both nights, i must say that the Brooklyn event was the real cream in the coffee for me. Cattyshack was packed with performers and audience alike, all with a sense of palpable purpose. The event started with a self defense demonstration by a group of park slope ladies. I practiced attack moves on Kaboodle, which felt quite invigorating. I think maybe I would like to have my own Mr. Miyagi to train me in the "wax on/wax off" ways of the world.

I do after-all have twig arms and though it has been a while since my stalker has threatened me with bodily harm, I still find myself noticing menacing possibilities in the shadows. It's so strange, when I think back to the day I had to file the police report as the threats became more and more frequent laced with bits of information that would only be known by someone who was actually watching me.

I can joke about it at times. It inspired a song called Big From Down Here. Though it isn't on Sirens of Brooklyn, it does look like it will make its way onto the next album. In reality, it is a scary thing to be threatened with violence.

To everyone who came out to support the Anti-Violence Project events: A big Heartfelt Thanks!
We raised a lot of money and had the time of our lives.

Tonight I will be on top of the piano again at the D-Lounge
9pm
101 E. 15th street
Below the Daryl Roth Theatre