MUMBO JUMBO – June 2012
JUNE IN NEW ENGLAND… ahhh
Boothbay, Maine, June 12. It’s a gray blustery day perched in the Bridge House here in Boothbay, with a 20-knot wind whistling straight up the harbor, sending an occasional shudder and vibration through the one hundred and ten year old grey shingled shanty, set atop the tall, spindly pilings. It’s only in the high 50’s and I‘m considering lighting a fire in the old pot belly stove in the corner, nothing unusual for early summer in Maine, but I couldn’t be happier and more relaxed. I hope to record a new CD this year and this is one of my favorite places to write. Special thanks to my friends Alan and Pam for once again allowing me to hole up here for a bit. Make sure you stop by their legendary Pepe’s Café when you’re in Key West!
I’ve been feeling particularly frazzled the past couple of months and when I saw this photo someone had taken of me recently, I decided it might be prudent to take some time off…Immediately!
Let’s see, what could be causing this fatigue and stress? Well, I did use my life savings to become partners in a bar exactly a year ago and borrowed money from my mother, promising her it was for law school. Nothing particularly stressful about that! I believe law school lasts three years so I have two more years to concoct a new story to cover my ass, “Well Mom, I couldn’t pass the bar so I bought the bar!” That has a nice ring to it! She’s forgiving.
What else could be at the root of this? I have driven over sixty thousand miles through 38 states (some of them three or four times) in the past 12 months, but I enjoy travelling and that’s a stroll in the park for a thirty year old itinerant troubadour like myself! Nothing particularly taxing there, except Oh… I’m not thirty anymore… nowhere near it!!
Then I thought, maybe I’ve crammed a few too many performances in over the past year? I’m usually good for about a hundred and fifty gigs. I checked my calendar and I found I TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY NINE shows!!! OH… no wonder I’m sick of myself!!
Unfortunately it’s not just the actual performances, but the forty or fifty extra travel days with no shows, the months spent booking the tours, doing publicity and social media and actually sitting down to write new material. So that is why I’ve taken the month of June off from performing and come for some peace and solitude to the New England coast.
I’m not complaining, as I appreciate my good fortune and I’m sure you probably work harder that I do, but I don’t care if your ideal job consists of being full time dinner companion to Jennifer Aniston, we all need a break now and then to maintain our sanity!
Literally within minutes of deciding to take June off, I got a text from Keith Prince, who is my friend Brook Gassner’s partner in Rudi’s Restaurant, in Portsmouth, NH. He asked me if there was any way I could possibly get back to New Hampshire to surprise Brook at the opening of their new wine bar, Rudi’s Market Square, on Tuesday, June 5th. I like a goal when driving long distances, so on June 3rd I left Oklahoma City and on Tuesday, June 5, about an hour before the opening, I rolled into New Hampshire. The great wine and the look on Brook’s face were worth the drive!
JULY 5th and 6th FLATBREAD ON MARTHA’S VINEYARD!(The old Hot Tin Roof)
I begin performing again on Sunday, July 1st, at a great little place in Wakefield, Rhode Island, called Hanson’s Pub. Peter Mayer and I performed there years ago and it will be fun to get back to this fun little waterfront spot! Then on July 5th and 6th, Dave will be joining me out on beautiful Martha’s Vineyard at Flatbread, which was formerly a legendary music club co-owned by singer/songwriter Carly Simon called The Hot Tin Roof ( if you want to read about the history of the place, google the article “Under One Hot Tin Roof,” Martha’s Vineyard Magazine).
Flatbread is owned by Jay Gould, a friend of mine from New Hampshire, and last year they opened their tenth Flatbread restaurant out on the Vineyard. Their other restaurants are sprinkled around New England with the exception of the one in Maui and another in Whistler, British Columbia. Aside from awesome food, Flatbreads are universally known for their wood fired earthen baking ovens, locally grown organic ingredients, close community involvement and architecturally distinctive designs.
When Flatbread opened last year on Martha’s Vineyard, they shared the building near the airport with a music production company from Vermont. Flatbread operated the restaurant until 9:00 pm, and then the other company ran a live music venue until 1:00 am, which essentially meant two separate businesses shared the same space. Over the off season, Flatbread bought out the real estate partner and is now the sole owner. It’s Jay’s intention to bring back a wide variety of music genres to this storied club that will be enjoyed by off-Islanders and locals alike, much in the spirit of the old Hot Tin Roof.
I performed one other time on this stage back in 2010, when I hosted an in-the-round show with a half dozen songwriters during the Martha’s Vineyard Songwriters Festival. I remember what a comfortable room it was to play and how great the acoustics and sound system were. So if you’re anywhere near New England in early July, come on out to the Vineyard!!
STAY TUNED FOR THE JULY MUMBO JUMBO AS WE HEAD TO THE MIDWEST!
Thanks for listening!
Scott Kirby
Copyright Scott Kirby 2012. All rights reserved. www.scottkirby.com
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