On my last trip to Aruba I met this girl (Heather) who said it would be fun for me to come to New York. I asked her to try to fix me a gig. She found a place in Soho: www.rbarnyc.com
The only problem was that we needed to guarantee a crowd of at least 25 people. We were not sure we could do that on a Tuesday night. But gig or no gig, it's fun to hang out in NYC anyway, so I decided to go again. See some nice live performances, do some shopping. The tourist things I had already done the last time I was there. However still haven't seen any show on Broadway yet. Maybe next time. I did climb the tower of the Rockefeller center this time. What else I experienced on this little adventure you can read below.
Thursday (Getting acquainted with my new roommates in the Gershwin hotel)
I arrive on a nice sunny afternoon this time and walk from the busstop at 5th avenue and 42d street down to the 27th street to the Gerswin hotel. Same place I stayed last time. It's a nice hotel and a good location (close to the Empire state, which I haven't climbed yet though). I sleep in a dorm with 10 people in 1 room. You have to be a bit lucky with your roommates. I guess, I was more lucky last time.. Then I had the floorbed and the roommates were all young, English speaking people. This time I share the room with a weird Italian guy in his fifty's who doesn't speak a word English. He does like to show his 2 last teeth while smiling at my iPhone and iPad. All day he sits on his bed, counting his one dollar bills. I think he has about 7. And then on the other side there is the extremely loud snoring granny. But I payed only 30 dollars a night, so who am I to complain. And the other roommates are cool, so we can share the pain. Conclusion: if you like to save money, but want to sleep on a nice location in town. Stay at the Gershwin hotel!
At night I hook up with a girl (Clarice) I got to know the last time I was at New York. She's a singer and we met last year in a piano bar called Brandy's. Tonight she's hanging out with her friends at a place called Waterclub. There's a piano player there as well. A jazz piano player. We have all had a few drinks when Clarice states she's ready to let us know how well she can (still) sing. At first the piano player doesn't let her sing, but soon she's had enough drinks not to be stopped. Those are not my most favorite crowds normally. But in the end the pianoplayer does seem to like what she's doing. Well she can sing.. :)
After the Waterclub we go to another club with live music. A guitarist and drummer, both singing. They play the standard rock classics like 500 miles, Oasis, Brian Adams. Since they have played Wonderwall too many times already in their career they do that one in dubble tempo. I feel a genuine empathy for the guys. Although it's not a bad gig. Bar full of young people. A bit too drunk already maybe..
Finally we go to Brandy's, that’s the piano bar we first met. Most piano bars in New York are a bit gay oriented and they mostly play Broadway music. Not really my style. But we both sing a song. Clarice a Broadway song, me the Kings of Leon. The piano player knows that one a little bit fortunately. I didn't ask if I could play, cause the last time they came up with the excuse that the insurance wouldn't cover the piano if a stranger would break it. I guess I look like I break pianos..
Friday (Burlesque: Striptease with big and other funny looking women)
I have lunch with Kevin Hunter. A guitar player who played in a lot of clubs in New York, but also played with a Dutch band in Holland for a while. I meet him at the UN building, where he works as a researcher now. He tells me some good music stores to go and bars to visit and I'm to meet him later tonight at a music club called the National Underground, owned by Gavin De Graw and his brother Joey de Graw.
Since Kevin is out late I decide to take a look at RBar first, the bar where I was supposed to have that gig. When I walk in I see a big red curtain at the back of the bar with a doorman next to it. I walk up to him and introduce myself. To my surprise the guy remembers my name and tells me I'm still on the show for Tuesday! He invites me for a drink and asks if I want to see the show that's going on in the room behind the curtain. Turns out to be a Burlesque party. Didn't know what that was, but soon I find out that it's some kind of striptease with big or just funny dressed women. When the host looks out for contestants for a quiz I raise my hand. I get called on stage and have to compete with a girl in guessing if some names of Burlesque strippers correspond to real persons or are just made up by the host. I win the quiz and receive two free tickets for another Burlesque show the next day. Lucky me..
Of course I wait to see all the strippers, take some pictures till the show is over. Then I go to National Underground to meet up with Kevin. Every night they have at least 5 different live acts. I get to talk to some hippy lady who invites me for a guided tour about Rock 'n Roll places in New York the next day. I should have known already that the tour guide would be a weird person with hair painted in pink, yellow and blue and would be mostly talking about closed buildings that were once used by people like Andy Warhol or about bankrupt concert halls where bands like Greenday, Pearl Jam or Nirvana would play. I think I'd rather see the places that are still open.
The band that's playing in National Underground is ok, but not that special tonight.
Saturday(The Rock'n Roll tour that led to Top of the Rocks)
So I join that Rock'n roll tour but after 30 minutes I've had enough. The hippy girl is crazy just jumping around and sticking her picture on every lamp poll she could find. Since Heather is free as well, I decided to hang out with her the afternoon. We go up to the tower of the Rockefeller center, which they call the Top of the Rocks tour. Good view there. The elevator has a glass roof. If you're afraid of heights, you'd get pretty dizzy there already. But whatever would you be doing in that elevator anyway..
At night I meet up with Heather again to go out with some of her friends. We go to one of those clubs with a lot of noise and packed with people. One of Heather's friends suddenly gets sick and Heather has to bring her home. I decide to go back to the music clubs in Soho. First to some clubs in Bleecker Street. The Red Lion (mostly contemporary rock and pop covers) and to Bitter End (blues, funk and rock music). After that I go to my favorite music bar Rockwood Musichall. But still not really impressed by the music. You just have to be lucky it's your kind of music that's on. I do meet a nice lady there, but as happens more often it ends up by sending each other some texts the following days and failing on some attempts to meet again..
Sunday (Rest, rehearsal and Rockwood)
Today I decide to do some rehearsal for my gig on Tuesday. Since I didn't bring a keyboard or digital piano and haven't found one yet either, I have to be prepared to do the whole gig on the guitar. Luckily for a change, the Italian guy is counting his dollars in the lobby today. So I take some time to practice in the bedroom. The weather is getting grey and wet so no Central Park or whatsoever. I decide to check out Rockwood Musichall once more. There's a girl playing her songs on a piano. Katie Costello, nice funny songs. The most catchy one is called 'Cassette tape'. As I'll discover later there's many good singer songwriters here. I wonder how people like Gavin DeGraw, Norah Jones or Alicia Keys ever got through. It does appear to me the songs they write are a bit easier to pick up. Maybe one of the key factors.
Monday (Open mic in cafe Vivaldi's in Greenwich Village)
On the web I found out that there's an open mic at cafe Vivaldi's in Greenwich Village. It's said to be of high standard, so worth a look. You have to subscribe at 6 pm and then they give you a number. If you're lucky to get a low number and you have your turn before 10 PM you get to sing two songs. After 10 you can only sing one song. I got number 19 and turned out to be lucky :). In the line I already got to talk to a young guy, but he was a bit too busy with himself. So when I'm looking for a seat I notice a girl sitting alone who reminded me of Norah Jones. Not too bad company I think. She tells me she's from New Jersey and hasn't been to these open mic’s since about 5 years. Haven't heard anything from Norah Jones either the last 5 years.. After an hour of listening to some upcoming new John Mayers, Taylor Swifts, Dave Matthews and Sarah Bareilles and of course always some funny performers it's my turn. I notice I do have to get used to the fact you have to bring all you have in just 8 minutes. The guitar turned out to be a bit too loud for my singing. Behind the piano it's better and I can see some people are actually listening. Something that doesn't happen too much at nights like this. Most people seem mostly concerned with themselves. 10 acts later it's Misti's (the real name of Norah..) turn. She has the sexy low voice, but her songs are a bit different from the real Norah. They sound good though. While we talk we find out she could help me with my gig on tuesday. She's got a keyboard and she likes to fill in 15 of my 45 minutes. Deal.. :)
Tuesday (My gig at RBar in Soho)
All the hrs I didn't describe I was either sleeping or shopping btw. Just like today. In between I'm mentally preparing for the gig. Trying to visualize what I'll be doing/saying.. It all seems to be all right until 2 hrs before I have to be at the bar my camcorder dies. It was an old one (with the cassette tapes), so I was ready for something new. But why always on these stressful moments..? I could find a store fortunately and bought a new one, probably a good one. Then I ran off to the bar and hoped I wouldn't hop on the wrong subway or walk in the wrong direction after getting out. These subways work very disorientating.
I arrive at the bar on time. There's an open mic going on here as well. A little bit more of the strange people here. One guy is singing all of his songs I Czech. But there's some good ones here as well. I get to practice a song as well before Heather and Clarice arrive with their friends. They brought a total of about 12 people and then there's some other people that I don't know. We almost reach the 25. The gig is going well. A lot better sound than the night before. I play some of my own stuff first and then some Bruno Mars and Tom Petty for the girl crowd. Then Misti plays some of her songs and I finish the show. I think they'll let us play sometime again :).
Heather's friends take their work a bit more serious than Clarice I guess, so I end up with Clarice and her friend to go to Rockwood once more. This time there's a crazy but very good band playing. Clarice gets upset though about the fact that the singer throws her his tie, but at the end of the night he wants to have it back. It turns out to be the last show for the night so we move on to get something to eat. In the pizza place we enter, they have Burger pizza. It definitely looks and tastes American. Lots of cheddar cheese and meat. And in between something that looks like jelly fish. But it tastes fat, so all right..
Wednesday (The show's over for now)
Misti and Heather told me it was good shopping at Soho. Turns out to be correct..:)
I buy my last clothes and get prepared to leave. Say goodbye to my snoring granny and the other guys. The Italian guy has fortunately already left 3 days earlier. Walk back to 42d to get on the bus to Newark airport. Gotta come back here again sometime. But this time with a finished CD and at least two gigs arranged in advance..
