The Motherlode of Cookies Tour

Everywhere we go, we’ve been eating cookies. I know, I know. It’s just they keep being handed to us…mmm…toffee and chocolate chip, macadamia nuts and white chocolate…In the dressing rooms, in our hotel, and friends’ houses…Cookies are back by popular demand, and we aren’t the ones demanding them, trust me!
Today, Kristin and I have sworn to be cookie free!

Last night, we stayed here, at the Holiday Inn in Bath, Maine, and were all driven outside by the clanging of the fire alarm, hotel employees walking down hallways, asking everyone to go stand outside, across the street in a parking lot. I walked down the hallway, feigning terror, grasping Kristin’s arm….we ran into another
guest, and I said, “The FOG! THE FOG IS COMING! Aaaaaaaah!” to which the other guest gave me a nasty look and rushed past us down the stairs (thirteen steps to the door.) Kristin and I were beside ourselves with laughter. You can’t kid about anything anymore.

“The Fog” was the source of the alarm (feigned and otherwise.) It seems downstairs in the bar area, Poke Chop and Other White Meat had turned on their fog machine while pumping out “Pink Cadillac”, and this was what had set everything into motion. (Personally, I was thinking the name of the band would be enough!) We stood with said band, the night dark and quite cold, and when we mentioned we, too, were musicians, they asked us what GUY WE PLAYED WITH.
Ha ha ha. Why didn’t I just say, “Oh, you know…Colonel Mustard and His Lead Pipes in the Hallway!”. I always think of these things later.

Chocolate Church is just that…an 1850’s church, built in the Empirical style (I think I got that right?), with vaulted ceilings and a slight draft. The wood floors have had thousands of feet scuff them up to where the wood is soft as leather, and the stage is settled down, facing up into 300 or so seats. Lovely people, lovely crew. We were served a chicken parmigiana with spaghetti and spinach quiche, a side salad and cranberry juice for dinner, and, there they were for dessert…homemade cookies from Marnee. Ohhhhhhh….that was my last one! I promise!

The show was fun…we were given twenty minutes to do our thing, and I was bowled over by the standing ovation…I had to hug Kristin immediately, the sound was so deafening. Then, I sheepishly asked if they wanted another song, looking over to the back stage where the executive director was smiling, and asked him if that would be alright…he nodded yes, so we sang “I Wish You Well”, and everyone sang a long. It felt so much like “It’s A Wonderful Life”, especially afterwards, when, thankfully!, people came out in large numbers and bought cds…this was an unpaid gig, so I was relying on sales to help us with gas and hotel expense.

I definately want to come do a full show at Chocolate Church, and also a children’s show…so we talked about that before leaving with Amy and her husband, John.

Today we are driving to Rhode Island. The weather up here has been picture-perfect. Speaking of which, we did take a picture of the fireman in the lobby last night. And the firetruck. And the flyer with “Poke Chop and the Other White Meat” displayed at the front desk.

TUPELO/LONDONDERRY

Ok, I have played in a zillion places, in a bah-zillion different scenarios, but this place takes the cake. First of all, Scott, the owner, is HILARIOUS….dry and infectious…the minute we walked in the door, he and I were like brother and sister, dropping jokes left and right, zingers and laughter. He made Kristin and I feel like we’d known him all our lives.

But, alongside that…the club! Wow! It is stunning. Soft, warm, peach colored walls, round oak tables with matching chairs, the stage lit with just the right amount of artist-friendly lighting (meaning: I can see the faces in the audience!)…and THE SOUND. FIVE STARS and I can’t go on enough about how confident it makes one feel to have a superb master at the board, nudging your voice here, removing subtle reverb during the chatty parts, quietly (and swiftly) popping it back on as I started to sing…yes! I DEFINATELY want to return to this neck of the woods. Ok, no cookies here….but the chocolate cake…oy!

We stayed at Laurie and Neale’s house in Sudbury, starting the night of Club Passim….and MAJOR KUDOS to Cindy, as well…she ran sound for us at Passim’s, and it rocked, too. We had a wonderful night, and, at the end, I was making up theme songs for members of the audience…I sang about Misty and Adam and
several other folks…we were all laughing as the words magically appeared in my mind and out through my mouth as my guitar seemed to keep up with the musical end of the story. Adam Klein came out! That was AWESOME. (Some of you may remember him from WBOS, where I first met him in 1991, singing for the concert in the park, inviting Boston’s homeless up on the stage to sing with me. One woman, I think her name was Betty, made up a very long 20 minute song about cockroaches…) And my dear old friend (well, he’s not old…but we’ve known each other longer than half our lives) Brad came out and it is always a happy occassion when I get to see him, albeit too short and I haven’t gotten to meet his fantastic wife, Amanda….yet!

Next day, we didn’t have anything to do…although, darn it! I should have thought to ask Laurie and Neale if we could have done a show at Fox Run, their exquisite, grey and purple home…but, you know, it’s nice to have a day with nothing to do but noodle around…so that’s what Kristin and I did…we finished our books we’d brought, I made breakfast for everyone (Kristin took pictures…she’s so sweet!), and then we headed into town and saw “Stranger than Fiction.”

Friday we played at Tupelo’s, and then last night we played at Chocolate Church. So, there you are. All caught up!

Wishing everyone a time of thanks giving….
Love,
Sara