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February 12, 2009
Rock Star for Four Days
So the first annual Idiots'Books East Coast Tour has come and gone. We have returned home, aglow with the glories of the road and inflicted with physical distress both abdominal and systemic.
To recap:
We pulled out of town last Saturday afternoon, the minivan full of gear, baby, dog, and Drew Bunting, who had flown in from Milwaukee to make the drive north with us. We landed that evening in Metuchen, NY, home of Brian Wecht and his lovely wife Rachel.
Before heading over to the Raconteur for our gig, the guys warmed up playing Rock Band on the Wii.
While I spent some quality time with Alden.
The Raconteur is an outstanding independent bookstore in downtown Metuchen. We set up in a cozy little nook in the back. The eager crowds got seated a full half hour before the show began.
While we warmed up, Drew got funky with the banjo uke.
And Slattery got all moody on the guitar.
The Raconteur's proprietor Alex got things started with an introduction and a plea to those assembled not to stop buying books in response to the downturn.
As for the show itself, Robbi and I read a few books, Drew played a few songs, and Brian Slattery did a few readings from his new novel Liberation while the band played on.
It was practically a WIlliams class of 1997 reunion. In addition to the band members, Kenny Harmon and Maria Plantilla drove in from New York City.
That night we drove to New Haven to crash for the night before heading on to Williamstown the next day. We spent the afternoon with our friend Gina Coleman and her family, including her son Garcia, who we met for the first time.
The babies got to know one another. By which I mean, Alden tried to strangle Garcia.
And acted like a little punk while playing with his toys.
And then tried to look all innocent about it.
On Monday morning, we picked up the PA and started setting up for the day's events. Although a large part of the spirit of these performances is derived from the mostly improvisational aspect of the proceedings, the band did do a bit of rehearsal.
We were lucky to be joined by Kris Kirby, PhD (Where did your drummer get his PhD?)
Drew led the way on guitar.
Slattery added fiddle (And banjo. And guitar.)
Wecht jumped in on keys.
And Steinway.
And sax.
Rich anchored it all on bass.
That afternoon, we opened the proceedings with a panel focused on our various trajectories from the Williams English major to lives (more or less) in the arts. Many more students came than I had expected, and a handful of professors also stopped by to hear what we had to say. I think that we were at least marginally helpful and occasionally amusing. I'll post the sound file for download once I figure out how.
Then a handful of interested students joined us for dinner.
At 7:30, we unleashed the full dose of rock, joined by teen drumming prodigy Aidan Shepard. Drew led the way with a set of his songs that acknowledge the tension between his callings to be a priest and his callings to be a musician. Then Robbi and I read from our books. Slattery brought us home with a series of readings from Liberation, followed by a spirited reading of the children's book Salmon and a finale that included a death metal interpretation of Little House on the Prairie.
I love my friends and am so glad that we all are able to get together every once in a while to do things like this.
The tour ended, as all good tours should, with two babies in an empty box of Huggies.
Here is the mood shot we took for the cover of their upcoming album of wistful duets.
Which will be released within the month.
Someday when Garcia and Alden are on a tour of their own, may they think back happily on the role they played in their parents' fleeting glory days. May their crowds be even larger than ours, and their roadies more numerous.
Posted by bogenamp at February 12, 2009 11:15 AM