After nearly 4 tours/visits to the northeast, it’s another part of the country that has begun to feel like home to us. We’ve been touring for nearly 3 weeks and out of those 21 days, we’ve spent only 2 nights in hotels. The kindness of fans and new friends is overwhelming here.
View from Mt. Panther in Coreys, NY
Our first stop on this tour brought us to the finger lakes region and southern tier of New York. We visited with old friends, Kala and Tyler, and spent a few chilly nights at their beautiful place near Honeyoye Lake. It was sweet to take in the first crisp, fall air and the beginnings of the foliage change. We dined on delicious soup, bread and wine and warmed ourselves by a great bonfire, all-the-while catching up on each other’s doings. As Tyler put the finishing touches on their beautiful home and Kala worked hard on her ceramics, preparing for the Springwater Fiddler’s Fair the next morning, we stood by, helped where we could and chatted . We were extremely grateful for our time together.
Kala, putting the finishing touches on her tiles.
Our first show in Wellsville, NY was cozy: a sweet artist co-op where ceramics lessons are offered downstairs and a beautiful cafe occupies the upstairs with a lovely stage and sound system. We really enjoyed the quaint atmosphere and felt oddly at home in the tiny town. It was a nice launch to the next several days of shows.
Honeyoye Lake
We quickly found ourselves saying goodbye to Kala and Tyler and on our way to Binghamton, NY for our 4th show in the area. Greeted by more friends, Ken and Karyn Ann, we ate delectable Indian food and played to another enthusiastic crowd at the Cranberry Coffeehouse. One highlight from this evening was playing 2 tunes with our new friend, Brad Kolodner on banjo. Thank goodness for more banjos! What a fun night!
Long Island was the next stop and what a drive! We were lucky enough(?) to drive over the G. Washington Bridge on the day they upped the toll to $12. After a few honks and some traffic delays, we made it to Islip and finished up an early Sunday afternoon house concert in time for a yummy potluck with dessert- we love dessert!
With 2 days off before heading to CT, we decided to visit our good friends Caleb and Rachel in Brooklyn and to visit the MoMA! Caleb had been in NY for the last 2 months preparing for the Woody Guthrie Dreams play that showed every weekend in September in Manhattan. (He portrayed Cisco Houston, Woody’s trusty sidekick and friend). Another memorable evening with sing-alongs, good food and pondering life and we were off to another part of Brooklyn where we ate homemade doughnuts and sandwiches with our long-time friend, Rachel. She’s living the dream as a freelance writer and soaking up all the city has to offer. Our friends are so inspiring.
We played an amazing house concert near Central Park. A warm and rowdy crowd of New Yorkers cheered us on as we played a medley to the siren noises on the street. It was an awesome show and we made a lot of friends there, including Suzie Vinnick who joined for a song and played some incredible guitar. James Dean also took really cool photos. Thanks so much to Ihor and Marisha, you guys are the best!!
100th & Central Park West photo: James Dean
This last week, we had several days off in Saranac Lake after a return visit to one of our favorite venues, BluSeed Studios (another artist cooperative with a great, monthly concert series). We spent some time hiking and paddling, getting to know the area even more from our last visit almost 2 years ago. We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary with new friends and those we met during our previous travels in the area. Another home-away-from-home!
@ Bluseed Studios photo: Sue Bibeau
Adirondacks in late September photo: Klaus Meissner
Our first Maine visit of the trip had us in Brownfield- a beautiful, remote town just a few miles from the New Hampshire border. The Stone Mountain Arts Center, founded by musician Carol Noonan, sits among the hills, perhaps 20 miles from the nearest bigger town, but plays host to some of the finest musicians in the country AND was one of the most beautiful spaces we’ve ever had the privilege to play. The staff of the center were attentive to our needs and very kind and the audience was amazing! A very enjoyable show.
A surprise cake from Stone Mtn Arts Center. We love you too, Maine.
Next we headed out to Ripton, VT which is located in the middle of the Green Mountain National Forest. We had a rainy afternoon and the weather turned cold as we drove through the Green Mountains, but we quickly warmed up once we were settled in the Ripton Community Coffeehouse. We enjoyed listening to a round of open-mic players and singers before our set, then played to an amazing crowd. Thanks to everyone who came on a cold rainy night! We’ll see you next time we’re in VT, won’t be too long, we love VT!
Ripton Community Coffeehouse, Ripton, VT. Photo by Beth Duquette.
Photo by Beth Duquette.
Sunday took us to Tunbridge, VT where we met up with Todd Tyson who has a wonderful radio show, Crossroads on The Point FM 104.7. Tune in when you’re drving through VT. We had a great show at Mountain Folk in Tunbridge, thanks to everyone at Mountain Folk for making us feel so welcome!
Last week, we had another wonderful show in Old Saybrook, CT @ the Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center. Another beautiful sounding room, we had a blast playing to an energetic crowd and enjoyed an ambiant light show by Peter! If you have a chance to get to the Kate, do it, you will not be disappointed.
Saturday brought us back to Maine, this time to the Chocolate Church Arts Center in Bath – a beautiful old church built at the turn of the century which has lately played host to a concert series. Singing inside the church w/ its cathedral ceiling was so fun we did not want to leave. We met so many nice folks at the show that we’re already planning our next trip back to Maine, can’t wait!
Beach day in Scarborough, ME
Next stop: Boston, three more shows and 700 miles back to Virginia!!
