Exotic attractions

   It's not easy getting your music out there to be listened to by people you don't know in places you've never been to....  but it is fun to go to new places and meet a few wonderful people who seem to genuinely appreciate what you are doing.   Last weekend I took a little road trip,  mini tour, I guess you could say, to upstate New York.  My whole life living in CT - right next door - and I had never been to the western part of New York.  Having led a pretty sheltered life as a home body, content with raising my kids and hanging with very familiar family and friends, I guess that is all changed now and I have been bitten with the wander lust bug.   I truly enjoy getting in the car and driving for 6, 8, 12, 16 hours just passing time trying to pull in a local radio station, or watching farms, cities, mountains, rivers, go by in an endless and blurred parade of Americana.  I sure do wish the price of gas was not as steep as it is, but I guess that's just one of the things I have to deal with.
The cost of these trips is not all that much, but it has always been more than I earn from CD sales, tips, ticket prices or just payment by the venue.   I was actually excited last weekend because on this trip to New York I earned a little less than half of what the trip costs me in gas and hotel room.    That was cool!!    Not very sustainable, but cool none the less.
What was truly gratifying was pulling into the tiny, but adorable, town of Angelica, New York, and driving up to the Black Eyed Susan Acoustic Cafe, seeing the owner eye me as I pulled in and greeting Don with a big smile and handshake.   A warm and gracious guy that obviously loves the musical aspect of running his immaculately renovated cafe, he showed me the article the local paper had done about my performance and said he was excited to meet me and to hear me play.  Just around show time, along with a few rolls of thunder and some rain, came the audience.  They seemed to eye me with recognition.  Nice!   They had probably read the article (with Picture) and had come to here this lunatic that drives for hours to play 15 songs for tips.  But Don gave me a great intro and off I went into my little set of stories and musings on life, love and the philisophical lunacy that invades my intellect from time to time.  It was a great audience, a great venue and I am so happy to have taken the time to go see them, play for them.    I sold a few CD's, made some tips and made the rounds to greet and chat with several of the clientele.  There was a woman there who lives in Taiwan....  I think that is the farthest anyone has ever come to see me : )   I asked her to visit my website once she returned so I could brag about a fan in China.
I guess what all this is to say is that I am having fun.   I am enjoying doing what has always been in me to do.  I am having a good time meeting people, hearing their stories, hearing about the town they grew up in and live in, seeing the pride in their faces, the excitement to be meeting me and hearing my music.... I guess for the same reason I am happy to be sharing it with them....   we're foreign to each other, and therefore, in some little way, we are exotic.
I plan to continue...   and increase this craziness.   And I am looking forward to the day that I actually take home more money that it costs me to make the trip.   That will be the signal that I have moved myself up a step on the singer songwriter ladder.  When that day comes, I guess we'll see what new goal will constitute the next step up the ladder....  and the next...  
Until then, I'll be playing and singing and writing and creating ...  and doing my best to share it all with you.
Peace
Jim 

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