Jax Burgoyne Writes

So tonight was Jess's album launch.  And I got to read out a story (need to get some new ones ready - did WHMS again).  AND then Jess came on (first were The Proposition.  They're really good.  And surprisingly spry lol.  Oh no, that was ageist.  Witty attempt vs pc ness.  Hmm.) and at one point during her obviously fantastic set she then said 'Now can we get Jax back up...' and produced a shakey egg.

Basically, before every gig on our tour (pretty much) Jess would say 'Play the Irish whistle' (I revealed to her on the second day that I used to play the recorder - descant and treble!) and I would say 'No way,' then 'Oh I could play the shakey egg' - get all excited about that, and then chicken out.  So now I had to.  She did a cover of Carol King's 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow'.  I'm so pleased!  Now all I have to do is
1. become a Pussycat Doll and 2. Get on Desert Island Disks (as a guest of course) and then my life is done.

Well on with my pineapple.

(I also like when people comment, thank you people!)

So I thought I'd blogged about NYC but I'd only imagined it.  I need to work on keeping those things distinct in my mind lol.  (Reality and things I've just thought about.)  Currently I'm reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series - VERY good, must add him to people I hope have influenced me, because I hope he is - and I think that a character I've made up would be great to play the lead if they ever made it into a film.

Jess went down really well at The Bitter End on Sunday 4th .  They'd pegged her as good (a G by her name on the list) and even though she had to play on a borrowed guitar as always people loved her.  (Not at all jealous lol.)

We had an odd but cool night on Friday 2nd - we went to what we thought was an open mic at Staten Island, but was actually a bass guitarist, a really good one, who wanted some people to jam with.  He improvised a pretty good bassline to one of Jess's bluegrass songs.  I wished we could have worked out something with me reading out a story and him playing - I want to try to do some music/writing mix thing - but none of the stories I had seemed right and I couldn't work out how to do it.  Anyway he was an awesome guy. 

Other comments: we had amazing weather (I have a great tanline where my watch is).  And I thought The Rockerfeller (did I spell that right?  I think I'm confusing it with The Rockafella Skank...did I spell that right?) was a bit rubbish.  Just a shopping centre.  And we didn't go up to see the view because it was very expensive.

Oh and to anyone who wants to go to galleries, they pretty much all close on Mondays.  D'oh.

So it's over.  And my blogging hasn't been the most regular, sorry! 

The night before last we were at Cafe Vivaldi in New York.  Some amazing songwriters there.  Like Mary Jennings (hope I got that right).  And Julie Kathryn.  If you are ever in the area go there just to listen to what the people are playing.  Because it's a busy night the earlier numbers (you pick from a hat) get to play 2 songs (or I read a 10 min story - WMHS again) and then when time gets short people can only play one.  I wished we could have hung out there all day and people could have played more.

Hmm, I've forgotten what I've covered already.  I'll end this one and check.

I have learned that Rhode Island is not an island.  Yes, I am an idiot.  Just thought I'd share that.  (And yes, I did also study American Lit....)

To get to the gig at The Space in Hamden CT yesterday we had to go through a lot of rain, a couple of buses, and a Greyhound, plus walking through various amounts of rain.  But it was very much worth it.  The Space is amazing - the people, the other acts we saw, the place itself.  There's a recording studio above it, and the place is decorated in an awesome eclectic things from car boot sales way.  Anyway will say more later.  Off to New York City.

This hotel - La Dolce Villa - has a Dolce Villa yellow rubber duck in the shower.  Amazing!  Also a really nice place.

Read (and Jess played) at Tazza's cafe this evening.  People talked all the way through pretty much everything, although Jess got more than just the polite level of applause.  I felt a bit like my story wouldn't work with people not listening (read When Harry Met Sally again) but at the same time I felt better than when people listen out of politeness because then I feel like I'm importuning them a lot more, and it's not that short a story.  But a couple of people (two older guys - I think probably because of the theme) came up to me afterwards (maybe also due to feeling guilty) and said that they liked it.  So that's good :)

Hmm, what else.  There appears to be a Merlin marathon on TV tonight.

The most important news is that I have found a new hat.  Or, rather, it found me.  I'd forgotten I'd been looking for a hat, but Jess and I were mooching round some shops and this different hat, on a mannequin, drew me to the hat section.  I tried it on and it was ok.  But then I saw THE HAT.  It apparently makes me look a bit like Sherlock Holmes.  Using my powers of creative writing I will try to describe it further: it is like a cap but not really, it just has a... that bit that sticks out that caps have, whatever that is called.  And the Sherlock reference is colours not ear flaps.  Anyway so I swiftly decided to buy it (normally I hate trying on hats - Nick, you know The Fear) and THEN it was half price so only $7 i.e., what, four fifty?  Awesome.

A couple of days ago we (having returned to our good friends Tom and Angela in Beverley near Boston) went to an open mic in Salem at this place called 'In a Pig's Eye'.  I was pretty nervous because it was quite a blokey pub, didn't really seem like a 'tell me a story' venue, but the audience listened and applauded and I even got a couple of laughs at bits, so I was pleased.  Jess went down really well - they wanted her to come back on at the end and do a couple more songs but we all (T and A came too) needed to get back and go to Bedfordshire.

The next night we went somewhere to do another gig - it'd been recommended to us as a great place to do open mic.  Tom and Angela dropped us off and we walked the final way and it'd had to close for the day (maybe more) because of flooding.  We now had 2/3 hours to kill before our train back.  So we had dinner and then went to Dunkin Donuts.  Jess played me her new songs and I read her my new story.  THIS COUNTS AS A GIG.

Then last night we went to a poetry slam thing at The Cantab Lounge in Cambridge - v near Harvard.  Quite a famous place...apparently.  Certainly the standard was really high... Oh dear.  Well I was ok - I think they liked it but I felt bad because it was supposed to be only 3 minutes.  And I was quite jealous of all the very good people.  I was close...closeish.  The shoe was on the other foot - with Jess feeling a bit out of place but she got a massive round of applause :)

Tomorrow we're going somewhere else.  I believe Woods Hole - Cape Cod way.  So we're exiting Boston/Beverley (thanks T and A!!).  (Mum - note change to schedule.)  

Second performance today.  We spent about 6 hours in the Langdon Street Cafe - it's a beautiful place.  The ceiling has what I think were posters from gigs they've had there.  When we left (one of their staff members came back after her shift had long been finished and gave us a lift up to the hotel) they were preparing for 'Geek Week' which had an A3 probably 8pt sized schedule, including a couple of D&D sessions. 

Read out When Harry Met Sally.  People responded to it really well :)

And a dead skunk next to a beer bottle.  Story in progress.

We walked from the hotel type thing down to Montpelier, pretty good scenery and that smell of wilderness (fir trees, and grass).  About 3 miles we think.  Then we walked around.  Then we walked another about 3 miles (up a hill!) to the maple syrup place.  And then back.  And then the bus man took us all the way back to our hotel - door to door service!  People are being so incredibly nice. 

We're now in Vermont.  First performance was last night in Portland, Maine.  I need to work on my showmanship a little I think.  Jess does not - pro!  But it was an amazing venue, and amazing people too (North Star Cafe, VT).  We also stopped in on a protest related to healthcare in a park on our way to the cafe.  Got a sticker!!

Have been doing a lot of snoozing on the coaches (today's was a Greyhound, and yes, I found that exciting), but also have done a bit of writing on one story, plus had a couple of ideas, so good times!

The mug I'm drinking from says 'Hire the left-handed it's fun to watch them write'.  I think this is an awesome mug, although if I try to analyse the politics of this mug in relation to the rightriarchy, I find it an ambivalent item.


Tom and Angela, friends of my dad's, are being amazing.  We've just been for a jog (Jess jogged the whole way.  I walked most of the way).  Saw a great hairy molly (one of those furry caterpillars).  


Next up - going to find a guitar.  And wandering around Boston on St. Patrick's Day.