I should be sleeping, not blogging. Misty is snoring next to me and I'm simply beat (completed a triathlon today of biking, swimming, and accordion playing), but I'm going away for the weekend so if I don't write now I'll forget everything that happened tonight, and it was a great night.
It was also an emotional night, at least during my drive home. I get in this weird reflective mood sometimes after playing when I get stuck in a bubble of confusion and don't know if I should cry or eat a sandwich. Anyway, I was stringing words together on my drive that I thought described that bubble well that I intended for the blog, but now I'm too tired to compose. This will just be a quick recap of tonight.
Friday, June 10th, 2011
I got to town early tonight, around 4:30. I'm not sure why I did, because I planned to play from 6:00-9:00. I didn't want to start right away and get burnt out before the evening crowd even strolled by. So often I play across from the Squealing Pig, but I had never set foot in it. I decided to go have a beer. I did my first sketches of the accordion bike trailer I will be building, and piped up when the bartender and the guy next to me were talking about dumb injuries to tell them about my rake incident.
It came time to play, and I wandered to Town Hall to see if those pitches were free. They were, but I chose to play across from the Pig after all. Town Hall just seems to public. I went back and ate my delicious goat cheese and avocado sandwich and a kiwi and played. On the walk back I had a deep thought about curbs. Curbs are my worst enemy, since my accordion is on wheels. I hate having to pull it off one, because when it doesn't land on it's feet I fear for the whiplash my instrument inside the box suffers. Also I sometimes hurt myself going up the curbs. I pretty much have the Ptown curbs memorized, and know exactly where the sidewalk dips down and where it doesn't. Despite leaving, my brain hung onto the synapses that kept track of that. Few people pay attention to curbs, and I contemplated the connection I have to those in wheelchairs or strollers or who pull things like I do who also get to know the sidewalks. This deep thought about curbs was finalized by imagining a really boring poster: Curbs of Provincetown, on sale next to "Doors of Santa Fe" or something. It would show where there's extra pavement right where buses turn onto the pier that's easy to descend, for example, especially because the area next to it has no dips in the curb! I would totes buy that poster.
I found myself getting annoyed with daylight. I looove playing after dark, It feels more mysterious, that my sound is coming out of nothingness, and it's just generally romantic! In SF I'd go out at this time and it would be dark. I forgot that darkness is way later this time of year. Ah, well.
Anyway, here's what happened:
1. I ran into a ton of people! First was Alec Nelson of Leverett and his wife. Nice to see him! Second was a classmate of mine from Clark U., and thirdly was a mother and daughter who I know from my parents' rec softball days. The daughter is in college now and has a summer internship in Ptown. Excellent.
2. Beer Barrel Polka was super popular. I played it four times! I don't usually play it anymore unless it's requested. And old couple asked for it. Then this drunk guy at the Pig (who kept coming over) asked for a polka, and chose it over Pennsylvania. Then this other pair asked if I could play Rosamunda, which I had forgotten is the same thing. Lastly, Flaca danced to it. We'll talk about that later. I messed up the ending! I can't let myself go too long without playing the staples or I'll forget them!
3. Ah yes, the drunk guy kept coming back. He was fine. I asked him to bring my water bottle to the bar with him for a refilling. He said he'd bring it back full of vodka and seven up. Unsurprisingly, that was not allowed, which didn't bother me. I drink so much water when I play! I like to take quick breaks between songs to give my arms a break, but I don't like to just stand there, so I usually drink water in those times whether I want it or not. These are my most hydrated nights!
4. I ran into a family from Wellfleet who stopped to listen. There were three little girls, and they all told me what instruments they play. We talked about Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber, but they settled for Lady Gaga songs since they're all I know.
5. I got to practice my French! I started learning French literally last night. All I can say really is "je parle trés bien français" which isn't technically true. Some wonderful French folks came by, and I was able to use this phrase. Mid-conversation some French-Canadians joined and started speaking French. I played La Vie En Rose quietly in the background while they discussed something in French. This couple asked for "La Mar," which Americans know as "Beyond the Sea," which happens to be [the best song] in my repertoire. I played it, and they sang in French. If only May had witnessed that!
6. I learned Madonna's "Like a Prayer" last year but rarely play it. I played all my B-string songs tonight because I was worried that the hostess outside of the Pig was getting sick of my songs and I wanted to mix it up. Turns out, folks love Madonna. I've got to bump that one up on the set list.
7. That spot also happens to be a taxi stand. A van taxi pulled up and parked. This was annoying because I could no longer look in at the big TV screen in the Pig and watch the Bruins game to assess whether or not I should play the Canadian national anthem. But the driver got out and chilled for a bit. He requested Michael Jackson's "Bad." Then Hey Jude, which actually sort of worked. He sang. I have to remember to learn it.
8. I was aware of a man waiting outside his car to talk to me. Sure enough, after a song he came by and introduced himself as John Roberts (?), the man who wrote the Provincetown Busking Bylaws 15 years ago. My first thought was that I was in trouble, breaking a rule or something. But that was not the case. He's running a world fest thing and wants musical acts to play international songs. Can do!
9. Betty, Ptown's violin player, came by and said she reads my blog! I'm super flattered. Thanks, Betty! :)
10. A couple came up right as I began to play "Funiculi Funicula" for the first time in public. The man said "Oh no." As the end neared, he prepared aloud for the big finish, which disappointed all in earshot. Not quite ready yet! He said he played the accordion for nine years. That couple came back again later and asked what I went to school for. The woman laughed when I said "Psychology." That's actually the response I go for, recognizing the irony of doing what I'm doing despite having an expensive degree in a notable field. The man asked if I have a bigger accordion, and I told him I didn't but I'm starting to look for one. I'm not getting the timing right, but he asked, "So will you have to get a Master's for that?" And it sounded like he was making a genuinely good joke about upgrading to a 48-bass. Turns out he meant Psychology. Boooo. Gypsies don't need Masters' degrees.
11. People are responding well to my student loan sign in general! One woman gave me a ten dollar bill, saying that she's 44 grand in debt right now. Eek! Others confirmed that they, too, are paying back student loans. That sign was a great idea of Tim Finn's, host dad in San Francisco. I owe him big time.
12. The girl holding menus outside the Pig was super nice. She recognized "Lies" from Once (The Swell Season) and said she sings that song. I meant to talk to her after about singing and see if she wants to start a new trio/quartet with me, but then I didn't. I'll get her next time.
13. I want to purchase more arrangements. My best songs (Beyond the Sea, Fly Me To the Moon) came from online sheet music databases, and I paid for them. Paying sucks, but good arrangments rule. I try to use movement and chord things from these arrangements in my own, but it's hard.
14. Kyle, mentioned in the previous post, came by in a top hat with his ukelele. We tried playing together, but I drowned him out. He turned over the instrument and banged on it as percussion instead. Awesome. Then I gave him Flaca, the Mexican marionette who lives in my box (not sure if I've introduced her) and he made her dance on his hat and play her cymbals. It was really great. He's sort of a natural circus ringmaster, and he gave this radio-voice introduction all in Spanish that was really awesome ("Damas y caballeros, esta noche tenemos aqui Flaca! Baila, Flaca, baila!") except way more awesome. I tried to improvise the Mexican Hat Dance, and the combo certainly got people's attention. It turns out Kyle spent the winter in the Valley, so he knows all about the music/busking scene there.
That's all I can think of! I need some new songs! I'm super sick of my repertoire!
Oh wait, one more thing:
15. A couple said "Do you live in Wellfleet?" "Yes." "We met you last summer on the beach." On the Fourth of July I wandered around Mayo Beach in Wellfleet playing accordion while knee deep in the bay. I remembered having talked to super nice people, but didn't really see their faces. It was them! So cool.
Okay I think that's it. Au revoir, a tout a l'heure!
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