…and here is a photo (taken by Gordon Withers) of the most delicious and satisfying one I have ever eaten. This very morning (May 21, 2022), in Windham NY. Thank you, Windham Local.
Days off on tour are just weird. I mean, tour is weird in so many ways, but to have a day off, while certainly necessary from time to time, can be indescribably disorienting. The main factor, I think, is time. Time slows down and gets … squishy. Simultaneously fast, and very very slow. You are out here to do one thing, but you cant do that thing, so … what?
I spent a pretty enjoyable week in Windham NY between the afternoon of May 19 and the morning of May 21.
OK, to be fair, there was a show in there too, and it was a singular one at that (May 20 at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock). But the event horizon of that wonderful show … stretched out like temporal chewing gum. Tell you what though, in itself that was pretty nice!
This part of the world is, to rest on the first cliche at hand, breathtakingly beautiful.
The Air BnB turned out to be great, at the top of a historic building with a decent restaurant downstairs. The apartment was small but comfortable, with a deck that looked up at Windham Mountain. Windham is a very small town that seems like it must only really come to life in the ski season; it was all but deserted in late May. Thursday night after we got in, we walked up the mountain a way, to the bottom of the ski run, through a Ballardian environment of almost entirely deserted ski-lodge accommodations in a weird combination of brutalist and fake Tudor architecture. We came back and ate a delicious (if entirely deep-fried) dinner in the restaurant downstairs from the Air BnB and called it a day. I tried to get in some guitar practice but a gentle rap on the wall from unseen neighbors made me think better of it.
Gordon is working remotely through most of this tour, and he had a 10:30AM work commitment on Friday morning, but being in this incredible mountain landscape, we resolved to get up early and hike, which we did. A little over 4 miles, but over 900 feet elevation, up Windham Mountain but not quite to Windham High Peak. It was awesome to see the environment change as the elevation changed, like there were these really clear demarcation points.
Also, we saw a porcupine.
Most of the rest of the day felt to me like a kind of time vortex. I worked on set lists for the upcoming Jawbox Europe tour, and made friends with a local cat, and also got pretty sunburned, while Gordon worked. And then it was off to Woodstock and Levon Helm Studios.
The drive was pretty nuts. I let Google Maps be my guide and took the most direct way, which turned out to be literally over a mountain. Beautiful, but pretty dicey at points. A little steep for the Kia Soul - but this humble car of mine actually acquitted itself pretty well.
We got into downtown Woodstock, experienced a little mild culture shock, then took a quick driving detour past Dreamland Studio. If I’d had the presence of mind I would have thought of this earlier and arranged to get a tour, but no dice. I love the sound of so many records that were made there. Anyway, we saw it from the road. Guess what, it’s a building. From the outside, completely nondescript. Next time for the interior, I hope.
We heard Bob on the radio, hyping the show and also saying nice things about our set and encouraging people to come early to the show. Thanks Bob!
And then we entered a total dream world that honestly is still blowing my mind a little. I kind of hate to be so hyperbolic, but I have to say Levon Helm Studios is one of the most inspiring places I’ve ever been. It is almost a world unto itself (I suppose you can say that about Woodstock in general for good and for ill, but where LHS is concerned? 100% good).
Some of my favorite shows I’ve seen in the past few years have happened in a place in Baltimore called Club 603, which is actually the living room of the Veith family. I saw Mark Eitzel there, Jason Narducy, John Vanderslice … all really intimate shows and each profoundly affecting in its way. Well, Levon Helm Studios has that same feeling, like … this is personal. You’re kind of in someone’s home. I mean, we even drove past it initially because there’s no sign on the road, just a mailbox. But that home also has the added bonus of being Levon Helm’s rehabbed and repurposed barn, with high ceilings, warm acoustics, incredible sound and lights, and capacity for … I don’t know, maybe 100 people? It was like the dream version of a living room show. And you can tell that everyone who works at this place feels they are a part of something special. The whole experience felt almost … haunted somehow, but by good spirits. Make what sense you will of that.
Gordon played our set sitting on Levon Helm’s drum throne.
I’d say my experience was only slightly marred by my constant internal battle with imposter syndrome, which was a little more intense in this setting - how can I possibly deserve to be allowed to play in this place? - but I’ve been struggling with that demon for a long time and I’m glad I’ve been able to keep it (mostly) reined in on this trip. Anyway, maybe a little more than the usual nerves, but also enough nice moments and people seemed to like what we did.
Bob’s set slayed, as usual. There’s something I really love about a show with no stage, and it was great to see him in that setting.
After the show, back to the AirBnB the long way around (no mountain drives this time).
Today was maybe the longest drive yet, from Windham to Plymouth NH. Insanely scenic, to the point that I think we both started to get a little numb to it. Gordon DJ’d for a bit which meant I got to hear Taking Meds for the first time - don’t know how I’ve missed out on this band but they’re great.
We also listened to some Song Exploder podcasts (when we had signal).
Hans Zimmer on his Dune score: “I didn’t fuck it up.”
Rick Nielsen on “Surrender”: “when you’re a teenager, instead of being combative all the time, just lie to your parents.”
Stopped at Hogback Mountain overlook. Didn’t think I had any breath left to take at this point, but was mistaken. Someone from the staff was walking around with an owl on her arm (“Meet An Owl,” a sign said, and so we did).
And eventually we made our way to the Flying Monkey in Plymouth NH, another lovely old restored theater where the staff was super nice and professional, we ate a tasty dinner, and we had a really fun show playing to a small but very energized crowd. About to crash now at another Air BnB 20 minutes down the road from the show.
Off to bed, to contemplate a future without breakfast sandwiches, because I can’t see how any future contenders could possibly compete.
