February 23rd-29th: From Euclid to Pittsburgh, and back!!

This week’s (and last weekend’s) adventures were one for the books!! Lots of cool memories, and good prospects for the future.

Let me start off by saying that the differences in driving from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Euclid, Ohio are almost polar opposites. Pittsburgh-rolling hills, winding highways, unique houses; Euclid-almost completely flat, straight roads, ALL HOUSES LOOK THE SAME!! 😂😂 I would know this because when I arrived at my AirBnb, it was nestled in a small community, where all the streets are numbered streets, and a heavy majority, if not all the houses built looked almost exactly the same. I’ve heard of stuff like this, when people talk about the coal towns and railroad towns back in the day-companies would make all the houses the same, so they could estimate their cost and cut back on building time, effectively making money from their investment. Really interesting to see, but not something that I would particularly be into. I think houses should reflect the person who owns them and/or lives in them-like dogs. Anyways, my hosts, Jessica and Zachary, were very nice. Jessica is a graduate assistant at The University of Cleveland, and she owns a seasonal business with her husband. We chatted for quite a time on Saturday morning, and they were great people. Would highly recommend, especially if you’re going to a show in the area.

Once I’m settled in, I head over to the Shire Cultural Center in downtown Euclid, where Friday’s festivities are filled with the masterclass held by Carolina Blue. This is my first time meeting the band, and hearing them-they quintessentially take the sounds of Bill Monroe bluegrass, put a little twist on it, and please your ears in a new, refreshing way. On top of that, they’re all very kind people! I got to sit down with Bobby Powell, the rhythm guitar player. He had lots of stories of growing up with music in North Carolina, how the band got started with mandolin player Timmy Jones, his Jimmy Martin influences, and his Hinde?? flattop box (which was basically a copy of his old D-28 with mahogany wood, instead of rosewood.) I also briefly met Aynsley Porchak, fiddle player, who in one year, won both the National Fiddle Championship for both the Untied States AND Canada! What a wicked player! I’m not sure that she could even play with bad intonation-every note, trill, slide was flawless (no wonder she’s a double champion.) I also found out (through Bobby) that Aynsley has to wear this special silver pinky ring when she plays, because when she was younger, she dislocated her finger trying to make those reaches up the neck, and so to further prevent it from happening, she has to wear it to keep her knuckle joint together. It’s like a brace, but for your pinky I guess? Anyways, she wears it like a champ, and it doesn’t even look out of place. I hope to see Carolina Blue again in the future-I still have yet to pick a tune or two with James McDowell, their full time banjo player (and part-time guitar picker.)

Saturday, the Lake Erie Folk Fest was in full swing with classes and workshops and jams and performances. I went to the bluegrass jam, and it was…interesting to say the least. Between the Hippie percussionist and the home made mandobass player, there was a lot to be seen. Carolina Blue showed up midway through and played a bunch of cool tunes, which was a lot of fun for the jammers and the crowd. After that was done, I wandered around, looking for the open mic session they had going on, only to find that it was buried in the basement near the food court, and there wasn’t a soul to see the two people who were performing there. So, I went back upstairs and found a performance room, where Paul Kovac, an Ohio native, was performing. I ended up talking to him after his set, and gave him a CD of mine to listen to. He seemed genuine enough, but disconnected, like he was looking for someone while I had him. I hope I didn’t hold him up, and I hope we can reconnect in the future-he seems like he’s got a lot going on in Ohio.

After that, I looked at the schedule and didn’t really see anything that I was DYING to do, so I decided to head back to PA, but not go straight home-instead, I drove to Oil City, where the Oil Country Bluegrass Festival was going on at the Moose Lodge. The new venue was refreshing, and it looked IMMENSELY better than the Days Inn venue; however, there was only one jam room, so you were at the mercy of whatever was going on in there. Hopefully, in the coming years, they can work out a situation where there are multiple rooms for jammers to play in. I came home late Saturday, and Sunday, I was yet again performing at Missing Links Brewery with Well Strung-a normal Sunday afternoon show, nothing to talk about there, particularly.

This week, I had the incredible pleasure of rehearsing and performing on the radio with my great friend, Bryce Rabideau. A Boston native, Bryce moved into the Pittsburgh area, and has spent the last couple years building his name in the scene. He performs with a band called Buffalo Rose, and is a former member of a band called Ferdinand The Bull. I’ve had Bryce back me at a couple of private shows, and this week was the first time we’ve played together on the radio. I feel like every time I play with Bryce, we gel so well together. He has a background in music with guitar, and he’s wicked on mandolin, so I can talk lingo with him, and he’s right there. He’s also a very intuitive player, and I hear him and I learn some things that I didn’t know before-licks that I could revamp, chord structure ideas, communication skills on a music level-it’s something different every time. There are not many people in the Pittsburgh scene that I feel or know have that sort of affect on me, and it’s something that I hold very highly when it comes to other musicians. Keep your eyes out for this gentleman-he’s a fantastic human, and a hard worker. You won’t regret seeing him play!

For the radio spot, we played at WRCT 88.3, where Mando Richard hosts ‘Whiskey Before Breakfast.’ The Station is in the basement of CMU, in the heart of Pittsburgh-a really cozy studio for the most part, filled with music libraries, studio spaces, and a lobby with couches. Bryce and I played roughly 45 minutes, where I performed 2 songs from my EP and a traditional worker’s strike song called ‘Union Maid;’ Bryce sang a contemporary Alison Krause tune called ‘The Lucky One,’ and we played a 2 song medley of Irish tunes for St. Patrick’s Day (Temperance Reel/Hangman’s Reel.) I believe the whole session will be on MixCloud, and I will soon (hopefully) be posting the session on my Media page here on the website, so if you missed it, you’ll be able to listen to the recording!!!

For those of you who will be near Pittsburgh this weekend, don’t forget that I will be on the South Side at The Rex Theater for the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou Tribute show! Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers, Well Strung, Echo Valley, and the Millbillys will be performing the whole motion picture soundtrack, and your truly will have his Dapper Dan hair slicked back for the show! There are still tickets left, so grab yours soon! The show starts at 8 PM, doors at 7 PM!! I’ll have CDs for sale ($6) at the merch table! See you then!!!