Charley's Road Journal

4/17/07 Long time since ...

2007-04-17T07:17:00.001-04:00

my last blog. apparently people actually read this. so i am going to continue this but it will be through my www.myspace.com/charleyorlando site. so please go there for future blogs and music and photos and all that good stuff. I am currently running out the door to head to NYC where i start recording my 2nd solo album. it's gonna be great and i'll be blogging about that as well. let me just say before i roll ... my show at the red house on 4/15 was awesome and it was recorded so look for a "live" download of that show to be released very soon!!! be well and thank you for reading my ramblings.

11/25/06 - Syracuse,NY; The Coffee Pavilion

2006-11-27T10:31:00.001-05:00

what a great gig. the venue is very intimate and sounded great! although it was a steamy 79 degrees in there it was worth the sweat. i'm not sure how many folks showed up, but it sounded like a ton when each song was done. they really got into it. i played a wonderful and well rounded show. some very touching songs that got extra delicate attention and some very rockin' version that the crowd allowed me to dig into. i continue to play some very new songs that i am still working out and by the reaction they are on the right track. once again this was an amazingly fun and well received show. all in all i played at the top of my game and if the recording came out well then you will see some of the songs on www.myspace.com/charleyorlando in the future. :))

Fall Tour 2006

2006-11-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

after taking the summer off from touring i was a bit eager to get back on the road. double edged sword when it comes to touring. miss it when your home and miss home when you are touring. so is life as a musician. so i set out early on the 6th of oct. with a car full of gear, clothes, food and my ipod full of my favorite 7,000 songs(which is not my full collection). i had to really cruise cause i had to be in denver,co on the 7th for my first show. so i drove a lengthy 12 hours the first day landing me in des moines,ia. i grabbed a room and passed out only to wake up the next day to drive once again. this day was easy. a mere 9 hours and i was eatin' pizza watchin' the yankees (blow it for another year) at my friend dave's house. was nice to see dave for the first time in 6 years or so. onto dulcineas 100th monkey for my opener of the tour(10/7). i was sharing a bill with a couple of bands and only got to play for 30 min. or so. which is cool with me after driving for 2 days. i played well and got through it with no wondrous moments, but it was solid. met up with and hung out with a bunch of old friends and hit the hay for some serious shut eye. the next night (10/8) was at the mountain sun in boulder,co. i've played this place a bunch since 1996 and always love it. was a bit of a light crowd due to the rain. if it snows everyone goes out but if it rains ... well ... not so much! anyway i played really well and was starting to hit a groove. always play a more rockin' show here than most places and so that's how it went down. a guy named ben jordan played some tunes in-between sets and was likable for sure ... nice guy! wen and chilled with a couple of friends outside of boulder and then shot off to utah on the 9th for a long ride through the mountains. of course rain this time of year on the front range means snow in the mountains and snow it did. not much but enough to keep me on the main roads and not wandering around like i like to. once i hit utah after a couple of stops to soak up the beauty of CO i hit one of the worst rain storms i have ever been in. was harsh!! but i did clear up and i pulled over to do a phone interview w/ janie franz of the high plains reader in north dakota. got to my destination of monroe,ut where my next show was the next day the night before. and glad i did. mystic hot springs is crazy cool. i soaked for about 2 hours in a natural hot spring and meditated with the stars. it was very calming and centering. woke up the next day and started writing a new song that i currently am in love with ... it's called "change the world" and it is unlike anything i've written before and as i now am aware of has pointed my song-writing in a totally new and fresh direction ... the next level. 10/11 is the next show at the hot springs and i was DVD taping this show for a hopeful release. out of 22 songs i was ok with 9 of them being released. so at best you will see a couple of them on my website or myspace for fun. i played ok but not the best. i had my mind on other things like my new song! woke up the next morning and head off to visit some great friends in donnolly,id. haven't seen scott and sam in long time and now they have a little one named augustus. what strong name. he rocked and was so sweet. this brings us to the 12th. so i started heading up to northern ID where i had a gig on friday. i took my time and pulled off to go for a hike with my guitar and wrote another song about my ever loving and beautiful partner. i was missin' her alot at this point. got some fresh fruit and huckleberry tea from a road side farmer and ended up in coer d' alene,id that night at my buddy john's house. but john was in seattle,wa at a roger waters concert so i just chilled in his hot tub and drank a glass of wine. woke early the next day and hung on the dock by the steamin' river and meditated for a while. met up with john later that day and headed up to sandpoint,id to playa show at pend d' oreille winery(10/13). a cool mellow place. i played really well and did a well rounded show of all my material. after that we went out to a fantastic dinner and then chilled out the rest of the night and caught up on life. next john and i and a bunch of his friends went to pullman,wa to see washington state cougars play the california bears. bears crushed them but it was blast to tail gate and see a college football game. next off to missoula,mt and the top hat (10/15). love this place and have made it home since 1996. had a fun crowd of college kids and played really really well. did my best version of girl from the north country to date. i played one of my new songs "way to love" which i had woke my self up singing in a dream when i was at scott and sams. so i wrote down the words and went back to bed. next day was a drive day and so i stopped in bozeman,mt for a sandwhich at franks and to hang with good friends al, spruce, and brett. pretty rainy and snowy on this day so i left as soona s my belly was full. made it to glendive,mt that night and slept off the drive at a super 8. woke up the next day to 5 inches of snow on the ground. so i made some coffee in my french press travel mug and hit up ace hardware for a scrapper and cleaned my car. i then drove for next 5 hours at 40 miles an hour through a classic north dakota white out. once i got to the east side of bismark it cleared up and the sun even came out ... bamm ... just like that. got to fargo and settle into the sleep inn and showered up and had some tea and the headed to the red raven espresso bar in fargo,nd(10/17). my first time playing fargo and this venue. what a cool place. it was like an underground punk venue. it was a blast and i played a about 2 hours and hung with my friend captain cory while this punk all done up with ear rings and hair all stickin' up play some songs for us. his name was mario and was SO funny. i thought he should be a comedian. too much fun. i loved this place and got a tip of a sketch of me playing from an artist in the crowd. it's up on my myspace page. next show was at concordia college in moorhead,mn(10/18). my buddy Amer booked me at this show. he is a wonderful spirit and so smart. we have killer conversation and really enjoy each others company. The show was fun and very intimate. the people that did show up really dug and i felt comfy enough to play one of my new songs ... Change The World ... this song is very powerful b/c it speaks truth in no uncertain terms. This is a song i wrote for my band "Ruha" but can be played solo. i was blown away by this song and still am. I had the next day off so i hung with Amer and ate some thai food that rocked. the next it was off to grand forks,nd and the home of the UND. i had 2 gigs booked for this day(10/20). one was at the hockey arena which is huge and holds about 10,000 people and all 10,000 people showed up. so i played an hour before the show and in-between periods. i was a little skeptical about this show but it went great and an i met some wonderful folks ... plus i got to watch Univ. of Maine beat up on UND. then it was off to suite 49 for my evening show. this place was very cool and had a great stage and sound system. crowd was fun and table 1 really dug it. got to hang with my buddy captain cory who i met 4 years early when i played 10,000 lakes fest' in MN and the parrots cay in grand forks,nd. cory came up and jammed several tunes with me on harp and it was great! that marked the end of the major tour portion of the tour. now as i headed back to my ghetto motel and i do mean ghetto ... my window faced a white brick wall ... i thought of my long rode home to syracuse. 22 hours to be exact. i tried to sleep but it's hard to when you know you have to get up in a couple of hours to drive all day and then again all day the next day. but i got enough shut eye to make it all the way to the first exit in ohio and i grabbed a solid 8 hours of sleep and woke up the next day and was home by 2pm to hang with my family. it was great to be home but i still had 3 shows left which was great! so monday night (10/23) i had a gig at the dinosaur in syracuse. this place is the best place to play in 'cuse and has a great rep. for bringing top notch music. only the best play at the dino. so i was very honored to be back here for the monday night songwriter night w/ ashley cox , brianna lane, and ki'hme. my buddy david came down to say hi and it's always the highest of pleasures to see him. he is one of my very favorite people in the world. i played wonderfully and had a spectacular time. my next show in schenectady,ny on 10/26 i had to cancel cause the fuse box in my house went on the fritz and took out half the electricity in my house. good thing my partners brother is a grade AAA electrician and he swooped in and put in a whole new box and rewired all of it!! i can not thank him enough ... thank you Robby!!! so i was bummed about missing the show but somethings take priority ... like the safety of my family! so onto the last show of the tour .... 10/27 @ the blue frog coffeehouse in cortland,ny. i had never played here before and was excited. i really like the place and the vibe. i thought i played very well and had the attention of the people that attended. i hope to play here again in the future. i really dug the atmosphere. so i guess in short this tour was very fun and got me some of the best music i have ever written. i have turned a corner with my song writing and can't wait to see where it leads me. thank for all of your support and love. until the next time. peace!

9/24/06 - Six Mile Creek Winery; Ithaca,NY

2006-11-01T21:42:00.000-05:00

really beautiful place. got to play outside completely unplugged. kinda reminded me of the old days when woody guthrie would travel around just playing and singing. was a wonderful afternoon of wine and family folk and kind people. oh yeah and a little 2 year old boy had to go to the bathroom so he dropped trow in the middle of the place and attempted to let it roll. his parents were a touch uptight and weren't havin' it. funny and not funny all at once. god bless the little ones!

8/12/06 - Weedsport,NY; Burritt's Cafe

2006-08-12T23:03:00.000-04:00

ahhhhh ... a breath of fresh air. LOVE this place. great vibe and people. so loving and warm. i had a great night and played real well. i would play this place every week if it was possible. reminds me of colorado. can't really say enough about how nice everyone was. got to see an old friend who was in town from japan. always a pleasure to see good ole walt. all in all a great great evening of people and music. go check this place out if you are ever near weedsport. tell darrel and sherry and sherry i sent ya.

8/5/06 - Marcellus,NY; The Village Tavern

2006-08-12T23:00:00.000-04:00

coked up 21 year old drunks. not fun! they liked it but the energy was tragic! bartender was very sweet and fun to chat with. the last solo gig in a bar draws near. all in all i got paid!

7/29/06 - Oswego,NY; Harborfest' @ Murdocks Porch Stage

2006-08-12T22:57:00.000-04:00

can't really miss with this gig. but i did. let me sum it up ... set up and soundcheck ... hurricane like rain storm blows in ... tare down and cover gear ... still raining ... sun come out and things dry up ... set back up and uncover ... get an hour of fun fun fun playing and then ... pouring rain for the rest of the day. oh well can't win 'em. all in all a fun time and some great friends to hang with.

7/27/06 - Camillus,NY; Mcnamara's Pub

2006-08-12T22:54:00.000-04:00

still not a fan of this bar, but tonight was actually fun and cool. i had some new songs to bust out and i did ... "the path" ... "revelation" ... "see through me" ... they all went well and can't wait to watch them grow. all in all i had fun and this was my last show here ever!

7/6/06 - Oswego,NY; G.S. Steamers

2006-08-12T22:50:00.000-04:00

i've stayed in alot of hotels and been to a ton of the bars that are at these hotels. this one has to by far be the coolest one. geat crowd and sound. i went to college in oswego so i'm pretty comfy in this town. although it is not even close to the same it was back then, it's still a fun town. i played great and had a blast. had a bunch of family come out to listen and some old band mates from doc apple showed up and it was great to see them. looks like there will be a re-union at harborfest' next year. first show in 14 years. kinda cool. all in all a wonderful time.

6/30/06 - Skaneateles,NY; Creekside Coffeehouse

2006-06-30T22:41:00.000-04:00

love this place. this is the third time i've played here. although it has been a year since my last show the crowd was great. a full house and they all were very attentive. i wish i could play solo gigs like this all the time. actually i only have 3 more shows booked as a solo performer at bar venues and then that's it. my solo show is for coffeehouses and intimate listening rooms. not bars with drunks wanting to hear anyting but my music. i can finally say that i will not be playing in bars as a solo act ever again. feels good to leave that part of me behind. this doesn't mean i wont be playing solo shows anymore, cause i will. i'm just going to be very selective of the venue. i played so well tonight because of the interaction w/ the audience. they traveled through a night of my music w/ me and it was uplifting and incredibly fulfilling. can't wait to play here again. all in all a meaningful evening with great tunes!

6/17/06 - The Raven; Oswego,NY

2006-06-26T19:06:00.000-04:00

anytime you play a place that has 2 rooms and one is the bar and one is the stage ... you always are in a battle w/ booze. and if people are out to drink ... you lose. even though i lost this one i played great and had a wonderful time and hung out with some great people. win or lose it's always fun to play the game.

6/15/06 - Camillus,NY; McNamaras

2006-06-15T23:06:00.000-04:00

BOO-HISS. all you can do is try and try again. the owner doesn't seem to like me. this place makes me feel like a human juke box.

6/3/06 - New York,NY; Scopa Underground (charley orlando band)

2006-06-04T23:16:00.000-04:00

NYC debut! this place was to small for us. we just about blew the walls off the place! we had a blast and rock the hell out of the place, but the sound was horrible and muddy. typical NYC 2 second sound check and a sound man that sat in the corner and didn't do a thing to make it better. didn't matter cause the vibe carried the show. the band that opened the night "united funk order" was insane and too much fun! all great people w/ a solid sound and lots of booty shakin'!! all in all we had a great showing and look forward to building the scene in new york!

5/27/06 - Hannibal,NY; Sterling Stage Folk Fest' (charley orlando band)

2006-06-04T23:13:00.000-04:00

second show for the band. we had it together for this show. we came out blazin' and tore it up till the end. this fest' is one of my favorites in the middle of pine trees and wonderful people. this band is going to be insane with more shows under our belt. we playede a tight 55 minute set and lit it up. all in all a wonderful time had by all!!

5/26/06 - Syracuse,NY; The Shire (charley orlando band)

2006-06-04T23:10:00.000-04:00

first show with my band. booked this as a dress rehearsal thing. we haven't play live before and the shire is very comfortable and cool. the band is incredible. all i've ever wanted is a band like this. rockin', dynamic, and free of ego. the show started with me solo and one by one pulled the members of the band up until it was a full on rock out. we played awesome and only destroye done song. only 2 rehearals and we got through 20 songs. a great experience.

5/21/06 - Buffalo,NY; Sportmen's Tavern

2006-06-04T23:08:00.000-04:00

i love this place. my favorite place to play solo so far. great venue and crowd. i always play great here and this night was no exception. really can't say enough of how cool this place is. got to see some old friends!!

5/19/06 - Syracuse,NY; Pheobe's Cafe

2006-06-04T23:06:00.000-04:00

pretty cool place. i thought i played well, but once again people in this area would rather hear what they know and not something new. i'm starting to think they are scared of what isn't familiar to them. i shall try try again!!

5/18/06 - Camillus,NY; McNamaras

2006-06-04T23:03:00.000-04:00

well. where do i start ... this is a jukebox bar. they'd rather crank the tunes they listen to on the radio all day and that they have in the record collection than hear something new. oh well. one can only try. unfortunatly i have 2 more shows booked at this joint. solider forward is the motto for this place. only good thing is i got to meet 2 very nice people who i now consider friends.

5/8/06 - Syracuse,NY; Dinosaur BBQ

2006-05-09T17:55:00.000-04:00

this is the coolest and best place to play in syracuse. the crowd expects top notch original music. so i rose to the occasion and simply played my best solo performance to date. i had it all going on. it rocked and was touching. i played all new songs except for one older one and a dylan cover of "girl from the north country". i'm hoping to get the band in here to rock large in the future. all in all i loved the venue and i loved my performance. a complete success and blast!!

5/4/06 - Auburn,NY; Spirit's

2006-05-05T01:26:00.000-04:00

i haven't played this venue since the early 90's. i like this place. the crowd was more entertaining than i was. 1st off i had a girl ask me if she could sing with me ... and what song is it do you think she wanted to sing? ... and she asked sincerely ... "freebird" ... i almost pissed myself. then there was these 2 guys who wouldn't stop asking for "old man" by neil young. they said i was "sandbaggin'" 'em. i haven't played that song since i was in college. so i laid "pocahantus" and "comes a time" on them and of course they had no idea i was playing neil. oh well ... i tried. oh the best one was a very very very very drunk metal dude who wanted to play harmonica with me. his quote was "do it for the kids" so rather than start a fight by not letting him play ... i let him play and he actually wasn't that bad, but he did the shot that put him over the edge and he screamed in my face, knocked my mailing list on the floor, grabbed the mic stand and tossed it, and then passed out in the doorway for his finale. nothing i haven't seen before, but is was more sad than funny at that point. a side from those folks i met some great people and made some new friends. i played well, nothing spectacular, but good. can't wait to go back and see what happens. all in all a well worth it thursday night!!

4/29/06 - Findley Lake,NY; The Regency Pub

2006-04-30T01:47:00.000-04:00

a much better crowd this evening. i got my voice back for the most part and was able to dig in a little more. met a great musician named chris peters and let him play a bunch of tunes. really dug his tunes. i played very well and cranked out some great versions of my songs. all in all a really fun show and a great weekend.

4/28/06 - Findley Lake,NY; The Regency Pub

2006-04-29T20:01:00.000-04:00

what a cool cool place this is. it's a ski resort called "peek n' peak" and it's in a beautiful part of southwestern NY. wasn't much of a crowd and that was cool with me cause my voice still wasn't there, but at least i could sing unlike in philly. i played a couple more new songs ... "for emma" and "when i found god" ... and they went great. all in all a mellow evening for a resort in the off season.

4/27/06 - Philadelphia,PA; McCrossen's

2006-04-29T19:56:00.000-04:00

well i have to say i feel wicked bad about this show. i woke up this day w/ a horrible sore throat and just not on it vocally. i should have cancelled the show but i have never done that before in my 3,000 some shows i've played in my career. so i thought i'd tough it out and make good. couldn't have been more worng. i couldn't pull it off. the crowd was more than nice to me for this and actually seemed to like some of it. for me it was just down right painful sounding and feeling. so i ended up playing a 38 min. set and calling the show w/ the blessing of the owner who is a great person for understanding. i will make it up to this venue and town as soon as i can get back. sorry!! all in all a depressing night.

4/26/06 - Syracuse,NY; The Shire (w/ Cris Noel)

2006-04-29T19:41:00.000-04:00

love this bar. these guys have been great to me and really treat the musicians well. i really loved this night mostly b/c i got to play with my great friend cris noel. cris strarted the night with a stellar set of music. she really has a sound of her own. she played 2 brand new songs that i have grown to love! then i played a set of my own material. i played with a lot of guts and it was a blast. then the best part of the night came when cris and i played the 3rd set together. we played mostly my tunes but some of hers as well. we played a bunch of new songs we have been working on for the charley orlando band shows coming up in may ... "long time comin'", "overflow", and "every desire". also a sweet sweet verison of a christy moore song "ride on". the crowd was cool and vey funny toward the end of the night when a young man named wilkin was being abused by his friends on his 21st birthday. we made up a song for him "wheelbarrel wilkin" and it was absolutly hilarious! all in all a really fun night and a great show all the way around.

3/12/06 - Boulder,CO; Mountain Sun

2006-03-14T19:43:00.000-05:00

a great place to end the tour. i've been playing this place for a good 10 years and love it. always a fun crowd and great food and beer. i was surprised the crowd was as big as it was due to the huge snow storm that was dumping snow on the front range for about 2 days. i had a great 2 set show and really enjoyed playing my 9th show in 10 days. had some wonderful friends show up and met some new folks that i really liked. after all the playing on this tour the new songs have really found their way and have changed in form and lyrically as well. all in all i thought i played wonderfully and it was just a sweet time and show to end my tour.

3/11/06 - Lander,WY; Lander Bar

2006-03-14T19:36:00.000-05:00

first let me explain this venue. it's split in two. one side is a ragin' cowboy bar and the other side is a seated listening room. there are 2 doors that separate them. so the first set was great even though univ. of wyoming was playing in the ncaa final for their conference. it was a cool and attentive crowd and i played real well and really enjoyed it. then the second set was not so much fun. the listening crowd funneled out and the ragin' drunken cowboy bar folks kicked it up a notch. i had a few people diggin' it and i met some great folks as well. i wasn't a fan of the 2nd set at all and i played ok. i somehow let it get to me which i usually don't. but it did and i sucked it up and let it go. all in all i played one great set and met some fine people.

3/10/06 - Sandpoint,ID; Pend d' Oreille Winery

2006-03-10T23:41:00.000-05:00

first time playing this venue and i loved it. great room, great staff, great crowd of folks listening. i played wonderfully mellow stuff ... very folky and soft. i really dug it. i guess you know you are doing well when the owner takes cash out of the till to buy a CD. once again a great place with tasty wine as well. can't wait to go back. all in all a successful idaho portion of the tour.

3/9/06 - Coeur d' Alene,ID; Moon Time

2006-03-10T17:35:00.000-05:00

well ... i've been playing this venue for 10 years. it has changed little in that time. it is always a great great time and tonight was not exception. it was a full house and the staff, owners and crowd were having a great time. i played real well at times and not so good at times, but over all i rocked it. i totally love this town and venue a ton. great friends and an attentive crowd. all in all i did ok and had a wonderful time.

3/8/06 - Monroe,UT; Mystic Hot Springs

2006-03-08T23:40:00.000-05:00

i just love this place. got here last night and chilled w/ the owners. woke up did yoga and a bit of meditation and then soaked in a natural hot spring for about 2 hours. it was awesome. the show was equally as fun. a bunch of folks were on spring break from charlottesville,va and we had a fine time. the show was video taped as well and it came out killer. i'm hopin' to get it bumped onto dvd so i can make it available to ya'll. i played real well and just enjoyed the whole experience. all in al a great great time and i can't wait to go back.

3/6/06 - Telluride,CO; Gorrono Ranch

2006-03-07T18:59:00.000-05:00

well it ain't like the sayin' but ... 2 outta 4 ain't bad! the day started off cloudy , windy and cool. so i decided to play inside. it was going well for the first set. good crowd and i was playing well and then all of a sudden BAMMMMM ... the sun came out and it was beautiful outside. so i ended my stay in telluride playing for one lady and the workers at gorrono while a small but fun crowd of folks had a snow ball fight outside. although i love this place i was glad to move on. it was time to go. the load in everyday just wore me out. all in all a great run in telluride and i would go back in a second. i played all 77 original songs i had to offer from my set list for this tour as well as a nice handful of covers. onto to utah tonight!

3/5/06 - Telluride,CO; Gorrono Ranch

2006-03-05T19:31:00.000-05:00

so much for cloudy weather. today was picture perfect. 50 degrees + and sunny sunny sunny! i played in t-shirts @ 10,000 feet. the crowd was large and killer. i played real well and had a blast. even signed an autograph for an 11 year old fan. i really can't say enough about what a great time it was. i had some really great friends and their son come stay w/ me and they got to ski and come up to the show today. always love hanging with them and their son is one of my favorite kids. all in all a postcard day and a wondeful time.

3/4/06 - Telluride,CO; Gorrono Ranch

2006-03-04T20:51:00.001-05:00

well today wasn't all that great. it was COLD and snowy so i had to play inside. this place is all about the party outside in the sun and today proved that. i thought i still played well and it was fun, but not like being outside in the middle of mountain peaks in the sunshine. oh well ... can't win 'em all. all in all ... cloudy day keeps the folks away.

3/3/06 - Telluride,CO; Gorrono Ranch

2006-03-04T20:51:00.000-05:00

after 3 days of driving and staying in toledo,oh, north platte,ne and then the final destination of telluride i was more than happy to check into my suite in the middle of town. this place is so sweet. incredible views everywhere you look and a great vibe. the first show of my 4 show stand went great. the venue is half way up the mountain @ telluride ski resort. i have to take snowmoblie up to the gig. i play outside on a huge deck in the blazing sunshine. it was about 45 degrees out but felt like 65 in the sun. i played great and the crowd seemed to dig it. played van morrisons "stoned me" for the first time in a while. all the new tunes keep progressing and taking shape. i'm really diggin' it. all in all a great start to the tour.

2/26/06 - Union Dale,PA; Elk Mountain @ The Winter Garden

2006-02-27T20:25:00.000-05:00

well nothing has changed here. a great 4 hour rehearsal for my upcoming tour. i did get tipped $5 for playing all my own songs. glad that was my last show here ... one can only hope ... ever!!

2/25/06 - Syracuse,NY; The Shire "Assassins Of Hip"

2006-02-27T20:15:00.000-05:00

this is a new venue in town. the owners and staff treat ya like you always wanted to be treated. they were just great. the assassins just keep getting better and better. our now "official" new drummer mike mcdonald is fantastic to play with. he is a great guy as well. we ripped out some wonderfully fun stuff. we've decidied as a jam out cover band that we'd better pick some awesome tunes. so we do. like "pigs" by pink floyd. it was even better than last time. this band is just a side project for all of us and it's very fun to show up w/o rehearsing and pull off the shows we've been pulling off. grand grand fun.

Download Change of Plan

2006-02-08T12:37:00.000-05:00

well i hope you all enjoyed the free download thing. but seeing as how i am focusing on my band i am going to be putting tracks from my uncoming album "The Dust That Lands" up for your listening pleasure. i have not made them available for download b/c the album is being shopped around to record labels and i don't want it all over the internet, but you can go to www.myspace.com/charleyorlando and listen to 4 of the 12 tracks. i may be putting a new 4 tracks up each month but i have not made that decision yet. so for now enjoy the future of my music.

FREE DOWNLOADS VOL. III

2006-02-06T09:59:00.000-05:00

i have posted the 3rd volume of free tunes on www.myspace.com/charleyorlando. i chose 12/17/05 Bolton Valley,VT; Bolton Valley Ski Resort @ James Moore Tavern. i had a great time at this show and i randomly picked the tunes. hope ya enjoy them.

2/4/06 - North Creek,NY; Gore Mountain @ The Tannery Lounge

2006-02-05T13:04:00.000-05:00

a bit bleary eyed to start the day, but nothing several cups of coffee couldn't fix. hell of a load in for this place. got yelled at by a ski patrol guy who obviously takes his jobs a little to seriously. probably mad he isn't at a real moutain in colorado. anyway i parked in the wrong spot and he freaked. i was just doing what the folks at the venue told me to and i told him so as nicely as i could after being attacked verbally. so it was a fun crowd of very loud folks. i went for more covers and very upbeat originals. it seemed to work. the night was being sponsored by davidson brothers brewery and they were reallly cool folks and the beer wasn't to bad either. was a good contact for the future. everyone who worked here was very cool and nice, accept for ski guy of course, but i had a blast and got to hang w/ a great old friend from high school and his step son who was very cool. i played well and enjoyed it all. not the 3 hour ride home but once i got home i popped a beer and had some tacos and watched the history channel and then passed out. all in all a crazy 4 gigs in 3 days.

2/3/06 - Syracuse,NY; Bull & Bear (assassins of hip show)

2006-02-05T12:57:00.000-05:00

so i was a bit tired and really just wanted to sleep cause i have to get up at 9am to head of to gore mtn. for another show tomorrow. but whatever, it's always fun to rock out with the assassins. our regular drummer PJ couldn't make it so we had an excellent fill in by the name of Mike Macdonald. he was great and a nice fellow as well. a pleasure to play with. crowd was way into it and we played great. we've actually been playing awesome lately and w/o any real rehearsal. we busted out a clapton tune called "the core" w/ timmy's friend Jen singing half the tune. she was fantastic as well. also ripped into pink floyd's "pigs ( three different ones)" and it went really well. all in all a fun night in a less than fun bar with horrible sound.

2/3/06 - Union Dale,PA; Elk Mountain @ The Winter Garden (early show)

2006-02-05T12:54:00.000-05:00

it's a tough gig to play a ski resort when it's 50 degrees and raining. but still the corwd was ok in numbers. but as i told my girlfriend ... i could have stood on a stool naked and shot nickels out my ass and they wouldn't have noticed. i still had fun and played well. it was like a paid 4 hour practice. i did get one older lady to get up and shake for a tune or two, but most likely she was mocking the situation. 2 tough gigs in a row. all in all not the best. and i still have to pack up and drive 2 hours to set up and play another show in about 4 hours.

2/2/06 - Philadelphia,PA; McCrossen's Tavern

2006-02-05T12:51:00.000-05:00

although it wasn't a listening crowd it was a good night. i played ok, not my best. i failed to get the attention of the crowd which was partly my fault, but also due to the amount of booze people had ingested. all in all a pretty lack luster and boring night for me.

1/29/06 - Buffalo,NY; Sportmen's Tavern

2006-01-30T13:33:00.000-05:00

i love playing rooms like this. it is owned and inhabited by musicians and music fans. it was a great liitle crowd. wonderful old friends and good ole canadian folk i've known for years plus a handful of new folks that really dug the tunes. i felt i played one of my best solo shows to date. my voice was extremely powerful and in tune. my guitar playing was soft and forceful. kept the new tunes in rotation and had a well rounded show of mellow and rucus stuff. got to play a sweet version of "stella blue" which i haven't played in years. all in all i had one of my favorite shows this year thus far. can't wait to go back in april.

1/26/06 - Syracuse,NY; Limp Lizard Lounge

2006-01-27T11:08:00.000-05:00

this was the last night of my residency here. it was the best crowd i had through the 2 months. it never really took off here and that's ok. i booked the shows so i had a platform to get my new materail out and play songs i wanted to work on and i did that. i busted out 7 new songs on this night ... "stitch of sublime" "lucky" "fresh" "french poet" "out to sea" "essence" "today" ... plus refined versions of some newer songs i've been working on. so my new year got underway w/ 8 new songs that i love to death. my writing continues to grow and follow it's own heart. as far as the show i played great and it felt awesome. my vioce was in top shape and the new tunes tested that for sure. also played my best version to date of bob dylan's "highwater" which is one of my favorites he has ever written. all in all it was a great night and i enjoyed the new folks i met as well as some crazy regulars that always bust my balls.

1/15/06 - Union Dale,PA; Elk Mounatin @ Winter Garden

2006-01-17T13:08:00.000-05:00

my voice was finally back after a rocky start to the year. when ya have a cold and still belt it out it takes its toll. although i got through the gigs it really hurt my voice. so after a good solid 3 days w/o singing i slowly got it back and by this day i was on again. the place was a mob scene, but no one really seemed to be paying much attention. although that's a lie. there were several people who did. just didn't seem like it i guess. i played awesome and felt great. i played a marathon 4 set show and played some stufff i hadn't touched on in a while like ... me & bobby mcgee and kiva. all in all a worth while time and a beautiful but cold (3 degees at showtime) day.

1/13/06 - Syracuse,NY; Coleman's (assassins of hip)

2006-01-17T13:04:00.000-05:00

a great assassination. we played our best on this night. i thought it was gonna be crazy cause of the full moon, 50+ degree weather (which is a god send here) and just b/c it's cloeman's w/ all those factors, but it was real smooth and fun. busted out some great new covers .... they love each other, she's so cold, free to do what i want, he's gone, eastbound and down. everyone played real well and a great time was had by all. i do believe the assassins are a great cover band.

1/12/06 - Syracuse,NY; Limp Lizard Lounge

2006-01-13T15:01:00.000-05:00

still not drawing much of a crowd here. a couple great friends came out to see me as well as my lovely lady and her daughter. but i guess i am not to surprised. the newtimes keeps screwing up the ads so anyone who does know me doesn't know i am playing. anyway i had a great time playing to the small crowd that was there and the owner and staff continue to be the best. all in all it is always worth it when i get to play my music.

Free Downloads vol. III

2006-01-10T07:55:00.000-05:00

i chose 12/8/05 from McCrossen's Tavern in Philadelphia,PA. i 've been playing this place quite a bit since i went solo and i love. nice folks, fun atmosphere and great tasting guiness. i had a great show on this night and wanted ya'll to hear some of it. i chose come clean, daydream, the real you, and west of the mississippi for your listening pleasure. hope you enjoy. take care.

1/8/06 - Old Forge,NY; McCauley Mountain @ The Last Run

2006-01-09T15:05:00.000-05:00

couldn't have picked a better place to end my first little tour of '06. wonderfully nice folks and a cozy venue. i played a bit sloppy to start but picked up steam toward the end and got to play my new tune "in all that gathers" again and i changed it up a bit. really diggin' that tune. got to see an old friend once again and made some new ones. it was a great mix of all ages. the only drag was the giants getting their asses handed to them by the panthers. they didn't even look like a football team ... they looked like my high school team that was 1-8 on average each year. anyway it was a great run and it was SO nice to see all my frriends that i have not seen in a long time. can't wait to go out again and rock out.

1/7/06 - Londonderry,VT; Magic Mountain @ Goniff's Den

2006-01-08T09:56:00.000-05:00

this was a show for the kids. all the parents were at the bar and i had a crowd of about 20 kids dancin' and havin' a great time. but of course their attention span was short so i had 'em then i didn't ... then i did ... then i didn't. i had a 7 year old boy make a drawing of me of me and my guitar and then ask me to play an old song of mine ... "road song" ... which i did for the first time in almost 2 years. love that tune. then there was a 5 year old who pretty much called my whole 2nd set w/ songs like ... "bertha", "they love each other", "cold rain and snow", and "walk on" . i played all of them accept "walk on". the boys name was jerry ... of course. all in all i had great time playing once again. i truly love playing music no matter where it is and who is there. i came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter who i play to or where i play ... just that i play and put the music out there for people to connect or not. cause it isn't sbout me ... it's about the music.

1/6/06- Princeton,MA; Wachusett Mountain @ The Coppertop Lounge

2006-01-07T10:16:00.000-05:00

what a crazy load in. real long through a mob of skiiers. this place was packed full. once i got it all together this turned out to be the best i played this week. my chest cold finally let up and my voice, although not 100%, was back. i had a great time playing. some good ole friends showed up to enjoy the evening with me. i gained a new fan. an adorable little blonde girl about 1 year old. just old enough to stand. she was dancin' and clapping. so cute. so i gave her folks a CD so she could dance at home. start 'em young i always say. all in all a sweet evening of music for me. played a cover of "deep ellem blues" which had been years since i played it and couldn't resist swapping verses of "folosom prison blues" with it. onto vermont.

1/5/06 - Westford,MA; Nashoba Valley @ The Outlook

2006-01-06T14:05:00.000-05:00

what a great place. very cool setting. kinda reminded me of the mangy moose @ jackson hole but alot smaller. they had windows lining one whole side of the venue. it over looked the ski hill and it was all lit up and very cool in the late evening fog. even though i am a bit under the weather still i pulled out a great show. my voice held out for the most part and the folks attending really seemed to dig it. the manager also loved it and he asked if i could play a song he loved. so he went to his computer and printed out the lyrics to "cortez the killer" by neil young and i ripped out an excellent version if i do say so myself. also got to hang w/ an ole college buddy and his wife. great great folks and i can't wait to hang again. all in all a wonderful time and i'll be back in feb.

1/4/06 - Portsmouth,NH; The Spring Hill Tavern

2006-01-05T10:06:00.000-05:00

this place is the opposite of last nights gig. i played pretty much all upbeat drivin' stuff at willard and this place was very quiet and mellow. a real laid back joint. so i went all finger picky and chill. i snuck a couple rockers in and folks seemed to dig it. not a huge crowd but a large handful of friends i hadn't seen a long long time and that made it fun. i seemed to have caught a cold in my chest and it is killing me. makes it very hard to sing so my range in all screwed up. a bit of a roof on my voice if you will. i made it through and played well anyway. played a new song i wrote the day i left for this little run ... "in all that gathers" ... i really like this tune and it has great potential to grow. all in all i had a great time catching up w/ some old friends and playing some tunes as well.

1/3/06 - Greenwich,NY; Willard Mountain @ The Lounge

2006-01-04T10:48:00.000-05:00

a great way to start the new year. a very cool place w/ a friendly enviroment. i played well, a bit of a sore throat but nothing i can't deal with. had a bunch of old friends show up for this show. all in all a great start to the short little tour through the northeast. never had an owner of a venue help me load out before. real friendly people. can't wait to go back!

12/29/05 - Syracuse,NY; Limp Lizard Lounge

2005-12-30T12:47:00.000-05:00

well this is gig #3 of a regular show here. same as the the others it was a bit uneventful. i was having a great time and playing real well till a very drunk woman(little girl really) decided i was getting to much of the attention in the bar and proceeded to make an ass of herslef by showing everyone in the bar her boobs and standing in front of me grinding on my mic stand. of course this was the beginning of her asking me to play songs she knows cause she wants to dance. she went on to scream at me about how she just got engaged and wanted to let loose. i'm thinking ... "oh boy, this cat has his work cut out for him." i met the finace at the end of the night and he was real nice. he got there after her strip tease act. anyway i just hate this crap. gives women a bad name and made her look like an idiot. not to mention all the folks that were enjoying my music had a constant interuption by this woman after everysong. so i took a break till she stumbled out of the bar. i did get to play and older song of mine "pearl" which i haven't played in a long time. all in all the food at this place continues to be the winner. there's always next time. at least that's what i tell myself. have a great new year everyone. i'm layin' low till '06.

12/17/05 - Bolton Valley,VT; Bolton Valley Ski Resort @ The James Moore Tavern

2005-12-18T15:47:00.000-05:00

love this place. a very cool little resort w/ a great staff of friendly folks. i played at the top of my game for this show. it just happened that way. i have sort of turned a new leaf as of late w/ my shows. i am truly grateful that i get to play music for a living and i will never again take it for granted. busted out a sweet dylan tune "highwater" for this show. i just had a great time and really enjoyed playing. out of a 3 hour show i took a 10 minute break to enjoy a "long trail" beer and then was back at it. simply loved playing this place. met some wonderful people and had a great time. all in all ... a beautiful ride through the mounatins followed by a memorable performance musically.

12/15/05 - Syracuse,NY; Limp Lizard Lounge

2005-12-18T15:44:00.000-05:00

well so far my residency has suffered from the weather. 1st gig we had the first major snowfall of the year ... still a pretty good crowd and then this show we had a huge ice storm. that's a closer for folks. snow is ok here in central NY but ice keeps 'em at home. so i hung out w/ some regulars and had some great conversation. all in all ... better luck next time.

FREE DOWNLOADS vol. II

2005-12-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

here is the link ... www.myspace.com/charleyorlando ... i have decided to feature 4 songs from the same show for each volume of downloads. this volume is from a show on 11/26/05 @ the lake effect in baldwinsville,ny. i had a great time at this show and old pal jerry joseph was also performing on this night. i chose "downstream", "everything", "green eyes blue" and "let go".

12/10-11/05 - Washington Crossing,PA; Crossing Vineyards & Winery

2005-12-12T16:30:00.000-05:00

i had a great time the last time i was here. the staff is great. i finally met the boss ... wish i hadn't. he was a bit overwhelming and a tad pushy when i came to what i was playing. if you are going to hire someone for what they do you should let them do it. otherwise do it yourself. aside from his attitude i met some great people from cabot cheese and the wine pourers are wonderful folks as well. i got to play some x-mas songs like ... silent night, frosty, rudolph, santa claus is comin' to town, o holy night, and the john lennon song, which i redeemed myself on, happy xmas(war is over). the kids loved the tunes and that makesit worth it. all in all ... i wont be back to this place.

12/9/05 - Washington,CT; GW Tavern

2005-12-12T16:26:00.000-05:00

well due to a foot and a half of snow this show was very intimate and small. although it was alot of fun and i feel i played quite well. all in all a great time seeing my sister, brother in law and nephew. my buddy jay got loaded on wine over dinner at my sisters and then finished himself off at the tavern w/ a fine selection of brooklyn brown. as he put it "i was channeling/passing out" always a pleasure to have ya along big jay. :))))

12/8/05 - 2006 Grammy Nomination Finalist ...

2005-12-09T12:48:00.001-05:00

... is not what you'll be calling me this year. although i didn't get to be a finalist in any of the 4 categories i was nominated for i am honored to have been beaten by ... bruce springsteen, john prine, ry cooder, paul mccartney, seal and some other larger than life folks. i think it's great that i was listed w/ such great talent. maybe next year. thank you all for the positive feedback and energy.

12/9/05 - Philadelphia,PA; McCrossen's Tavern

2005-12-09T12:48:00.000-05:00

hands down the best turnout i've ever had here and also the best i've played as a solo artist to date. well the first set anyway. i dug in right away and played alot of songs i haven't done in a while ... some old ... "grace" and "daydream" for the first time in over a year and some newer songs i let go for a bit ... "birdy" "come clean" and "slow burn". also busted out the harmonica on some tunes i hadn't before ... "west of the mississippi" and "miner's creek" as well as "come clean". gave each tune a new vibe and flavor. as i'm sure everyone knows this night was the 25th anniversary of john lennon being shot. so instead of being the 1 millionth musician to play imagine on this night i chose a lesser know but no less important song ... "happy xmas(war is over)". although i just learned the song hours before i left for philly i still did ok w/ it. not the best version of it but i will play it a couple more times to redeem myself. sorry john ... should have moved the capo up one more fret. hee hee. oh well ... that's why it's live ... anything can and should happen. all in all i loved this night of music. i had a blast and took off right after the show for the next show in CT so as to miss the snow storm that was dumpinmg snow just as i arrived at about 4am. woke up to over foot. glad me and buddy jay who is in tow took the night flight.

12/3/05 - Binghamton,NY; Binghamton University @ The Undergrouds Coffeehouse

2005-12-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

i love this venue. it's completely run by college students and their advisor steph. all of them are very nice people and love music. this is my 2nd time here and although my crowds have been on the small side they have been very responsive and supportive. no real bust outs on this night but i played really well and had a blast. made some new friends and fans that really dug the sounds. very much looking forward to going back in the spring semester. all in all a wonderful time and great tunes.

12/2/05 - Solvay,NY; Mikey's Tavern (AOH)

2005-12-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

another night of asssassinations for the 315 area. it snowed pretty hard but folks still came out. for not really rehearsing the (aoh) sounded very tight on this night. played great version of "monkey man" (stones) and one of my originals "soar the sky" it was great fun and mikey's is a very cool place w/ a comfy vibe. all in all a rockin' evening for the assassions of hip.

12/1/05 - Syracuse,NY; Limp Lizard Lounge

2005-12-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

this was my first show of a 2 month bi-weekly residency here. first off i have never met anyone w/ my last name other than family not to mention someone w/ my whole name, but tonight i did. the owner of the lizard is named chuck orlando. we had a great laugh over this and he is a great great person. the staff here is TOP knotch and the food is even better. for those syracuse folks that think the dinasour bbq ribs are the bests in town i now challenge you to try the limp lizard ribs. they are INCREDIBLE! plus it is chuck's daughter olivia's birthday tomorrow and like a wonderful dad he bought her a guitar and had me give it to her in the middle of the first set and before i gave it to her i played "girl from the north country" on the new axe for her to break it in. she was floored and a little shy, but very cute about the whole thing. as for me and my playing ... i pretty much was unhappy w/ my performance. although everyone there thought differently i can't wait for the next show to really play well. i busted out an old tune of mine called "free" i truly missed this song and am glad i have it back in rotation. also broke into the johnny cash tune "ring of fire" i've played this song on one other occasion, but i can't recall if was even good or not. on this night it may have been the best thing i played all night. all in all ya can't win 'em all. that's why i like to play so much so i can always have a chance for redemption.

11/26/05 - Baldwinsville,NY; Lake Effect

2005-11-27T20:19:00.000-05:00

always a pleasure to play for these folks. sam is top notch and a really nice guy. everyone who works here and hangs here is way cool and supportive. it was a special night cause my friend jerry joseph was in town to play the show with me. haven't seen jerry since we did shows in mexico together about 2 years ago. although jerry had a cold he played his usual fabulous sets full of hard grit ridin' acoustic music. his songs are just so real and drivin'. we swapped sets with jerry kickin' things off. i felt i played great. i had a blast and really dug how my playing is changing from night to night. busted out a new cover ... i saw the movie "walk the line" the night before and it renewed my johnny cash jones that i've always had ... so i played "folsom prison blues" what a blast that song is to play. can't wait to do it again. all in all a great evening of music and it was wonderful to see and hear jerry again.

FREE DOWNLOADS vol. I

2005-11-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

if you go to ... www.myspace.com/charleyorlando ... you can listen to and/or download live tracks from my shows. i'll be uploading new songs every couple of weeks and writing a bit about them on the blog. the current selections are from 3 shows. 2/24/05 @ club rare; new york,ny (travel on) ... i really like this place. it has a wierd atmosphere and a great sound system. next is 5/29/05 @ sterling stage folk fest'; hannibal,ny (torch & balance) ... a place i've been playing for almost my whole career dating back to the farm parties on wall st. that started it all. and finally 3/8/05 @ mike's college bar; stillwater,ok (melee) ... a wonderul venue and even more wonderful folks in this town. always loved it here and the shows always went great. i hope you enjoy the tunes i chose from these shows and i picked the songs for no particular reason. so download away and i'll be back to update the next round of songs.

11/18/05 - New York,NY; CBGB Gallery 313

2005-11-19T22:44:00.000-05:00

this is one of the most classic joints in the city. cool little spot next to the legendary CBGB's. kind of a drag that ya only get 30 minutes to play so the original plan of playing the songs on the new album which clocks in at 44 minutes 48 seconds was a bit foiled. either way my buddy todd wright (guiatrist in my band) and i played as many of the tunes as we could. very acoustic and different than the album 7 piece band versions. short but sweet and some good friends came out in support of the power set. all in all a great time. so i headed home afterward and after a 30 minute delay getting out of the lincoln tunnel and my check engine light came on. i love my toyota and it loves me but i've been running this 179,000 miles worth of metal all over the northeast. it finally had enough and started to FREAK out right around patterson,nj ... not a great place to break down w/ a lot of expensive gear and nowhere to go. so after some deliberation i decided the best thing was to, as always, head onward. i made it back to syracuse in about 5 1/2 hours and the car bucked and sputtered the whole way but still manged to get up to 75mph on down slopes and 60mph on inclines. i bascially glided into my driveway on it's last tires. although she is hurtin' she goes into the shop on monday for some much needed tlc and surgery. so say a pray for my black beauty and thanks to the spirits that safely guided me home.

11/17/05 - Philadelphia,PA; McCrossen's

2005-11-19T22:38:00.000-05:00

it always seems at this place the smaller the crowd the better the response. it's always pretty packed on thursday nights here and a bit loud. once the after work chatterers filter out and the real bar folk remain and filter in the show gets fun. had a wonderful time. played well. very comfy mixing the old and new songs. really diggin' it. played a cool version of "everything" w/ a harmonica in it. also kept the new tunes in the set list and they are coming along great. played "come clean" for the first time since my rocky mountain tour in the spring of this year. it seems to have found a rockin' edge it didn't have before ... kind of a cool groove. all in all a real fun time even though i broke a string during the set closer "arkansas"

11/11/05 - Canton,NY; St. Lawrence Univ. @ the java barn

2005-11-14T17:33:00.000-05:00

been playing this place for about 6-7 years and i love it. great young energy and always a fun show. this night was no exception. started off a bit slow but once the 2nd set got under way it was a full house. busted out an old tune ... "everything" ... which i love. played the harmonica on it and it gave it a cool sound. i feel i played great. i know one thing ... i really enjoyed myself. all in all a wondeful evening!!

11/10/05 - Syracuse,NY; Shifty's

2005-11-11T10:33:00.000-05:00

this was an "assassins of hip" acoustic show. me, tim herron and max gale on upright bass. shifty's is a great music venue and the crowd was awesome and fun. we played a bunch of my tunes and tim's interlaced w/ some choice covers. it was a well done show on all our parts. some old friends showed up and some new ones. all in all a wonderful night of music and i hope we get to do it again soon.

11/5/05 - Deposit,NY; Red Barn Music Theatre

2005-11-07T10:53:00.000-05:00

this is a very cool place. i've played at summer festivals here in past years. but never played in the barn. it was really cool and the owners are top notch nice folks. only about 5 people showed but i still had a blast and played real well. the show was shortened by my tuning key on my guitar breaking making it impossible to tune my G string. i was bummed but not bummed to get an early start on the 2 hour ride back home. always nice to end up in your own bed. all in all a wonderful experience. the 5 people really enjoyed themselves as much as i did. i am excited to go back there when it warms back up.

11/4/05 - Washington,CT; GW Tavern

2005-11-07T10:47:00.000-05:00

always a pleasure to play this place. typically folks seem like they are not paying attention, but then at the end of the night i get loads of compliments. very nice crowd of folks. got to play a new song on this night ... "matters of the soul" ... i like this tune very much and get to play the harmonica on it so it's very fun. i haven't been writing much lately due to the new album. it's mentally very challenging to mix an album. so i have been all about the songs on the project and it's been consuming my thoughts. still, every now and then a song pops out. i'm due for a large # of songs to be written as soon as this album is done. i also played a couple an old songs of mine i haven't touched on in a year or so ... "parade" and "cold" ... very much like dragging some old songs into my shows and mixing the old and new together. all in all a really great time playing. i played well, nothing out of control , but real well.

11/3/05 - Syracuse,NY; Coleman's

2005-11-04T12:13:00.000-05:00

um ... would have been better off staying home and cleaning the house. at least something would have come of it. this is the bar of lost souls.

10/26/05 - Playing For The Kids

2005-10-26T14:29:00.000-04:00

so i'm in new york city working hard to finish the follow up album to "beauty & pain" and my nephew ... leo ... asked me to come into to his pre-school and play guitar and sing. and of course i said ... sure. leo is a very talented 4 year old. he has killer time and already knows how to hold a guitar and strum it. hell his favorite bands are the beatles and eric clapton. he's in touch let's say. so i asked him if he would play w/ me ... ya know rock out and jam w/ uncle charley. with a thumbs up, he was down for sure. so we lined our chairs up next to each other and the packed house of eight 4-5 year olds waited. i noticed there was a box full of musical stuff ... ya know ... shakers, triangles, tambourines, little drums, rain sticks and the like. so i had all the kids pick some stuff and asked them to rock out w/ me and leo. first up was one of leo's (and my nieces) favorites "monkey & the engineer" (aka the monkey song). leo and i kicked into it and the kids clattered and giggled in the backround. next up after a scream from the crowd of "again" we blistered into "dark hollow" again to the same rock out form. then i asked the kids what the 2 songs had in common and we all agreed it was the choo choo train theme. last but certainly not least was the always fun "walkin' the dog" ... the kids (by my request) jumped to their feet, noise makers in hand, and danced around jiggling and jangling to the tune as leo and i rocked them into a daze. it was a classic pre-school concert. i was honored to jam live w/ my nephew for the first and certainly not the last time. an encore performance is in the works for november, but you didn't hear that here. we don't want to draw to much attention.

10/25/05 - Beauty & Pain ... Added to the Grammy 2006 Ballot

2005-10-25T11:41:00.000-04:00

well over the weekend i found out that i had been added to the 2006 Grammy Awards ballot in the following categories ...

-song of the year- "'tis true"
-best male pop vocalist- "travel without moving"
-best country song- "i believe"
-best contemporary folk album- "beauty & pain"

... what this means is that i am on the ballot to be nominated. i haven't been nominated yet. the vote is this week and the results will be posted on grammy.com in december. although this is very exciting i am trying to keep it in perspective. i am honored to be on the same ballots as paul mccartney and the like but i don't expect to be nominated. although i do have a pretty good shot at the "best contemporary folk album" i don't expect it. so say your prayers and wish me luck. all in all it is unbelieveable that i am on the ballot to begin with. this is a sign of good things to come. the new album is still in the works and may be done by novembers end. so i guess look for it's release sometime early next year. also the band will start playing some gigs in NYC soon to get the sound together for our live shows. it wont be all the members at first but will end up that way. we just want to get a head start on playing these songs live and coming up with more tunes. the time is now folks!

10/15/05 - Albany,NY; Valentines

2005-10-16T18:29:00.000-04:00

always a pleasure when i get to play w/ my buddy cris noel. she is such a great performer and person. this night was a bit of cluster fuck to begin with. first off howie the manager told me cris and i had the whole night to do whatever we wanted. NOT true. when we got there there was 2 other bands playing as well. a typical "bar guy" move. just didn't expect it from howie. i've know him since he carried me home after getting knocked out by and ice ball during a snow ball fight when i was 5 years old living in schenectady,ny. oh well ... people change i guess. anyway cris and i played great. mixing some of her tunes w/ some of my tunes and we also snuck a steve drizos classic in ... "cass" ... one of his best songs he has ever written and cris just sings it so beautifully. we played a bunch of tunes from my up coming album as well. she sings back up on a whole bunch of the tunes. i think the highlight for me was the band that followed us ... pony in the pancake ... picture tenacious D mixed w/ the violent femmes and there ya have it. they were SO funny i nearly pissed myself. i was just glad we went on before them cause no matter what you did ... they had already mocked you in advance. too much!! all in all a fun night but i highly doubt i will ever play at this place again.

10/14/05 - Washington,CT; GW Tavern

2005-10-16T18:03:00.001-04:00

so today started off ok. i woke up after a soild nights sleep on my buddy jay's couch and sucked down some coffee w/ him and hit the road for CT. the drive was horrible and rainy and my windshield wipers absolutely blow. but i got to my sisters house in CT which i stayed in all summer while i was tracking my new album in nyc. it's right near the venue which is nice. but when i got there i noticed the front door was new. i figured sweet ... nice color. not so sweet ... new locks ... my key was no good. so in a down pour i checked every window (even on the roof) and all doors ... all locked and all brand new ... not an easy break in. w/ luck on my side though the key i had opened the door to the breezeway and gave me access to the room above the garage which is nicer than a lot of places i have laid my head. BUT no access to bathrooms and no food other than the frozen food in the freezer(no way to heat it up) and some creamy swiss cheese ( which i ate) and some apples (which i ate). the good news is although the fridge was void of non-frozen food it was full of beer and wine ... so all was not lost. so after a couple of beers in the rain to get a "shower" and a trip to the woods to go to the "bathroom" i sat and watched a couple of deer hang out (one was very upset by my presence) while i played my guitar in the breezeway. it sounded great in there. once i got super hungry i headed off to the gig for my free food. a classic new england style tavern. i've played here once before and had a very small crowd. this time it was full all night. one of those nights were ya think no one is paying attention and then while you are loading out ya get " hey man great show" oh well as long as they listen in some capacity it's worth it. busted out more old tunes tonight ... "nothing" and "kiva" ,.. these tunes never got played that much and i haven't played them in a couple of years at least. it felt great to sing both of these songs again. tonight was neither here nor there for me. i played well but didn't really impress myself. although the harmonica playing on "tuolumne" was first rate for the first time since i started playing the harp on that tune. cross harp seems to work best. also played "don't hide" which i just tossed back in rotation. a wonderful tune. all in all the night went well the rain feel wicked hard, i hit a lake and a sand dune in the road on the way home, and now i'm writing this while drinking some fine fine organic white wine from the bottle cause i have no glass or even a cup. but hey ... i 'm so lucky to have a roof over my head, that's more than a lot of people have these days. i feel grateful!

10/13/05 - Philadelphia,PA; McCrossen's Tavern

2005-10-16T18:03:00.000-04:00

this place has become my home in philly. super nice owners and staff. i have a gig here every month through the end of the year. t'was a great crowd for a very very rainy night. i busted out a tune i hadn't played in over a year ... "troubadour" ... it went great. i have a new love for a lot of my older songs so look for more to be coming out of me in the future. also have the neil young tune ... "after the goldrush" ... in rotation. really diggin' that tune. played a great version of "soar the sky" as well. the new tunes are fitting right in and sound very tight. i'm really diggin' mixing my old and my new songs together. it makes for a cool evening for me. the harmonica playing is getting a lot better. i have a bit more confidence w/ it and i'm starting to come up w/ some cool melody type leads w/ it. all in all i played pretty well. my voice hurt a bit at the end but i haven't really dug in in weeks so that's to be expected. good times and good friends showed up!

10/8-9/05 - Washington Crossing,PA; Crossing Vineyards & Winery

2005-10-10T09:45:00.000-04:00

this place is really sweet. it started out as a horse ranch and was so for about 20 years. then vinter is the youngest in PA at 30 years old. it's only been open to the public for 2 years. it was very cool to play here. the staff is incredibly friendly and well schooled in the art of wine making and tasting. i got to play unplugged and i loved it. i think acoustic music sounds best this way if the room fits it and this room did. an outdoor tent w/ the sides down(it was a HUGE down pour on sat.) and slate tile floor, so it was loud enough to carry the guitar and voice. i hadn't played in weeks due to my busy schedule of recording , booking, and just life. i played surprisingly well for such a break from performing. i busted out the harmonica on a bunch more songs and am staring to feel a bit more comfy w/ it. using the cross harp technique on some tunes which sounds cool. i played some songs i hadn't touched on in a while ... "nature", "jonus", and the neil young tune "after the goldrush". the new tunes continue to grow as do all of them. i'm starting play around w/ time signatures and lyrics and giving the songs a chance to grow. all in all both days were great fun and i can't wait to go back in november for a nother weekend of fun.

9/22/05 - West Park,NY; West Park Wine Cellars

2005-10-03T15:15:00.001-04:00

i just realized i hadn't posted any words on this show. i'm a little slow sometimes. i guess to call this a show would be a bit over the top. it was the first time in my career that i played all instumental versions of my songs. it just didn't seem right to sing. so i sat on wall and played troubadour style for about 250 folks from IBM while they uncomfortably talked to each other outside of work. so it was a first for me and i got paid well and got some ok french merlot and some pretty good eats. all in all a wierd experience but ... hey ... better than punchin' the clock.

9/22/05 - West Park,NY; West Park Wine Cellars

2005-10-03T15:15:00.000-04:00

9/17/05 - Binghamton,NY; Binghamton Univ. @ Undergrounds Coffeehouse

2005-09-18T18:40:00.000-04:00

this is a very very cool place. a little hard to find but well worth it. there was a steady flow of students in and out all night ... most taking advantage of the free food and coffee. but a bunch stuck around to hear the tunes. my sweet lady and her daughter came out to support as well as some friends from auburn and an ole college buddy that lives in b-town ... organic matt. i have been in the studio in NYC all week prior to this show mixing my next album so i hadn't really rehearsed or thought about playing till i got there. i made some last minute decisions and brought along my harmonicas which i haven't played in over 12 years. it just felt like the thing to do. i pulled out an older tune of mine i hadn't played in a year (almost exactly) ... "soar the sky" and i really like the way it came off w/ the harmonica and a slightly different melody line. also playd the harp on one of the newer songs ... "toulume". all in all i did play well but a bit rusty at times on the lyrics , but nothing anyone would notice. felt good to get back to live playing after 18 hours a day of mixing songs. back down to NYC on monday to continue the process of mixing ... ya'll are just not going to believe what it sounds like.

9/16/05 - Syracuse,NY; Coleman's (assassins of hip)

2005-09-17T13:16:00.000-04:00

the assassinations just get better and better. the band is sounding very tight and the vocal harmonies are gettin' there. the addition of mad max, pj and jesse is exactly what the AOH needed to blast out the tunes. played some clash, stones, dylan, dead, band, and even sublime w/ a vocal scratch solo from pj who was playing guitar while tim sat down at the drums. all in all it was a great show full of rock n' roll moments such as shirts liftin', asses shakin' and drums being kicked over and guitars being smashed together (an AOH tradition). look for more AOH shows and maybe even so outside of the area shows.

8/27/05 - Washinton,CT; GW Tavern

2005-08-29T17:46:00.000-04:00

this is a very very cool little joint. great food and a tremendouly nice staff. this is my first time i have played here and it was a bit slow, but i was received very well and really liked the show. i played very mellow thill the end and then i kocked it up a notch or 2. all in all it was a cool place. my folks came as well as my lovely lady so it was a family affair. i'll be back here once a month starting in october. until next time. :))

8/26/05 - Skaneateles,NY; Creekside Coffeehouse

2005-08-27T08:34:00.000-04:00

once again a great place. not a large crowd at all but it was consistant until the end. everyone seemed to like the tunes very much. the people who work here are very nice and the atmosphere is great. i'll keep playing here till it works out. seems like an up and coming place to me. i played well and enjoyed some great covers by dylan on this night. the new tunes are still in the works but getting better everyday. only one show left on my summer tour and then i am off till november sometime. i'll be doing a bunch of local shows and colleges in the meantime as well as going back into the studio in sept. for the final process of my follow up CD to "beauty&pain".

8/25/05 - Syracuse,NY; Coleman's

2005-08-26T17:35:00.000-04:00

my little side project my buddy tim herron and i have put together is really coming along well. the assassins of hip (aoh) have gone full time electric w/ a drummer (pj bullock), a sax player (jesse collins) and a bass player (max). last night was rockin' and tons of fun. we cover alot of fun ass tunes and really just enjoy tippin' a few labatt blues back and rockin' it. look for the aoh to get tighter as we have all agreed to actually rehearse. so ya may see some original tunes as well. long live the assassination of other peoples music!!

8/21/05 - Boulder,CO; Mountain Sun

2005-08-22T04:01:00.000-04:00

couldn't have picked a better place to end my western tour. been playing this town since '96. actually lived there for 5 years or so in the 90's. it was a great great time and still is. it's a drinking crowd so i laid back on the REAL mellow stuff. still snuck "blue" and many other chill tunes in and folks seemed to be ok w/ that. but i mostly rocked it. played a couple covers i haven't played in a while ... "visions of johanna" and "sister and brothers". i really enjoyed the way i played tonight. i only feel a couple tunes could have been better ... but in a 2 1/2 hour show a couple blahs are cool with me. friday in denver a friend (beatty) yelled out for "visions of johanna" and i wasn't confident i could nail the words so i passed. it had been a while and that tune has lots of words. but i looked over the lyrics the next day and pulled it off pretty sweetly tonight. some good ole friends came out for this and i am so happy for that. all in all a great night and a great tour! now i drive for 2 days to get home ... play 3 more shows ... finish recording an album, and move ... sounds like fun to me. oh yeah ... no more pt cruiser for me. i traded it in in denver on friday and got a sweet leather seat, sun roof, tons o room, taurus. i sworn off ford's years a go , but this car is nice. i'm tired and need to get some sleep. later :)

8/20/05 - Day Off; Front Range of CO

2005-08-21T14:11:00.000-04:00

so i had a great day off. went w/ a good ole pal to see susan tedeschi and the blind boys of alabama and they all rocked. and today is the day off the mtn. sun show. i'm headin' to see the cubs play the rockies for an afternoon day game w/ the doogster and new friend theo. haven't seen the cubs before and don't rightly care about the rockies, but it's a ball game and i love baseball. so a great day in store topped off by my last show of the west coast tour. and then i head for home on monday. i can't wait to see my sweety and chill out before finishing my follow up CD to "beauty & pain". only plans i have is to finish off some east coast shows and go see motley crue and moe. for some good times live music.

8/19/05 - Denver,CO; Quioxte's True Blue

2005-08-20T14:27:00.000-04:00

another last minute show to cover my ass. i've been playing this place since they opened in '97. great great people that run this venue. and they were kind enough to toss me in on the bill at the last minute. some old friends showed up for this one. was nice to feel the support. i played real well and had a blast. during my version of "simple twist of fate" tim from the headliner(shakedown street) came up and played lead on the tune. it sounded very sweet. i received lots of positive feedback from folks in the crowd who really dug the tunes. i'm getting a lot of positive comments on my guitar playing which i'm not use to. all in all a wonderful evening of music in denver.

8/18/05 - Colorado Springs,CO; Classic's

2005-08-19T12:59:00.000-04:00

well here is a town i've never done all that well in. i mean go figure ... home of the air force and the christian right ... fighting and religion ... my 2 favorite things. anyway all that a side this was a last minute gig and i had fun. the very small crowd seemed real into the music. i joked around and played a short but solid set. even signed an autograph. the other bands on the bill did well also. the opener was the promoter micheal and his buddy chris who had never played on stage before. i remember what that felt like all over again just by chatting with him. then the other band was 10 after 8 which was a bunch of really nice youngsers. really good. all in all it worked and i got to play my guitar and sing

8/15-17/05 - Days Off; Frisco,CO

2005-08-18T14:34:00.000-04:00

monday was a drive day. and the death toll mounts. a second bird flew into the pt cruiser and commited suicide. i guess it's the electric blue color that attracts them or something. but i wish it would stop. i hate killing things. i had a great ride to frisco from lander. it was very slow going and fun. day 2 off was real fun. i played a mini concert for mini folks. about 6 kids between the ages of 2 and 5. it was great fun having them dance around and strum my guitar w/ them. and then wed. we had a bbq and hung out drank a few beers. all in all a great time w/ great friends. i finish it off by a bit golfing before i head off to colorado springs for the final run of the tour. it's been a truly wonderful tour so far.

2005-08-15T13:56:00.001-04:00

8/14/05 - Lander,WY; Lander Bar

2005-08-15T13:56:00.000-04:00

i had a blast. first off i was outside set up in the grass under a big ole spruce tree. it was beautiful. the crowd was very responsive and bought up my CD's. i met some great folks that expressed how much they dug my laid back style of music. it was very nice to hear these compliments. i played very solidly and the new tunes are growing very fast and sound awesome to me. i've started to notice that some tunes are falling by the wayside already. i have only played "come clean" ,"birdy" and "slow burn" once on this tour and i haven't played "crazy life" at all. i guess i'm lucky that i can pick and choose what songs i play. i like those songs, but i'm not sure why they just don't come up in my mind while i'm playing. i don't use a set list so i go w/ what i feel is right to play at the time. got the next 3 days off so i'm heading to hang w/ good good friends in CO.

8/13/05 - Jackson,WY; Silver Dollar Saloon @ The Wort Hotel

2005-08-14T18:21:00.000-04:00

worst night of the tour. a packed house of people who just didn't care. there were a couple of folks that dug it and they were worth playing for , but on the whole i tried maybe to hard to get people into it and it just didn't work. this show really sapped my energy and brought me down a bit for a minute or two. i still think it was worth it just for the few that liked it. i thought i played great but it's hard to tell when people act like you are not even there. oh well that's why it's a tour ... you always have the next show to make up for the last one if need be. got done w/ the show at 11pm so i pt cruised over to the stagecoach bar in wilson,wy for a drink w/ some friends. so nice to see some old faces in new places. we tore it up a little (i should say they tore it up and i drove people home) and really enjoyed the end of the night. all in all i played great and hung tough and now i'm on my way to the next place in lander,wy. cool town and nice folks.

8/12/05 - Bozeman,MT; Zebra Cocktail Lounge

2005-08-14T18:14:00.000-04:00

the bozone is one of my favorite towns. some very great old friends from NY here. played w/ the ted stryker band (tsb) and flomotion. tsb was so much fun. cool covers, good originals, a power trio w/ a banjo, and a drummer that play harmonica ... way cool. flomotion sounded like a jamband. couldn't tell what was a song or a jam. glad to be out of that scene. i had a great set. it was short but i played well and chatted it up w/ the crowd. i've been very loose on this tour ... open and willing to do anything. so far this tour this is the only show that was recorded. i forgot my DAT player so no shows have been recorded except bozeman. sound quality is ok. the sound person kara did a great job mixing the show. once again a great time and wonderful hang w/ the tsb and friends ... drinking PBR and shooting the shit about life. good times had by all.

8/11/05 - Coeur d' Alene,ID; Moon Time

2005-08-12T14:52:00.000-04:00

i've been playing at this place for nearly 10 years. i love john, brad and jeff. they are the coolest owners i've ever met. they turned into great friends right away and that doesn't happen to often. so i had a very relaxing couple of days in northern ID. i read my book , went for walks, hung out on the dock on the lake and went boating. sad to leave here but glad to move on. the crowd started out pretty good and ended a bit thin. they didn't like the mellow stuff to much so i only played a couple chill tunes and tried to rock the rest. i thought i pulled it off real well. solid playing and singing. having some fun w/ getting the new tunes together. still can't remember all the words. all in all i put on a great show w/ some real moments of music shining through. off to bozeman. it's a beautiful ride through the rest of ID and MT. can't wait.

8/11/05 - Moab,UT CANCELLED

2005-08-11T19:29:00.000-04:00

well a bartender got busted in a sting operation when he served an 18 year old some booze. that'll happen. so the venue was closed to serve their penalty. i was very much looking forward to playing this place i had never been there before and do love moab. great hiking and biking in this town. but i did book a denver and colorado springs show so all is not lost for the week. tour life. anything can happen and does. :))

8/10/05 - Sandpoint,ID; Eicardt's

2005-08-11T14:23:00.000-04:00

well i decided to pop the blister. much better now. this joint is a bit wierd. vibe is starnge but the people seem nice enough. never had a great show here but tonight was fun. i played a new cover tune "i was young when i left home" (dylan). love love love this tune. it's very mellow and fit right in. played a bunch of covers actually. angel from montgomery(john prine) which i hadn't played in a year or so and comes a time (niel young). really not to much to say about this show. it wasn't the best and it wasn't the worst. had some people that really dug it and so at times it was really good. all in all ... well worth it.

8/9/05 Day Off; Coeur d' Alene,ID

2005-08-10T19:24:00.000-04:00

love this town. the ride from portland was boring, but it was nice to have mikey around to be bored with. we are hanging in post falls at our buddy john's house on the lake. only thing that sux is he is in alaska hangin' out so we don't get to see him. but we went out on other buddy brads boat for a railbender a couple beers and a sunset. t'was very beautiful and great to catch up w/ brad as well. i had an unfortunate accident on this morning. i was whippin' up some breakfast for mikey and me and i lifted the top off the potatos and the steam from it burned the shit out of the tops of my fingers right under the nails. my middle finger got it worse and is basically a bubble of burn juice. can't decide weather to pop it or let it burst on it's own. it's huge and may burst all over my guitar in sandpoint if i don't pop it. i guess things could be worst. but that's my day off. reading a book right now called "the ancient secrets to the flower of life" and i do believe it's changing my outlook on life a bit. i highly recommend this book to anyone who believes there is more than what meets the eye here on earth.

8/7-8/05 - Days Off; Portland,OR

2005-08-10T19:21:00.000-04:00

very chill time off. hung around w/ old friends and went to sunday market and watched the starsky and hutch movie for the first time. great great fun in that flick. t'was great to see some old friends and get to hang w/ dex, junior, kathy, animal, amber, stephanie, dave, pete, dan, colter, courtney, quinn and of course poncho ... who hopped on board till friday.