Jeremy Porter Road Blog

Road Blog: Friday October 14, 2016 - Jamestown, NY

Road Blog
October 14, 2016
Wine Cellar – Jamestown, New York

We checked out of the under-rated Econolodge of northwest Akron, Ohio and grabbed some breakfast at Waffle House. We don’t have Waffle House in Michigan, so it’s a bit of a novelty for us when we’re on the road. People put it down but I’m an advocate. Service is usually great, food is consistently salty, greasy, and yummy, and they’re always quick and easy. I got cheesy eggs and grits, Patty got hash browns, and Gabe got a waffle and eggs. Bellies full and daily allotment of sodium satisfied, we made a quick stop at Target where I got a coat (of course, I forgot one) and we were on the road. Patty was at the wheel from Akron to Jamestown, New York to the soundtrack of Elton John, Guy Clark, Paula Cole, and The Eternals. The fall colors were beautiful as we passed through Pennsylvania and into New York. Patty had to pee, so we made a little detour into Findley Lake, NY – a little village on a beautiful lake surrounded by orange, red and yellow trees with a water-wheel, and a couple antique stores. It was a little slice of rural New York – a good stop!

We checked into our motel just outside of Jamestown and had a couple hours to chill before dinner and load-in. Patty and I usually share a room and Gabe gets his own. We turned on the news to see what kinds of stupid shit came out of Donald Trump’s mouth in the last few hours, called home, and chilled out for a bit. We also had to deal with finding somewhere to stay in Ithaca tonight because our AirBB was cancelled at the last minute and the Cornell football game makes finding a room impossible. Thanks buddy, appreciate the hassle.

We first played Jamestown in May. It’s a small city best known as the birthplace of Lucille Ball and the future home of the Comedy Hall Of Fame. We grabbed dinner at a local joint called Shawbucks, had some decent food, and got the hell out just as their Karaoke started. Our server was sweet, but clearly terrified of us, and kept a safe distance.

Jamestown Wine Cellar is a small, narrow bar with a pool table at the back, pushed into the corner and covered in plywood. We set up in front of it and started discussing how we were going to approach this gig, governing our volume levels to accommodate the small room. Patty went 2x10 and I went 2x12, leaving his 4x10 and my second 2x12 in the van. Gabe tried muffling his snare and tom with towels, but they sounded so dead he decided to just lighten up his touch a bit. We did a quick soundcheck and all seemed fine. We were a little restrained, but not to the point where it was hard to play or anything. The little PA sounded good, and we’d played plenty of more difficult rooms.

We met Zeke, our sound guy, and he did a fine job. Miranda was our bartender, and it was her second day on the job. She poured a great whiskey. Big surprise – Dan and Dawn made the trip from Grand River, Ohio to catch the show too! Great to see some friendly faces in a far-away town. Joel, the manager is a good dude, and Gavin from the Jamestown Post Journal was there too. All great people! The owner (sorry buddy – can’t recall your name!) was super nice and took care of us all night.

We played 3 sets, which we do from time from time when we have to. It’s not our normal thing, but it’s a challenge we welcome and a good exercise in endurance. Jamestown has a ½ mile strip with 8 bars so there’s a lot of rotating patrons coming and going throughout the night. It seemed like at first people didn’t know what to make of us, but quickly warmed up and got into it. We got a lot of compliments and sold a lot of merch – always a great thing. It was a good, fun show and we had a blast talking with the locals all night.

By the time we loaded out it was nearly 3am, and after a nightcap and a slice of pizza it was nearly 4am and lights out. We managed to get down to the continental breakfast before the 10am deadline. It’s a beautiful day here in upstate New York. Looking forward to our drive up to Ithaca, NY where tonight we play a show at Lot 10.