Jeremy Porter Road Blog

Road Blog: Thursday May 15, 2025 - Putnam, CT

Road Blog
May 15, 2025
Putnam, Connecticut

Thursday morning was spent in the motel room doing some work and getting caught up on some communication and promotion. I left the south Boston suburb of Randolph around noon and headed east towards Worcester, sad to leave such an awesome city, but happy to put that brutal traffic behind me. From one motel to another, I checked into my next room and enjoyed some downtime for most of the afternoon.

Around 5pm I headed south into Connecticut and into the small town of Putnam. First stop was a grocery store to stock up on breakfast foods as my next couple rooms don’t come with a free breakfast. They charge for grocery bags out here and that’s not a mindset that’s prevalent in Michigan, so it’s never on my mind, but I somehow remembered today and brought my own in. Chalk one up for me! Seriously, it’s a good idea and I know we’ll come around soon.

I drove into town and parked near the venue and did a lap around on foot. Rotary Park sits on the banks of the Quinebaug River, and the bridge provides a great view of the Cargill Falls, bloated with the recent rains. It was nice to take in a little nature after being cooped up in nothing but vehicles, venues, and hotels for the last week and a half. I sent TrooperGirl22 a photo of the falls and followed up with a call. She was pretty excited to share that the Tigers had just swept the Red Sox, and told me to make sure Rachel was aware.

The Stomping Ground is a bar-grill-venue that sits on the main street in Putnam’s downtown. There’s a small stage next to the front door, a row of tables along the left side of the room, and a bar along the right. The Straight Up Jazz Band was playing some great jazz and I took that in while enjoying a Neil Young wrap (chicken, bacon, caramelized apples, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, and duck sauce) and a cup if their amazing chili. I talked briefly to a couple guys from the band and exchanged pleasantries as they were tearing down. Pretty soon my pal Matt Charette showed up with his band’s keyboard player Christopher so we worked out logistics for the evening with sound guy Evan and got down to business.

I played for about an hour fifteen, a little longer than my recent sets since Minnesota, which was fun, to get into a couple different songs I haven’t been doing. The room was fairly full, and most people were mildly engaged, but there were plenty that were locked in too. A table of women in the back were particularly animated and responsive, and we traded some banter during the set. I couldn’t get off stage without mentioning that the Detroit Tigers had just swept the Boston Red Sox, and one gentleman didn’t take to kindly to that. I diplomatically told him to calm down and think about some of the damage the Red Sox have done to the tigers over the years. I was later informed by someone else that this kind of stage banter would likely get my ass kicked at the sports bar around the corner, but “don’t worry brah, this place is chill.”

I wrapped up around 9:16 and Matt and Chris took it from there, playing a fantastic set until just south of 11pm. It was great to see Matt play again, such a great songwriter and singer. I love his tune “Girl from Ontario” and quite a few others resonated too. Chris is great on the keys, coming in and backing out perfectly, and providing some tasty harmonies too. They also did a great cover of “Achin’ to Be” by The Replacements and a killer version of “Glad and Sorry” by Faces, which I loved. Really enjoyed their set and need to dig into the catalog deeper tomorrow and Sunday on my long drives.

I chatted with some of the locals and got a photo with my new pal Liz from the rowdy back table. One of them has some Michigan ties and we talked about Big Rapids and Kalamazoo a bit. One dude was trying to convince me that the worse thing the Lions ever did was trade Stafford, and I begged to differ. A couple guys said they had this idea where audience members could scan a QR code and follow along with the lyrics to the song being played on stage. “Interesting…” I said, knowing that it wouldn’t work for my shows because a) I can barely remember my lyrics half the time and have to improvise or sing them out of order and b) the setlist played is rarely the exact setlist on paper, as adjustments are made on the fly based on the room, audience, and my own mood. Still, interesting idea, pal! Patent that shit!

I loaded out, tipped out the bartenders (who were amazing), said goodbye to Matt and Chris, and drove back to my motel near Worcester. It was a fun night at a cool joint in Putnam – big thanks to everyone who was there, and especially to Matt for helping me with these three shows!

Tonight I’m in Manchester, New Hampshire for a show at the The Shaskeen Pub with Dead Time and Regals. Doors at 9, music at 9:30. The 43rd state I’ll now have played a show in. xx