I made the trek up to CT for the FM in my old town. I was hoping is was a better time than last time when I had next to no response from the passing clientele, even the deaf dog which has turned into a great story. I got there in good time, set up and started to play under the big old majestic tree on the green. Almost immediately a lady and her teenage son came over and said hello. They remembered me from several years past and we started to talk. I mentioned the deaf dog story and how strange the audience is in this town. They then asked me if I remembered the lady and the Cat Came Back. I asked if they could refresh my memory.
It seems I was playing the Cat Came Back, folks were singing along and having a good time, when, out of nowhere came this woman yelling bloody murder about me and the song. It seems her cat had recently died and thought it was sacrilege for me to be singing this song so soon after her loss. I do remember the audience looking at me and each other, wondering what was going on in front of us. I can see why this mom and her son would recollect this bizarre happening in this quiet New England town.
As the day went on, I was still having trouble connecting with kids, adults passing by, including two young girls who looked like they really wanted to play the instruments but never took the leap. Two sisters, their mom and a baby in a stroller came up and those two girls just jumped right in. The little sister had a pink tutu on and immediately grabbed two scarves of the same color and started to dance in a big circle. It was magic. Both girls set the stage and various other kids finally joined in. I ended up playing mostly my kids’ stuff with some spontaneous frivolity. I remarked that this is what a town square was meant to be. I sold one CD and got a meager $25 tips for a three hour gig (on top of the fat $100 check from the FM), but it restored my faith in playing this market. I’ll be back in Sept.
I headed up to Ron’s for a pickin’ party, glad that I still had my adult repertoire intact for the evening.