Kristy Hanson :: Los Angeles Singer-Songwriter » new york

shows 8-10…yeah, i got a little behind

Kristy Hanson — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:37:58 +0000

Tuesday, 4/29 – Burlington, VT
In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that this was a weird one. Burlington is an adorable city and things are beautiful this time of year (though cold. There were snow flurries while we were there, whoa!). And the venue was cute. But we had to do our own sound for the first time on the trip, which basically means Mike did it, and it was no big deal but I always feel bad when he has to worry about the PA and his own bass playing at the same time. The crowd was very reserved, very quiet, which made me wonder if they were digging it at all, and I kind of assumed they weren’t that into it. But when I played my last song, people were like, ‘no, play some more…’ Go figure. So I guess they liked it well enough after all…

Wednesday, 4/30 – Woodstock, NY
This place absolutely ruled. The Colony Cafe might be the coolest space that we’ve played in, and it was certainly one of the best shows we’ve ever played. The place used to be a hotel in the 20s and it has this cool old-timey feel to it, combined with the art and photos on the walls making it feel modern and hip…There was a good, extremely attentive crowd who were really receptive to us and really friendly afterwards. We opened up for Willy Porter, who’s an incredible guitarist whose voice and lyrics are just as impressive. It was really an honor, especially because he was so sweet and gracious to us. The whole evening basically made us feel like rock stars, and then we got to spend the whole next day tooling around Woodstock and the Catskills, stopping to check out various historical sites and to take in some beautiful views over by the Ashokan Reservoir. I’m telling you, it’s impossible to be anything but relaxed up there.

Friday, 5/2 – Baltimore, MD
I was slightly apprehensive about this show because we don’t really know anyone in town and had never been here before. But Read Street Books is an adorable place and Chris and Lisette treated us so kindly that we felt right at home. At the start there were only a few people there, but they were extremely appreciative and we just had a nice, laid-back set. There were several people who came late, as we were finishing, but since they came to hear music, I just hopped back up on stage and did some more songs! It was a very impromptu kind of show, and we had a great time.
We ate at a diner in town last night and we were talking to the waitress. When she found out that we were musicians she insisted on getting both our autographs…too funny. Everyone has been really friendly around here.

Then today we met up with our dear friend Tim Young, who’s touring as Jessie Baylin’s guitarist. We met Jessie and her fiance Nathan, and they’re both just lovely. Newton Faulkner, the headliner of the tour, is very sweet, too, as was everyone in the whole little entourage. Tim, Mike, and I basically just walked around the harbor, eating ice cream (and later, gelato. Excessive? Perhaps. Delicious? Of course). Oh, and we had crab cakes. We also explored the Fell’s Point area, which was very quaint and cute. Then we listened to Jessie and then later Newton play, and both were fantastic. It was a great, relaxed day and very nice to see such a good LA friend while we’re out so far from home.

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Coming up I’m going to do a little photo retrospective of the tour up til now, ’cause I got a little behind on that, too, and hopefully those will tell the stories even better… :) Tomorrow, on to DC for a show with some very talented ladies, Stella Schindler and Mara Levi.

from NYC to Baltimore, in pictures

Kristy Hanson — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:18:37 +0000

Mike’s aunt (in New Jersey) fed us entirely too much.

Yay for friends in NYC – Regan and I smile pretty in Union Square.

Mike ponders ancient Egypt at the Met.

Super-nice Kris Ortiz from WRHU, where I did a little radio interview the morning of the show in NYC.

Outside our friends’ apartment in Cambridge, MA. Sadly, this is about as far as we really got, because clearly, it was raining. This angle (and maybe the hood) sort of makes me look like a Hobbitt. I am small, but not that small…

The door at the Colony Cafe…are you excited? I am!

Colony Cafe, Woodstock (aka the coolest place ever)

Willy Porter’s soundcheck. He sounded great, in case you were wondering.

Just in case you weren’t sure how the people of Woodstock feel about corporate culture…

Gotta love the Catskills.

Getting warmed up at Read Street Books in Baltimore.

Our good friend and my personal guitar hero Tim Young cracks me up in Baltimore when we meet up…

rockwood music hall photos, round 2

Kristy Hanson — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:40:24 +0000

Here are a couple more, as promised, from James Crafford.
The first couple were kind of impromptu, before the show, and the last is a ‘live’ shot.

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We spent the day yesterday in Boston. I’ve been there before, but I really wanted to get out and walk around the town. Boston had other plans for us, however – it got really cold and the rain really poured all day long. I figured I shouldn’t go out and catch pneumonia, so we basically stayed indoors. In the evening we had a chance to spend time with my cousin and his family over dinner and then hung out with the great friends we were staying with, so it still wound up being a good day.

The rain continued today as we drove up to Burlington, Vermont. It’s beautiful up here and getting really green – it is the Green Mountain state, after all – but it’s freezing! Well, freezing for me, around 40F. Spring has not quite sprung up here it would seem. We keep thinking we’re there and then…not quite. We got to town just in time to stop by a new local radio station, The Radiator, WOMM-LP 105.9 and I played a few songs in their little studio. Burlington’s a very cool little town with a great vibe, and the venue is supposed to draw a good crowd of people who are into live music…we’ll see if that’s the case soon enough! More later!

5th tour show, nyc

Kristy Hanson — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:03:58 +0000

I was extra hyped up about this NYC show, I think, and admittedly a bit nervous, because 6 pm is such an early time to play (no such thing as a 6 pm show in LA!) that I wasn’t sure anyone would make it. Rockwood Music Hall is known to be a very hip venue these days, and I always find hip intimidating. But Ken was very welcoming and the space itself is really lovely and warm(figuratively – though it’s always warm onstage!). It’s tiny and a really charming mix of brick, wood and windows, there’s great sound (again – go Ken), and a stage takes up a chunk of the room, with tables oriented towards it in a clear emphasis of what the room is about – music. Some of the tables are so close to the stage you can, as the performer, set your glass of water on the table and just reach down and grab it when you need. All of that seems to encourage people to be very, very quiet. This is definitely the first true ‘listening room’ that we’ve played on the trip, and it was jarring at first to have people indeed really listening to all your lyrics. But then, of course, that’s exactly what a songwriter really wants! It was great.

We did manage to fill the place up with some new fans (many of whom are photographers – I’ll keep you posted when there are some photos to check out) and some great old friends, some of whom I had not seen in years, and most of whom were my best friends right at the beginning of my decision to really play my music for people. Mike and I had a show at the basement black box theater of the Frieze Building at U of M in early 2001 – I don’t think they use it anymore – and that was the first real show we put together, and the release of my first CD. Seeing some of the same friends last night who had cheered me on then was a warm fuzzy trip down memory lane. Memory has definitely become more of a theme of this tour than I even realized it would be. I feel so lucky to know so many wonderful people across the country, and this tour has served as an ongoing reunion.

Today we’re in New Jersey packing up and taking care of necessary things we’ve been neglecting, like laundry. Shortly, we’re off to Danville, Pennsylvania for a show in another little venue that seems to be oriented toward the performer. The owner of Brews ‘n Bytes just seems to be very, very into music and has been very nice over email, so it will be good to meet him. The town itself and at least the outside of the venue is very cute; we drove by really briefly on our way to NJ because I was curious. We’re backtracking a tiny bit to get there, but it’s not too much of a drive. I’m looking forward to a nice low-key day and show. Then tomorrow we’re off to Boston for another show! Whew. We got a little comfy with our days off, but these next few days, show after show, is making it really feel like a tour. I think that’s actually better, because though tiring, it helps you get a rhythm. Each place and show feels a little different, which I love. Ok! I really do need to pack now!

rockwood music hall photos, round 1

Kristy Hanson — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:58:44 +0000

Oh, so first off, I forgot to mention, in my last blog, Matt Jones – he performed after us at Rockwood and completely rocked it with his band. He’s very soulful and is a very nice guy to boot, so check out his music.

There were actually a few people photographing the show yesterday, which was pretty funny – with all the clicking at the beginning in particular, I felt that it was a high-profile media event rather than our lil’ show…

I’ll share all of them eventually, but for now, a few courtesy of Adam Jason Photography:

Love this one!

This is the part of the show where I get sweaty.

Me, looking all ‘earnest singer-songwriter’

Mike and I rockin’ the Rockwood!