From The Road: NYC March '09

SUSAN'S NEW YORK ROAD JOURNAL March 2009

3:00 PM - Tuesday March 3

Today was crazy. Just insane. From the moment I got off the plane it was like was parachuting into a minefield. But I love it.

Such a dichotomy from my average days spent in my scenic studio. Money goes thru your hands like water in New York so you really have to be fortissimos with your time. I am off to meet with my friend Andrew, photographer & photo "re-toucher" extraordinaire. I am hoping he can make me look taller! He tells me later that he can do a lot of things to the photos we brought, but taller is not one. Oh well. My platforms are useless in NY. I am doomed to a week of tennis shoes with every outfit. So I guess I better get comfortable with being small this week. Hey maybe I can eat off the kid's menu? That seems fair. . . .

8:00 PM - Tuesday, March 3

I just finished dinner with my producer Gerard, and our friend Howard. We had the smoothest sake ever and some sushi of course. I am so sleepy. We lucked out when we checked in. The hotel gave us room upgrades for no apparent reason. I love that. A room up grade in New York means that you can actually walk around the whole bed, and you might get a desk. You also might get a higher room so you are farther from the trash area. You guys might remember from my last blog that I have issues with the trash thing in NY. This is a great personal victory. Off to a good start.

7:30 AM - Wednesday, March 4

Just came back from Starbucks which is across the street . . again. Hooray. I love that about New York. There's a Starbucks on every corner. My neighbors gave me a prepaid card so it felt like it was free. Thanks Stark Family! You guys are the best !
I bought this portable keyboard yesterday for a showcase we are doing today. It is only 15 lbs. Isn’t that crazy? 77 keys and light as a feather. And now, the girl who has all top of the line equipment, owns her first official "Barbie Keyboard". Never thought I'd see the day. I'm not sure how I'm gonna carry all this stuff to this event today. Hmmm. I think we need to start bringing some roadies with us on these trips. Anybody up for it?

2:00 PM - Wednesday, March 4

Just finished show #1. Went really well. The Barbie Keyboard was cool except there was no sustain pedal! Which drove me kind of crazy while I was playing. For the non - piano players reading this, playing with no sustain pedal is like going to 31 flavors and getting vanilla. Who does that? I'm sure the cab ride portion of this day was entertaining for everyone as we struggled to get 2 guitars, Barbie keyboard & stand, and 2 people in the back of a cab. ( This cab had a Barbie trunk - no joke - could it be this was a Barbie cab? )

7:30 PM - Wednesday, March 4

I Went and saw a bunch of my music friends today. I ended at my friend Paul's studio which is near Columbus Circle. I saw a whole foods market there so I went in to get a snack. There were 10 million people in that place. There were like 5 guys with headsets coordinating the checkout lines. It reminded me of the horse races. The main floor was just stacked with "To Go" stuff to accommodate your average New Yorker who has to eat and walk, or eat and cab, or eat and call, text, fire someone, etc. You never just do one thing at a time in New York. And everyone gets an assistant. Apparently, even the check out people have assistants. If I got in line, I would get an assistant to help me navigate the maze of lines!!! I decided I could wait till dinner. I wasn't sure what would happen to me if I dove into the line within the line. Would people step on me? Remember, I am small this week, no big shoes to hide behind. Wow, New York can sure make you feel small. Now I was small AND hungry. . . . . a deadly combination.

6:30 AM - Thursday, March 5

I wish I could've slept in a little more. I think I am anxious about the show. I have never played this club so I'm not sure what to expect. I hope there is a good crowd. . .
I'm off to Starbucks and than gym again. Hey they finally fixed the treadmill so I can run more than 1 mile without getting the whiplash jolt. It really helps me to keep working out when I travel. Today will be busy. Thank goodness I can play a real piano tonight. No more Barbie Piano!

2:00 PM - Thursday, March 5

Gerard & I went to this cool drum shop today. Hey I got my first drum lesson! Check out the video we posted. You can make fun of me trying to jam. I am terrible !!!!!!!

There were so many vintage drums at this place. It was very cool. My producer is always trying to find unique stuff for us to record with. New York is a great resource for one-of-a-kind instruments. If you are a drummer, you might dig some of these photos.

Drum Lesson

All Videos produced by Gerard Smerek C. 2008 G Man Inc. Productions.

6:30 PM - Thursday, March 5

I go on in 30 minutes. We were so late getting here. We could NOT get a cab. Guess we stayed a little too long at the drum place. Oh well. I don't get a sound check anyways. I like the club. It is small, but a cool vibe. Stage is REALLY small. I wore my BIG shoes tonight. (Have to be tall on stage, it’s my thing ) Hope I am warmed up enough. We'll find out. There's no turning back now!

10:00 PM - Thursday, March 5

Just got back from Gig. Went out with our friend Lee after the show. His company is going to be working with Susan! We are excited about this. We drink wine from very small goblets. We sit next to many big windows full of pizza that Susan cannot have for many reasons we won't get into right now. Our waitress is from Switzerland and she is beautiful, charming, and likes my producer, I think. The best part of tonight for me? My new Taylor acoustic guitar. It sounds UNBELIEVABLE. I think I've received more emails & texts about the guitar than the Susan performance. Wow I better watch it or Taylor is gonna show me up, yes? Gerard found this TAYLOR for his daughter (who is a rock star in training, BTW) but long story short, thought it would be perfect for me. He is right once again. I am blessed to have such a great producer to work with. He is definitely the gear man. Thanks for hooking me up G!

I am exhausted, relieved, and grateful. It just feels like things are falling in to place this year. I can't wait to get this record out and see what trouble we can stir up with it. Things are so hard for everyone these days. I really want to record something that gives everyone a little faith, a little hope. Can't get too much of that, right? I will do my best for you guys.

12:00 PM - Friday, March 6

Just finished seeing my friend Dante's Studio. They have a new place and it's really cool. I hope we can work together soon. On the way to the airport I got a call for another session but decide I can't work it out for today. Oh well. It's funny how you can live somewhere but have your WHOLE work life going on in a totally different city. I think it might be time to start looking for apartments . . . . Do you think they make platform tennis shoes? Wow if I found those, I think I could really make this work.