PARLOR ROOM // SESSION AMERICANA // DOMMER
November’s a lot of things to a lot of people - for me it’s most notably the end of gardens, river swims, and baseball, and the beginning of prime sad-song-writing weather - but it’s democracy season for all of us. I’m sure you don’t need me to point out that there’s an election around the corner and that it’s very important that all our voices be heard and counted, but for that very reason, I feel compelled to point it out. Please vote! It’s literally the least we can do! Extra helpful to vote for people who actually believe in a democratic form of government.
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PARLOR ROOM // The Parlor Room is a beacon of purity in a bullshit-heavy world. It’s a room, people play music in it, other people listen. That’s pretty much it. The people on stage are happy to be there because they feel valued and well taken care of, and the people in the seats are happy to be there for the same reasons, and it sounds good, and they get to bring their own drinks and snacks.
The Parlor is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this month, and my show on Friday November 18 is part of the official festivities. I’ll play this one with a full band, to maximize the celebratory potential, but rest assured we’ll still play plenty of melancholy songs to meet your seasonal needs. I’m grateful to have this place as one of the vital organs of our local music scene, and the fact of any small club surviving and thriving for ten years - let alone these last ten years! - is worth celebrating indeed. Come on down and BYO something good.
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SESSION AMERICANA // It would take a while to list all the ways my musical world has intersected with Session Americana over the last couple decades. Bullet points: Ry and I were in a band together in the previous century, I’ve played on various SA members’ records and they on mine, we’ve collaborated on a gazillion side projects and shenanigans and a few cowrites, and shared many shows and tours, and I even helped produce their most recent studio album Northeast. So yeah: we go Way Back.
Lately they’ve had an open seat in the band, and since I still haven’t fully re-started my touring engines, I’ve had the rare chance to stow away in the van every now and then and join their fray. In this capacity I play acoustic guitar and fiddle, a touch of bass, sing a whole lot of backing vocals, and lead a few of my songs. For me it’s a refreshing mini-vacation from business as usual, and a rare chance to play music without any responsibilities aside from showing up (mostly) on time and knowing (mostly) the songs.
There are a few more of these convergences on the books, starting with the Session Americana & Friends Thanksgiving Eve Extravaganza at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville MA. This club is in my old stomping grounds, a few blocks from the group house where I lived for $200/month in the late 90’s (the rent’s a whole lot higher now but the landlord still hasn’t managed to get that top corner of the house painted, which always comforts me to see). Lyle Brewer will open the show, which in itself is worth the price of admission, and then we’ll play a big set for you, including a song Ry & I just wrote together last week, and then we’ll all mill about for a while and catch up, and then I’ll proceed directly to co-hosting 20-something family members (plus copious dogs) for Thanksgiving, and that’s officially as far ahead as I’m willing to think or talk about at this time.
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DOMMER - Chris Dombrowski is a writer, fishing guide, confirmed rascal, and longtime friend. His new book The River You Touch is an open-plan memoir of family and place, a work that like its author contains great sensitivity, beauty, and humor. Do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy, or if you prefer reading with your ears, you can listen to the audiobook, read by the Esteemed Spouse himself. We have a strong tradition of Reading to the Cook in this household, so it’s based on solid experience that I recommend being read to by JF. The audiobook version even has the upside of a pause button for when you need to go to the basement for onions, a feature lacking in the in-person model. On the other hand, the audiobook will not do the dishes.
Happy November everyone, mull some cider, cast a ballot, write a sad song or two. *kd
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UPCOMING KD SHOWS
NOV 18 - The Parlor Room, NORTHAMPTON, MA Tix
W SESSION AMERICANA
NOV 23 - The Crystal Ballroom, SOMERVILLE, MA Tix