Thursday, August 23, 2012

Philadelphia Freedom

Angie Atkinson busking Philadelphia, PA

April here!

We're gearing up to hit the road again for the Midwest leg of the Double or Nothin' tour...and we've yet to finish sharing about the first leg. We can't promise be more diligent this time around with the blog, but we can promise frequent updates on my Tumblr and Angie's.

So way back on July 1st, we had a show at Milkboy Coffee in Philadelphia. This was a unique show organized by Jason Waters. In addition to Jason and Angie, songwriters Nicki Sbaffoni, Jeanette Lynne and Suzi Brown took turns sharing songs and stories.

It was an easy five hours from Angelica to Philadelphia. Upstate New York reminds me a lot of Wisconsin, being so green and dotted with farms and fields. Not having traveled much in New England before, I was struck with how much older the towns and hamlets are. We have a lot of grand Victorians in Wisconsin, but no Colonials.


Angie Atkinson Slush PuppieAngie Atkinson
Another thing that New England offered us was a genuine Slush Puppie. Not an ICEE, not a Slushie, but a Slush Puppie. There is a difference.

We also think it's fun to make the rock star do the dirty work.


Before we went to the load in at Milkboy, we wanted to check into our hotel. We arrived with plenty of time to check in, change, even get in a shower for those of us who hadn't had the chance that morning. But you know what they say about best laid plans. They are often thwarted by German tourists.
Philadelphia, PA

Yes, that would be an entire tour group checking in. And the hotel had one person at the desk and no clean rooms. Großartig!

Philadelphia, PA
After Angie took charge and had very polite but firm conversation with the manager, whom was on site but in the back, we were able to get in the room in time for very brief showers, a change of clothes, and general freshening up. We also had a gorgeous view of the Ben Franklin bridge that we got to enjoy for roughly half an hour. We made it to Milkboy right on time for load in.

Milkboy Coffee Philadelphia

We were all wowed when we walked in. It isn't just a coffee shop with a little area set aside for musicians, it's a dedicated music venue. They also have absolutely fantastic food.

The show was beautiful and inspiring. It was a refreshing change from watching a full set of one musician followed by another and another. The artists built off of each other's momentum and were inspired by each others' stories to share more. Every one of them had something special and slightly different to offer. to offer. I didn't get any video, but Ashlie has most of the show on her Ustream channel.

Jeanette Lynne Milkboy Coffee
I made a few necklaces to sell along with Angie's merch so I could make some extra cash on the road, and I made my first sale to adorable Jeanette Lynne. She and that necklace were made for each other.

Philadelphia, PA
Being of the non partying variety of travelling musicians, we went back to the hotel, enjoyed the view of the bridge and some lame TV, and ate soggy delivery food that took 2 hours to arrive.

Ashlie Lauren Smith
Angie Atkinson and Sleeping in Gethsemane
The next morning while we were loading the car, Ashlie started talking to a guy because she liked his tattoos. Turned out he was in a band, too. They were checking in after a night long drive from Milwaukee that made me hurt just to think about. They're called Sleeping in Gethesemane. Well, I guess they were called that. They broke up pretty recently.

That day,we came to know what people really mean when they say that touring is not the best way to see the country. I'd never been to Philadelphia before, and thought it was awesome to be there right before Independence Day. Unfortunately, we only really saw any of it from the car.

Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia, PA

Ashlie Lauren Smith Angie Atkinson
We had time to hit up Trader Joe's for some healthy road snacks before we headed out to visit Ashlie's grandmother. She fed us fresh sweet corn, then Angie and Ashlie played a few songs for her. She also let us borrow a cooler for our perishables.

Angie Atkinson
Of course we made the rock star do the dirty work, and it was on to Virginia.

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