TO PRESENT IT ANYWAY

So it has been 1 year and 8 months that I've been playing every week at Domaine Wine Bar in LIC, which is 1 stop from Grand Central. Every fucking week I'm there with my regular trio (Adam & Sunny) or a different mix of talented players that make up the music community I'm lucky to be part of. I've only missed a handful and recently I'm there on Tuesdays as well, with a different trio. Now if I miss any my good friend and ultra creative friend Jeremy takes over.

The treatment at the wine bar is not the usual bar/restaurant owner disrespect that has become as much a part of the mediocrity that is New York as are the ugly sidewalks. No, over here the musicians get treated with respect and appreciation for what they do. The crowd, although not always a packed house as I would like it, is often quite responsive to the tunes and we've managed to play some shit that I haven't played elsewhere. In fact, much of the music should probably be in a concert setting; The dimly lit corner of the bar is fine out here in LIC, and the alcohol is always flowing. If this bar was on the "island" it would probably be so compromised and mediocre that the vibe would never be able to really sustain the music.

Our little scene over here at the bar is pretty fucking awesome though. We party as hard as we need to, play some music, and eat some real cheese. The standard is high as it should be. If you don't like it you are free to leave and for those of us who do like it, it slowly builds a nice clientele of like-minded people who all share the same feeling of "Fuck those dumb mutha fucking asshole pieces of shit out there!!!" It's nice to have a place free of the low-level mass that rules the world by quantity.

The funny thing is that as the years go by and my desire to keep up with that ass-kissing bullshit culture over there diminishes, I am finding much difficulty in continuing my quest to bring my music out; To share my work and collaborative efforts with the great musicians around me and present it.

After all, I haven't a place to present it anyway...Although...We'll see what comes next at Ye Ole Wine Bar.