Lonelyville ~ Coney Island Winter

Its February 29^th tomorrow, the day that extends winter for 24 more hours. I’m one of those weird doe’s that love all the seasons in New York. But near winter’s end, I want light, I want to play outdoors; I want to hang with my friends on stoops and roofs.

When I’m down, Garland Jeffreys music lets me explore those sad feelings and takes me to a safe zone.  Here are two Garland songs. One new, one old, both capture my mood this moment and inspire me.

Here's a link to Coney Island pictures in late February and two Garland Jeffreys tunes.

Coney Island Winter

Lonelyville

Alchemy Hour With Garland Jeffreys

Alchemy hour is the magical time of the day when the ocean waves swell perfectly for surfing.

Yesterday, I had two alchemy hours. Early evening, I visited Alchemy Hour, a beach inspired boutique located at 101 Baker Street in Maplewood, New Jersey. My friend, Janean Harvey, practically grew up on the shore. Alchemy Hour merges her eclectic artistic skills with her love for cozy and vintage clothing. Janean collaborating with her equally talented mom, Helen, has created a coastal cool space. The store is brilliant and if you’re in or near Maplewood, hang ten!

Skateaway.

After touring the store, I headed to Garland Jeffreys benefit for the The Community Food Bank of New Jersey in South Orange. My second alchemy hour. Garland with his long time friend and musical partner, the magnificent Alan Freedman on guitar, sang, played, laughed and told stories for a long spell. Listening to one of my musical heroes perform his catalogue in this intimate setting knocked me out. We were close enough to play catch.

Garland’s on a roll. He has a hit single, “Coney Island Winter,” and a brand new album, “The King of In Between,” that’s received universal rave reviews including a knock out appraisal from the The New Yorker.

“Watch the skies!” Garland is coming to your town.

Yesterday, I hit two home runs. I visited a talented young lady’s art/business space and soaked up the passion and love she’s devoted to her new store. Afterwards, a wise man who’s travelled many roads picked up a guitar and entranced a crowd. Every time I see Garland perform I leave wonderfully tired with a shit-ass grin on my face.

Hi Folks, the next City Stories: Stoops to Nuts storytelling show at Cornelia Street Cafe this Tues @ Sept 13th @ 6pm.

Our artists: Leslie Goshko, Jim Hawkins, Bernie Libster, Jessie Murphy, Thomas Pryor & Debby Schwartz.

Admission: $ 7 including one free drink, a good deal and you'll leave with a smile.

Hope to see you there! be well, Tommy

Ain't Nothing But a House Party: Central Park 1979

Peter Wolf is sensational. The J Geils Band is one of the top live acts ever & Peter solo blows me away. Bruce Springsteen, Garland Jeffreys, John Hiatt & Peter send me home with a shit-ass grin every time I see them perform. Each one, inspiring in countless ways.

My favorite J Geils memory: In 1979, my friends and I struck gold in Central Park. A group of us played rugby for St. John’s, we were good friends with one of John Scher’s bouncers at the summer Doctor Pepper concerts in Central Park’ skating rink space. Tony rucked for the Long Island Rugby Club. The deal: we met Tony at the VIP gate and as each of us shook his hand; he palmed the five dollar bill we each gave him. This was simultaneous with the entrance of the general admission crowd giving us access to the third row in the orchestra right behind the press and special guests. Unfortunately, this routine was cut short when Tony relocated in fall 1980. But for two years we had boss seats for all concerts.

J Geils was our band. They played Central Park the summer of 79. When we vamooshed a cocktail hour inside an apartment before the parents came home, “I’m Looking For A Love,” was our go out song from the Lp “The Morning After.” Important element for beginning a solid evening.


It rained weakly for an hour before the J Geils show. Since it was a sprinkle they let us in at the normal time. In the third row, we used our shirts to dry the rain off the seats. As I turned to sit down over the Plaza Hotel I saw a breath taking cloud racing towards us and a minute later it dumped buckets of rain. So intense, I laughed and let it run over me. A stream from my head to my chest to my lap to my feet. My Converse sneakers were squeaking, my tee-shirt and shorts were attached to me like suction cups. After a “It’s never going to stop,” ten minutes suddenly the sun burst through and pushed the cloud away. It was over but there was three inches of water under our seats.Canceled I thought.” We sat there waiting for them to tell us to leave.


Two minutes later, Peter Wolf came out on stage looked us over and the less than half filled place and started laughing then the band joined him. He looked down at us then out at the audience and directed us to do the canoe, and his arms went back and forth like he was traveling upstream without a paddle but thought he had one. So we did the same thing and Stephen Jo Bladd banged the drums and the band went into “Ain’t Nothing But A House Party.” They played for two hours and forty minutes. We did The Canoe. Life is good.


I have no J Geils button from that year but I do have The Cars & Southside Johnny buttons below. Here's Evelyn Champagne King for nothing. 1978 was pretty good too.

The King of In Between ~ Garland Jeffreys

Saturday night in Chelsea, I saw one of my musical heroes, Garland Jeffreys perform at the Highline Ballroom. Garland opened with "Coney Island Winter," then ripped through his terrific new album "The King of In Between," interspersed with a dozen gems, including "35 Millimeter Dreams,""Spanish Town," Hail, Hail, Rock & Roll," and blew the place away with "96 Tears" as an encore. Lots of dancing in the aisles.

The new tunes have the spirit and strength of Garland's songwriting on"Ghost Writer," "Escape Artist," & "Don't Call Me Buckwheat." It was a pleasantly exhausting night.

Garland Jeffreys, New York Storyteller ~ Loves His Town

photo by Danny Clinch

“Twenty two stops to the city, twenty two stops…” Garland Jeffreys voice kicks in joining the drum’s anthem beat on “Coney Island Winter,” his terrific new single from his forthcoming album “The King of In Between,” a lament and love letter to New York City. (Release date: June 7th through Luna Park Records).

This week, I wrote about my musical hero, Garland Jeffreys, in my "City Stories: Stoops to Nuts," column in Our Town and the West Side Spirit.

When I was 8, I saw Mickey Mantle in the RKO movie house on 86th Street. The Yankees were promoting "Safe At Home," a silly film made right after the 1961 record home run year. Before the movie started, the whole team filed into the theatre and lined up on the right aisle. I was positioned perfectly with my father. Elston Howard, I could've touched and Mantle right next to him I could've reached with my sneaker. Howard saw my face with my mouth open looking at Mantle, Ellie leaned over and whispered, "Say hi, kid, he won't bite." I remained in my trance. Howard and my father laughed, and a moment later the Yankees marched up to the stage took a bow and left the place through a fire exit.

I swore if I ever met another one of my heroes, I'd start talking and not stop. This wouldn't be very productive if I intended on writing about it, so I used one of my childhood tricks to shut up, I put my whole fist in my mouth and let Garland talk. This was difficult but rewarding. We hung out in a cafe for an hour. No surprise, he is a nice fellow.

Brooklyn born, Manhattan native, Garland Jeffreys, is a New York City storyteller who uses the medium of music to lay his story down. His introspective autobiographical songs effectively use New York as a character. Listen to “New York Skyline,” “Ghost Writer,” or “Wild in The Street.” You cannot separate him from the city or the city from who he is. Even when the city is not mentioned by name you sense it in the words and tone of the characters he paints in his songs.

Jeffreys’s cultural background is black, white, and Puerto Rican. He grew up (22 subway stops from the city) in Sheepshead Bay in a multi-ethnic neighborhood where his was the only family of color in his local Catholic church. This racial diversity underlines and at times punctuates his music. Over coffee last week in a First Avenue cafe, he told me, “Growing up in that multi-national neighborhood in a large and loving extended family was a blessing. It readied me for the world. I’ve always mixed well with people.” In the restaurant, I saw evidence of this when he warmly greeted the wait staff with waves and a smile. Easy to see why Garland counts Bruce Springsteen and Lou Reeds as close friends.

Garland is married to Claire Jeffreys, a writer and his business manager. Their talented daughter, Savannah, 14, pens her own music. Being there for his family is the central reason Garland’s been out of the musical limelight for several years. “I did not want to be on the road all the time; I wanted to watch my daughter grow up.” He also wondered whether or not he should re-engage with the business of making music. After a long period of retreat, he came to see that in the end, performing is the most important facet of his musical identity, and little by little the performing led to a desire to get back to writing new material.

Though prejudice wasn’t flagrant in my family, the subtleties were there mostly fed by fear of the unknown. Hearing Garland’s stories, seeing the city through his eyes, visualizing his “Racial Repertoire,” gave me a desire to engage other cultures and consider the race issue from both sides. This readied me when I went to work for city government and comfortably adjusted to the cultural diversity there.

In June 1992, I drove my brother, Rory, upstate to a rehab program. Not for the first time. He and I tried hard to become closer as brothers, but we couldn’t make it work. I loved Rory but didn’t know him. At the same point, I was having my own personal problems and about to change jobs. I came home to New York City miserable. The next day, I read Garland Jeffreys was giving a free concert at Summerstage in Central Park. I felt low, I almost didn’t go.

Garland played for two hours. The cops were dancing by the third song. It was a gorgeous day and people whirling around sent the dust on the floor of the space into the air where it stayed. I wrote my first story when I was 49, eight years ago. The seed to write the story was planted in Central Park at that show.

Garland Jeffreys & the Coney Island Playboys headline the Highline Ballroom next Saturday, April 30th. Tickets are available. His live performances are legend, don’t miss it.