Setlist, 3.29.13

The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA - 3.29.2013

Two Lanes
Inventing The Game*
The Thing About This
Boundary Blurring
Aida
Whatever
Good Times Roll**
To Reason Why***
Twelve
Vapors
My Father's Watch

E: Summer Feels Like Forever
The Weight****

* "Billie Jean" tease (Michael Jackson)
** Harry Nilsson cover
*** "Ask" tease (The Smiths)
**** The Band cover, with Jayson Verdibello (Venice Sunlight) on vocals

W/ Venice Sunlight, Rachel Schain, John & Brittany, Noelle Picara

Setlist, 3.15.13

Velvet Lounge, Washington, DC - 3.15.2013

Two Lanes*
The Thing About This
Boundary
Aida*
Whatever*
Halfdone+
Tomorrow's Clothes*+
To Reason Why**
Twelve
Vapors
My Father's Watch

* TWH debut
+ With Evan Polisar (Fujank) on Alto Sax
** "Ask" tease (The Smiths)

W/ Dot Dash, Black Checker

"Where Do You Wanna Eat?": Dan's History of Gigs Through Food

I love to eat as much (if not more) as I love to play music. There’s something immensely satisfying about the pre or post-gig meal, whether it’s from a dive bar’s kitchen or a swanky bistro down the block from the club. We strive to all eat together when we’re on the road, but I definitely strike out on my own pretty often, especially when we’re out of town. I was recently reading Jesse Jarnow’s book on Yo La Tengo (Big Day Coming), and there’s this recurring element of the band on the road in the 80s, seeking out these off-the-path barbecue joints that they found in this thumbed-through book about regional restaurants. I thought about how that is very much me, and that people interested in The Way Home might also get a kick out of my recollections of the various food-related adventures that we’ve had over they years. 

So I hope you enjoy my culinary stroll down memory lane. It will be fraught with all the trappings of human memory: names and dates mixed up, misremembered details, completely inaccurate reconstructions of events, etc. We have a great time on the road, playing for everyone that we can. And the first thing I always want to tell people about when I get home is where I ate, what I ate, how much of it I ate and what I’m going to eat when I go back.

PS: If you’re familiar with a city or region we’ve visited, feel free to comment with suggestions for new places to eat. I’ll try my best to check them out, and probably end up writing about them. Also, if you cook really well and we’re in your town, feel free to invite us over to eat. Some of the best food we’ve had on the road has come from someone’s home. We’ll even do the dishes.

Philadelphia, PA- Triumph Brewery, Dec 16th 2011

I thought I’d start with somewhere close to home. Triumph Brewery is first and foremost a brew pub and restaurant that someone decided to put a stage in the back and “get into the whole having bands thing”. They’ve gotten away from a regular music schedule as of late, but back in 2010-2011, I played a ton of gigs in various groups there. We played one of the first gigs as The Way Home there in December of 2011.

The cool thing about Triumph, aside from their dedication to good live music, is that it’s one of the few places in Old City where you can get a good beer and a good meal and a) not pay most of your weekly earnings for it and b) not be overwhelmed by gaggles of drunken college kids. Old City has plenty of places where both those things can be and are easily accomplished. Triumph offers one of the best “people watching” spots in all of Philadelphia. On a warm night (or even a cold one), one of our favorite post-gig rituals was to sit at one of the patio tables and just watch the chaos that is the weekend unfold in front of you. Let me offer some advice to people visiting the neighborhood: high heels plus cobblestones plus alcohol will usually end with you on the ground.

As for the food, Triumph has some of the best wings in town, and speaking as a Western New Yorker, that’s pretty high praise. I’ve eaten some really creative dishes here, from braised short ribs to sauerbraten to a smoked duck sandwich. Their house brewed beer is also some of the best you’ll find. James loves their bar so much, he wrote our song “Aida” about one of the regular bartenders there. He still has to pay for his drinks, as do all of us. So don’t think that a well-crafted pop song with bouncy piano and harmonies will get you free run of the place. 

It is, in all seriousness, one of the most relaxed places on that particular stretch of Chestnut Street. I’ve been hearing rumors since the fall that it’s going to get sold and that’s why they’ve been booking less music lately. I hope whoever buys it keeps the stage and the attitude that they’ve always had. It’s one of the better small rooms in Philly, and one of the only spots with live original music in Old City that’s open to walk-in traffic. Because that’s who we want to play to: the people who walk in, take a chance and pay the cover. Some of the best shows I’ve ever seen have been shows I didn’t know I was attending until I was there. And if you can get a tasty pint and some very good grub, so much the better.

Dec 11, 2011 at Triumph Brewery
Photo by Bill Cassidy