Nicholas David East Coast Tour '14: Wilkes Baare nice.

After our hectic schedule over the past few days, we were definitely drained and tired today.   It was Sunday, so everything seemed to be in rest relaxation mode.  After a quick morning meeting with our lovely agent and guru Mary, we hit the road and casually made our way to Wilkes Barre.  According to the locals it is acceptable to pronounce it "Wilkes Bear" or "Wilkes Berry" but NEVER "Wilkes Bar".  This seems confusing, and I think they should vote on one pronunciation.  I digress.

Our new friends at the Jazz Cafe

We rolled into the River Street Jazz Cafe and sleepily loaded in our gear.  The venue was one of those clubs that had seen a lot of use.  A classic bar/venue that focused on the sound and fun and didn't care too much about how it looked.  This place was awesome.  It felt like so many clubs that we played at home so many times before.  We set up and sound checked and settled into our dressing room to get set for the show.

All of a sudden we were alerted that T.V. crew from the local NBC affiliate was coming to get some footage for that evening's news cast.  We roused ourselves and played through a song for them to get their footage and then went right back to lolling about the dressing room trying to get some energy for the show.

Opening the night was local players Mike Dougherty and Dylan Skursky.  They were really talented and played with great emotion, especially for such young players.  They were also extremely nice guys.

This venue had a local hang vibe to it, and there were some regulars/locals who frequented the place hanging out for the show.  I got the sense that they had a prejudice against us, and saw us as undeserving people riding the wave of Nicholas' television fame.  I think this fact, along with our tiredness and knowledge that we had a few days off after tonight spurred us on.  We really cut loose, and played around with the songs more than usual, stretching out and showing the crowd what we were capable of.  The place was jumping, and the aforementioned locals loved it as well.  It was really gratifying to prove ourselves in such a situation.

Chillin' in Wilkes Barre

The staff at the Jazz Cafe was extremely laudatory and let us know how much they appreciated what we did.  After the show, we hung out with the staff and had a great time.  They are all kind, awesome and generous people.  We later went to our hotel and slept.

With today off we spent some time wandering downtown Wilkes Barre, browsing in the local stores and grabbing some local grub.  It was a nice relaxing day.  We then drove to Annapolis where we will spend the next few days before our show in the same town.   Can you say laundry day?