No use switching to French in New York taxis to avoid being understood; they all speak French. Either it’s a coincidence and we just happen to book the ones driven by Senegalese every time or like the Russian court in the 19th century it’s once more become the lingua Franca and no one told us.
So…after the Daily Motion video special where I sang a song to a crowd of tech entrepreneurs and then fell asleep in a beanbag, I headed over to the East village to the Rockwood. It’s the sort of club that reminds me of the London scene. One band every hour with a 15 minutes load-In and soundcheck. 3 stages in the club with acts playing all night. Imagine that multiplied over the whole city in a crazy number of venues and you get an idea of energy of the live scene over here. It may seem a little hectic but If as a performer you’re prone to stressing about the gig it’s great as you just don’t have time to think about anything. You’re plugged in, playing your set and sitting at the bar having an after-show beer before you’ve had time to draw breath.
So after months of planning and preparation I finally got down to some actual playing and a taste of what awaits me on the rest of the tour. It’s a blast to sing for people who know the album. I almost felt guilty for slipping so many new songs into the set. Almost…
After the show I was whisked back uptown by a suicidal driver who left Manhattan and took the New Jersey expressway like a man possessed. I’m wired and feel like I may be unconsciously powering the taxi with post-show adrenalin. Sleep will not come easy…

Barton H

French version published daily on the ROCK MADE IN FRANCE website

USA Day 4 – East Village : « Un club qui me rappelle la scène londonienne »