2004 seems to be coming up a lot this week. Not surprising, since as I noted before, we were all on Martha's Vineyard for the week. The reason for the revisit: A fine musical discovery during an evening out.
After a hazy (but fun) day at Katama Beach, and then dropping our friend Erik off at the Oak Bluffs ferry, Gavin, Chris and I walked to Smoke'n Bones for a kick-ass barbecue dinner. They both had ribs, I got a smoked ½ chicken, and we all put away a ton of cornbread. Then after a quick stop at the house, we went down to Edgartown for a beer at The Wharf Pub. After a bit of drooling futilely over the hot brunette tending bar, we decided to let her do her job, and pay another of many visits that week to The Offshore Ale Company (the island's lone microbrewery/brewpub). We ordered a pitcher of their fantastic amber, and spent the next couple of hours listening to the voice and musical stylings of the lovely Marta Topferova. Born in Czechoslovakia, the multi-lingual Miz Topferova was actually heavily influenced by, and performs mostly Latin American music. We sat at our little table in the back of the dark pub, shelling peanuts on the floor, enjoying a great local beer, and listening to her sultry voice and exotic sound. I felt like I was in a European cafe, except I've never been to Europe, I wasn't drinking coffee, and the music was from South America ☺
After that wonderful performance, we went back to the house, had a few more beers, listened to her cd "Sueño Verde" (which Gavin had bought from her while chatting with her after the show), and finally went to bed at 3 am. For me, it was the most memorable day of the trip, and five years later I still have her songs on my iPod (and three of her albums). If you like Latin and South American music, I suggest you check her out!
Also of note on this oddly musical date: In 2001 my friend Scott & I saw Dave Matthews w/Macy Gray opening (yuck) at the old Foxboro Stadium. The Dave Matthews Band rocked as usual (back in my DMB phase, I saw them 3 times around the turn of the century), even though it rained nearly the entire show, and it was quite surreal to see the big hole in the ground off to the side where Gillette Stadium was being built.
Showing posts with label 2004. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2004. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
5 Years Ago...
Back on this date in 2004, we of the NLM Crew were in the middle of our first major event.
Gavin & I had rented the house @ 62 Whaler's Walk on Martha's Vineyard for a week, and Brian and Rob each made appearances of at least one night. Our friend Erik was our guest for several days, old pal Chris (of The Johnnies, and many other successful and critically-acclaimed Seacoast NH endeavors) came for an overnight, and Gavin's friend Mike stayed over for the final night. It was a fantastic "Saturday to Saturday" of sun, beer, bicycling, and music.
On this particular day five years ago, Erik, Gavin & I picked Rob up at the ferry, sat around the house for a bit as he unpacked, and then we all headed off to the beach at Aquinnah, to wander around and take photos of the lighthouse and other scenery. On the drive back we hit the little village of Menemsha (the island is a lot bigger than it seems), and checked out a couple of shops. In a quaint little place called Up On The Roof *, I bought a little brass mermaid for my friend Heather as a thank you for watching my cat (back home in Rollinsford) all week. After that, we walked down the road to Menemsha Blues, where we each bought a cap or shirt (an odd coincidence finds me wearing said shirt, as it's laundry day, and it was all I had to wear when I woke up!). Dorothy, the sun-kissed blonde running the shop was all about Rob that day, politely taking care of my, Erik's & Gavin's purchases, while smiling, flirting and blushing her way through her interaction with Mister V! We were quite jealous, and we spent several minutes in the car debating whether a tourist had a shot with a townie (veridict: highly unlikely). But it's always great to get noticed by (and attention from) a pretty girl ☺
We grilled cheeseburgers for dinner, and then headed into downtown Oak Bluffs for the evening. I bought a round of kamikazes at The Rare Duck, and then we had a few beers as we watched the Pistons put the Lakers out of their misery (which I hoped the Magic could have done last night as well...). A half-hour or so before last call, Erik headed across the street to another club, while the rest of us ate fried food from a local stand, and watched the girls walk by as the bars emptied. We drove back to the house, and an hour later, Erik got dropped off by taxi after escaping a long back-road van ride with two cute girls he met, and their creepy male driver. Good ol' Martha's Vineyard. One never knows what's going to happen next!
* Sadly, Up On The Roof now appears to be out of business. We (Gavin, Brian & I) drove by this past April, and the shop was empty and deserted. Also, trying to find out if it's just a seasonal business, I called a few minutes ago, and no one answered the phone after eight rings. It will be missed...
Gavin & I had rented the house @ 62 Whaler's Walk on Martha's Vineyard for a week, and Brian and Rob each made appearances of at least one night. Our friend Erik was our guest for several days, old pal Chris (of The Johnnies, and many other successful and critically-acclaimed Seacoast NH endeavors) came for an overnight, and Gavin's friend Mike stayed over for the final night. It was a fantastic "Saturday to Saturday" of sun, beer, bicycling, and music.
On this particular day five years ago, Erik, Gavin & I picked Rob up at the ferry, sat around the house for a bit as he unpacked, and then we all headed off to the beach at Aquinnah, to wander around and take photos of the lighthouse and other scenery. On the drive back we hit the little village of Menemsha (the island is a lot bigger than it seems), and checked out a couple of shops. In a quaint little place called Up On The Roof *, I bought a little brass mermaid for my friend Heather as a thank you for watching my cat (back home in Rollinsford) all week. After that, we walked down the road to Menemsha Blues, where we each bought a cap or shirt (an odd coincidence finds me wearing said shirt, as it's laundry day, and it was all I had to wear when I woke up!). Dorothy, the sun-kissed blonde running the shop was all about Rob that day, politely taking care of my, Erik's & Gavin's purchases, while smiling, flirting and blushing her way through her interaction with Mister V! We were quite jealous, and we spent several minutes in the car debating whether a tourist had a shot with a townie (veridict: highly unlikely). But it's always great to get noticed by (and attention from) a pretty girl ☺
We grilled cheeseburgers for dinner, and then headed into downtown Oak Bluffs for the evening. I bought a round of kamikazes at The Rare Duck, and then we had a few beers as we watched the Pistons put the Lakers out of their misery (which I hoped the Magic could have done last night as well...). A half-hour or so before last call, Erik headed across the street to another club, while the rest of us ate fried food from a local stand, and watched the girls walk by as the bars emptied. We drove back to the house, and an hour later, Erik got dropped off by taxi after escaping a long back-road van ride with two cute girls he met, and their creepy male driver. Good ol' Martha's Vineyard. One never knows what's going to happen next!
* Sadly, Up On The Roof now appears to be out of business. We (Gavin, Brian & I) drove by this past April, and the shop was empty and deserted. Also, trying to find out if it's just a seasonal business, I called a few minutes ago, and no one answered the phone after eight rings. It will be missed...
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