Well, NO! I wrote seven songs! I’m not promising all of them were good, but I wrote ‘em…

And I have been writing every day since! Just the jump start I needed.

It took me forever to get out to the 29 Palms Inn, but it was waiting for me with the lights on…

Got into my little room and set up all my stuff.

I love working out there because I can hide in a cool, funky room that reminds me of the places I lived when I was a kid. I can stop by Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods on the way out and if I want, never leave the room:

…except to go for walks around the oasis

and to say hi to the coyotes:

(She’s right in the middle. Kinda hard to see.) Then back to my cave:

…until it’s time to head back into the world, renewed with SEVEN SONGS!

Tour Diary! Whoo!

*My friend Susan just sent me a whole bunch of new pictures, so I have significantly added to the Cambridge, Mass. portion of this post.*

So I just went to the East Coast to do a few shows with Andrew Hardin, a voyage my friend Kim dubbed the Tour de Snark. And she was right!

But before I begin, I would like perform a public service and inform you that the Sheraton Logan Airport, in case you plan to go there, is not at Logan Airport. It’s about 15 miles away, which during rush hour is about 45 minutes away. A travel tip from me.

However, the restaurant in the hotel does Teppan! So after a long day of travel – me from LA and Andy from Austin – we had a pre-band rehearsal dinner with this guy:

Andy took the picture. All the cool Hipstamatic pictures are his.

On Friday, we got the rental car, installed my Neo figurine in the cup holder, and drove north to Gloucester on a beautiful Fall day:

Here’s our obligatory tourist picture in front of the statue of the mariner. Andy took this one. We also posed for another one (which he didn’t send me) that a nice lady offered to take. “We’re on our honeymoon,” Andy told her. She smiled. “We’re married to other people,” he added. I should say “unsuspecting” nice lady.  And the Tour de Snark is off to a good start!

Here is a close-up of the plaque commemorating the lost sailors of Gloucester. Hollywood’s tentacles are powerful, as the only name that shows visible evidence of having paper rubbed over it is the swordboat captain played by George Clooney in A Perfect Storm:

The elusive Andrew Hardin:

“My Next Album Cover,” according to Andrew:

Pretty Gloucester house:

So we did a show in New Hampshire at the home of old Ojai friends Sally and Alex. Great picture of them:

And then the next day we drove from New Hampshire to Connecticut. They love Fall on the East Coast:

After a stop at the Guitar Center in Hartford – with its requisite cacophony of shredding – we arrived at the home of Dixie Todd, a Perry cousin, who was hosting us for a beautiful supper concert. Here’s Andy warming up:

And here’s the barn and her living room the night of the show.

Beautiful evening, friendly people, great night.

You can see lots more pictures and a description at Dixie’s blog, which is written by my second cousin Kate. Great blog here. Dixie is an event planner of the first degree.

This is Dixie’s house. It was built in 1740. Really, really beautiful.

I stayed upstairs in a lovely room with a blue bed and pressed linen sheets. That was a first for me.

The next morning, Dixie and I walked to the little graveyard adjacent to her property and said hello to her folks – Uncle Dick and Aunt Allene. I loved them both – they were very involved in the lives of my dad and his sisters after their parents died young.

Then, from Dixie’s slowly making our way towards Boston, and more picturesque East Coast Autumn:

Finally to Cambridge, to our venue – Outpost 186 which has a production rider every bit as entertaining as Iggy Pop’s.

Example:

“2. Noise 1: Never EVER make any noise before 8pm on weekdays or the shrinks upstairs will have angry passive aggressive shit-fits and call da cops. Also bear in mind it is a small modest-volume recital space. It is not a place for high decibel blast rituals and keep the Marshall stacks at home. Smoke machines and other big dumb show biz impediments are utterly out of the question. Little things like video projection (a screen is provided) or small charming props are fine.”

By the way, the Hipstamatic pictures from Cambridge were taken by Susan Chien.

Here I am getting into my rock and roll shoes.

And here, Andy is restraining himself (barely) from saying something about it.

Andy and me warming up:

My little Lunchbox amp dominates the behemoth below:

The power of Keanu compels you to tip!

You are getting very…generous!

And a final picture from Susan, from the 7-11 down the street:

I know better than to be photographed eating such a thing.

Happy to be singing for my family! These pictures were taken by my aunt Piper’s friend Michael Shaffer. Great pictures!

And I got to see my friend Susan Chien, who animated the dream sequence of my video for “Keanuville!”

‘

Me and the fam:

My cousin Dan, with whom I lived in the fourth grade. If you need a limo driver in Boston, he’s your man. He’s driven many celebrities and his encyclopedic knowledge of the city inspired a change in the screenplay for a major motion picture. Ask him about the Great Molasses Flood and he can tell you all about a fascinating bit of history.

Andy and the family:

The next day we took the train to NYC, and I finished my knitting project: a baby cocoon for my niece’s brand new little one! I put my water bottle in it for scale.

And finally – New York, New York, big city of dreams. But everything in New York ain’t always what it seems!

We came down there because when you hire a world class guitar player for small gigs and he asks if there’s any chance while you’re on the East Coast you can see the de Kooning exhibit at MOMA, you add a day and take the train down to make him happy, even if he is really snarky. I wish I could have posted a picture of Andy at MOMA, but no photos allowed in there. Let’s just say that he was in Heaven, educating me about de Kooning and his evolution from early still lives, to the “Woman” series, to “Excavation” and so on. A very happy boy. Just imagine he’s standing in front of this picture:

And so, in closing, I present to you the culmination of the whole trip, from de Kooning’s little-known photography period, entitled “Guitarist With Woman”:

Thanks for reading!

It was so much fun!

Here are pictures. Very soon I will have recordings of the event to share too.

Freshly chopped ladyfingers…

For the Decomposed Salad, toasted pepitas with honey & cayenne:

Onions, carrots, apples and pumpkin for the pumpkin soup:

And platters of monster eyeballs for garnish!

The next Secret Songwriter Supper will be December 16th and the theme will be MERRY! Hope to see you there!

So the Spooky Secret Songwriter Supper is coming up in two weeks and we are booking up the seats. If you’d like to join us, reserve your spot soon!

Here’s the scoop:

The inaugural Secret Songwriter Supper is on October 28th, and the theme is “SPOOKY!” The musical guest for the night is Mr. JB White, and we have a set of ghoulish songs we are preparing for your listening pleasure.

Cost: $40 per person by check made out to “Fractured Atlas.” Already reasonable for a gourmet dinner and a concert, but guess what: it’s tax-deductible! As an artist, I operate under the fiscal sponsorship of Fractured Atlas. The Secret Suppers  raise funds for my work, so are tax-deductible pursuant to IRS code 501(c)(3). (That’s why it has to be a check, not cash.)

Cocktails will be served. If you’d like wine or beer with dinner, you are welcome to BYOB. There is a suggested pairing at the bottom of the menu.

As I said, seating is limited to 20 people. These dinners are for friends and friends of friends, so if you’d like to invite someone to widen the circle, please have them email me.

Here’s the menu…

Menu:

Black Dahlia cocktails

Hors D’Oeuvre Platter of Darkness

Monster Mucous

Decomposed Salad with Blood Oranges and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Soup (from Boccali’s Haunted Pumpkin Patch) with a garnish of Floating Eyeballs

Ghost of Monte Cristo Sandwiches

and for dessert:

Freshly Chopped Ladyfingers with Clotted Cream

Tea

Suggested pairing: Beer would be my recommendation – a pale ale

Or a not-too-sweet white, like a dry Reisling or a Pinot Grigio

Reserve your space right away by emailing me at rain@rainperry.com. Hope to see you there!

XO,

Rain

P.S. The next suppers are:

11/18/11 – Recidivist songwriting class performance

12/16/11 – Sacrilgeous Supper in honor of the holidays