On Saturday, June 21, 2025, I pointed my car south on a steamy first day of summer. Destination, Stockton, New Jersey. I had played gigs in Stockton before. Twice I have been the opening act at the More Barn Studios house concert. More Barn Studios is a wonderful, intimate performance experience. They have created the most amazing space for musicians to play, a cozy barn converted into a small theater. I last played there in March of this year and it was an amazing experience. I played my half hour set and when I finished the last song, something happened that had never happened to me before. People not only applauded but some rose out of their chair. I was floored. I could not believe what I was seeing. I have a strong belief in the quality of my songs and my performances, but you never really know. With this gesture, I could say for sure that my music connected with people in a powerful way. My previous performance at More Barn was in October of 2023. That night, I opened for Alex Radus who I would later do a small tour with in the summer of 2024. There was no standing ovation that night, but there was a sense that the audience connected with the music. I began to think that this little region of New Jersey, with its small artsy river towns along the Delaware, might be a place where I could begin to create a little bit of a following. It seemed like a place where people were looking to discover the kind of music I make.
The skeleton dude outside of Starving Artist
This feeling grew stronger that night of June 21. Someone had told me that another place I should try to play in the area was Starving Artist Cafe, just down the road from More Barn in the tiny village of Stockton. Upon arriving, I was greeted in the parking lot by owner Todd Ellis. Todd welcomed me with much enthusiasm, so happy that I had made the drive from NYC to play at the little music venue/restaurant he had created about a year prior. He said it was becoming a destination for local musicians. I could see why. Adorning the performance area were walls of guitars and amps. I felt like a kid in a candy store as I cannot get enough of these two things. I began to unpack and get set up. Another nice part of this evening was that a man I had met eight years ago, Bob Liana, would be joining me this night on harmonica. I met Bob when I stayed at his AirBNB in 2018 when I had a show in nearby New Hope, PA. He came to that show with his harmonicas and joined me for a few tunes. We had a great time, and fit together seamlessly. Whenever I go to that area, I still stay at Bob’s and I invited him to join me at Starving Artist. Bob arrived with his wife Petra and they sat down for a meal along with other customers so that soon it was a full house. I began to play. Unlike so many shows when people chat while I perform, every person in the place was quiet with eyes on me. I’m so used to people half paying attention, that when I have their full attention, it ramps my nervousness way up. But I took a deep breath and began to play. The first set went great. The audience seemed to really enjoy the music and when Bob came up to join me, we really came alive. After a few songs, we stopped to take our break between sets. What happened next was as powerful as when that audience stood up. First, a man came up to buy a CD, telling me how much he liked the songs. How much, he asked? $15, I said. He gave me $20 and didn’t want change. Then another man came up, also to buy a CD, saying he would play it in his car as soon as he left. He also did not want change of a $20. Then a woman came up to talk to me. She and her husband had been sitting right up front, listening intensely. She told me they were looking forward to seeing me play and had been listening to my songs all week. She follows the Cafe on social media and they love coming out to hear musicians. She showed me the notes app on her phone where she had written the titles of five of my songs, hoping I would play them tonight. As with the standing ovation, I was just overwhelmed by this. I could not believe what she was saying to me. Two strangers had listened to my songs so much over the past week that they knew them by name and were hoping I’d play certain ones at a show. I’ve only ever imagined what this must feel like. It was surreal. I almost couldn’t keep playing. Somehow, this information changed me. I felt outside of myself. I was in disbelief. Did they really mean me? My songs? When I got back to the stage, I was shaking a little. I played the second set, being sure to play at least three of the songs on their list (I wasn’t prepared to play the others). They stayed for the whole second set, as did everyone else who had come. When the second set was over, I thanked them all for coming and said goodbye. They all said they hoped I would play again soon. I do too. Actually, I can’t wait to play in that area again and hope to many times. It was an incredibly special night for me, one that can keep you going when you do any kind of creative work. A sign that you’re on the right track, that it’s meaningful to be doing this and you shouldn’t stop. Those voices that suggest maybe it is time to stop can get pretty loud at times. Maybe for other artists too. For this night however, those voices were quiet. Hopefully they will stay that way.
With Bob Liana