Salvation from Flat Cornfields: The Northeast, Part 1

By: Mandy Ferrarini
August 31, 2010

Soybeans and corn. Soybeans and corn. We’re somewhere in the middle of Ohio and I hear Angrew screeching in the front seat, “That’s all there is, soybeans and corn. Soybeans and corn.” It’s probably our 887th cornfield in this trip thus far, and in the back seat of Henrietta (a.k.a. the “burp cage” 1 ) I am wondering how much longer this state of Ohio is going to last. Eventually, Ohio retreated from our windows, and we entered into the beginning of a beautiful Northeast experience for Dave McGraw and Crow Wing.

Once we finally scooted out of Ohio, I was amazed to see how gorgeous the rolling hills of Pennsylvania really were; this trip out to the Northeast was basically my first time out there, minus a field trip to D.C. in 8th grade. I had no idea that this part of the country was going to steal my heart so much, but I constantly found myself with my face pressed up against the window exclaiming, “Wow, look how pretty this is.” And what’s so cool about it is that it transforms from rolling green hills to a HUGE, and I mean HUGE, metropolis without even the blink of an eykkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
Oh, sorry, I just fell asleep holding down the ‘k’ in another cornfield filled area in middle of nowhere, Kansas. Seriously. Dave just got a picture of it, I think.

Anyways, our first northeastern stop was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Crow Wing got their dive bar fix for the tour. Philly definitely charmed me with its steep winding streets and baseball-watchin-Philly-cheese-steak-eatin' crowds filling the bar scenes. We prowled the streets for a pre-show meal, and were advised by a local to eat at a pub around the corner, where bar food consisted of tasty vegetable wraps with goat cheese, salads with fresh mint and artichoke hearts, and of course, Philly cheese steaks. What a pleasant surprise to eat good bar food for once…no offense to Flagstaff, but bar food just isn’t good there.

With full bellies, back we headed to the bar where we were playing, and waited patiently for our turn to rock Philly’s socks off. That night we were scheduled with two other bands and, uniquely enough, a comedian who filled the silence between band switchovers. Oh, boy, did he fill the silence. I don't think I can repeat a single joke, because there may be children or other wholesome persons reading this. As you can imagine, it was an...interesting...fit with three folk-rock bands. But unexpected surprises are what the road is all about; they're never something you can truly prepare for, but that’s what makes it such a thrilling ride.

We had a great time playin' that night in the little dive bar on a small street corner of Philly, and in our crowd was one of my dear friends, Ailsa, who rallied five fun friends from Philly to come dance to some sweet Southwest tunes. Ailsa took in Crow Wing with open arms to her mom’s beautiful home just south of the city, and we thank her so much for having us. It’s hard to explain the sense of comfort that staying in a warm home brings after spending numerous nights in Motel 6's, especially an amazing house like that one, with such an amazing friend. This house is a classic Pennsylvania home built in the late 1800s, with character seeping out of every centimeter inside and out. We soaked up every outdoor second that we could in her massive and gorgeous backyard, picking some fresh raspberries and kicking back with a little bourbon by the fire. Man, life on the road is rough.

The next morning we awoke to some Northwest style rain, which we greeted with great pleasure. Crow Wing got super lucky with the weather we experienced in our northeastern bout; not a day even attempted to feel hot, and gentle sprinkles gave Henrietta a daily washing. Off we did roll to Ithaca, New York, where Dave McGraw and Crow Wing played their first coffee shop ever as a full band, surrounded by a crowd of loving family and friends. I feel like I’ve become repetitive in these blogs talking about loving family and friends in the audiences, but it’s true, we have been blessed to be surrounded at almost every performance by such wonderful folks. So, thank you all a million times for supporting us. If any of you haven’t been to Ithaca, and are considering it, I say do it. It’s a colorful, quaint town, and if you can make it into “The Shop” while you are there, it's worth the effort. According to Andrew, Crow Wing’s resident coffee connoisseur, it’s the best coffee he had all tour. We all had a great caffeinated set there at “The Shop,” where the tempo was maybe a little faster than normal, but luckily Andrew kept an eye on it and slowed the cappuccino pace down whenever necessary.

Thom's kind friends Yamin and Diane opened their doors to us for a delightful night of delicious homemade lasagna and comfortable, much needed Z's (the 2 previous nights consisted of a total of 6 hours of sleep). With the hectic streets of Manhattan awaiting our arrival the next day, Crow Wing was in dire need of more than 4 hours of sleep that night. Thank you, Yamin & Diane, for helping us recharge our minds and spirits within the beautiful confines of your home.

Next time: A Day in the Life of Dave McGraw and Crow Wing

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1 I burped ONCE, and nobody seemed to forget it, so now whenever I am acting up, the boys send me to my burp cage in the back seat. [Editor's note: It was WAY more than once.] That’s where all of this fun blogging occurs from, though, so I guess we're all in the burp cage together...muhaha...