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Coffee Shop Country: A History...



 Above: Oh, dear, please don't call my music "Pop Rock".


I started eagerly pursuing doing the coffeehouse gigs in about 2004, when I first played at the Mudhouse in Charlottesville, Virginia. That was one of the mainstays for me. It was on the downtown mall, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the main shops . The staff was always friendly to me. One time, when I parked my car in one of those "tourist traps", I got my car towed away and they held it for ransom. I had no cash on me, so the girl who worked at the shop and her boyfriend helped me get to an ATM machine so I could withdraw some cash!  It was very of nice of them to do. So, after all, I did pay for my parking ticket, but I forgot to leave the receipt on the car. Oh, well, lesson learned. That event inspired "One More Latte In Love"..

The Mudhouse also had a location in Crozet, Virginia, as well. I would play there too- although the vibe wasn't as "quaint" as the one on the Downtown Mall. It was a bit bigger. After playing the coffee houses, I did get invited to bigger venues. I was discovered by some bands around the Shenandoah Valley, and got some performances up there too. My favorite memories though ,  are of these small little intimate venues. They drew a nice crowd. I didn't always get paid, but I sometimes got heaps of tip in my tip jar. I sort of zig zagged over the years from Northern Virginia to North Carolina and hitting many of the coffee shops in between. Some times I would just be "background" music, and other times, I was the main attraction! The music I do is Country with Keyboards, and somehow it fits.  Some of my most repeated performances were at places such as Borjo Coffee, In Norfolk,   Open Eye Cafe in Carborro, NC,  St Elmo's in Alexandria, Virginia, and my most favorite little  spot : Market Street Coffee in the Purcellville, Virginia- now what is becoming a small college town of it's own.  Here are some photos from coffeehouse gigs past:

Market Street Coffee- Purcellville, Virginia. My all time favorite coffee shop in Nova. It's like playing in some one's living room.



Espresso Cafe- Winchester, Virginia (this place was a bit snooty!)

 Borjo Coffee-Norfolk, Virginia. The staff always loved it when I would sing "Sweet Tea"


The Mudhouse- Crozet, Virginia location.

A suitcase full of records at Royal Bean Coffee in Raleigh, NC (now defunct)





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