Before driving to West Virginia for the worst gig of the tour (more explanation to follow), our day began as a wonderfully rejuvenating respite from the road. Jess from 'Duke Junior' (see previous post) joined us for breakfast at the local co-op restaurant 'Casa Neuva' in downtown Athens. Having dined at the 'Casa' on our last visit to Athens, we knew to expect a delicious meal and coffee with somewhat absent minded service courtesy of their volunteers. I had a Deluxe Scrambler with eggs, black-bean salsa, lots of fresh vegetables, another mild salsa, and a side of home fries. My cup of dark roast coffee provided the caffeine and I was ready for another day.
Driving through West Virginia is interesting because unlike Colorado, you do not see the mountains before you start driving in them. Before we knew it, we were crawling and careening up and down some of the steepest, windiest roads I have ever driven on, walled in by enormous, lush trees, and grass covered cliffs protected only by a thin guard rail. Amusingly, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour, but in a weighted down mini-van complete with car top carrier, it is nearly impossible to drive any faster than 30 miles per hour. Clear skies and a dry road kept driving relatively fright free despite the obvious wear on our vehicle.
Our destination was 'The Purple Fiddle', a cafe/music venue/hostel nestled in the tiny, former mining town of Thomas, West Virgina. The authentic, antique vibe inside and outside including posters for tons of upcoming acts immediately removes any reservations one might have. So what if the town only has 400 people? So what if we are coming in out of season? So what if 25 people was considered great attendance for the bell-dancing act the night before?
The food was delicious and free (roast-beef vege wrap with blue corn chips), they have free wifi in the venue, and they were providing us a place to stay just above the venue itself.
As performance time lurked around the corner, it was clear that a crowd was not going to come. In fact, nobody came, save for one person within our final 20 minutes. Needless to say, we ended the show hours early after the employees mentioned they were ready to turn off the lights. We concluded that if 'The Purple Fiddle' were located in virtually any larger town or city, it would be the happening hipster hangout. As it happened, it was a stopping place for hipster travelers and musicians such as ourselves that apparently drew next to no local audience.
After packing up, we watching a thunder-storm roll in through the trees and relaxed, making up for our 'non' gig. An early bed time followed by a morning of sleeping in was certainly the silver lining to a disappointing show.
 |
| Our favorite Athens breakfast hangout 'Casa Neuva' |
 |
| Outside the Purple Fiddle |
 |
| Inside the Purple Fiddle, from the stage |
No comments:
Post a Comment