Tour Recap: West Kingston, Rhode Island
Gorgeous, humbling views of the ocean, giant trolls in the wilderness, and my first outdoor show of the run.
I left Kingston on a hot Thursday morning and pointed my car eastward towards the smallest state in the union, Rhode Island. My friends Jennifer and Patrick from the now defunct Chicago band El Gato Roboto had been kind enough to arrange a brewery show for the evening at a place they’re regulars. Patrick and Jennifer had relocated back to Patrick’s native Rhode Island in 2022. Sadly, by the day of my arrival, Patrick was off to visit a dying family friend and was already out of town when I landed in Kingstown.
I arrived at their townhouse in the late morning and I packed my luggage into the guest room and then Jennifer and I got a chance to catch up and plan the day. Jennifer played an amazing solo host. She suggested we start with lunch at a local roadside stand famous fro its chicken sandwiches. From there, we were of to Ninigret Park in search of the giant wooden trolls.
The trolls were recently designed and built by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. The work was completed with the help of a large cast of volunteers. The massive statues are more than 16’ feet high and feature intricate details all made form natural materials. Dambo claims the trolls are a way to connect us back with the beauty and majesty of nature.
Its hard not to be taken in by the size and charm of these structures. They are massive and almost intimidating to stand in front of, but they’re so playful it is a feeling of massive awe rather than fear. The details on the braid of the female troll are just one example of the intricate beauty of these sculptures.
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Although we were just a few miles inland from the Atlantic, it was a hot summer day in Ninigret Park. Jennifer and I strolled through the wooded area that makes up much of the park and enjoyed the natural serenity despite the heat. Eventually, we made our way back to the car and headed out to Black Point to walk amongst the tide pools and stand at the edge of America.
The natural rock formations at Black Point roll out beautifully into the Atlantic surf. The area that Jennifer directed us to is an isolated stretch of coastline without the chaotic crush of beachgoers and vacationing families. As I walked for a while amongst the tide pools, I was reminded of how our great evolutionary adventure began in such modest spots.
Standing at the edge of the ocean is a calming and humbling experience for me. I feel a sense of connection with the natural world that slows my heart rate down and calms my nerves. There is something primal about being next to the water. Perhaps it is innate human evolution, or it’s just the history of a boy who grew up surrounded by the Great Lakes. After a deeply enjoyable stroll along the coast it was time to head back to the venue and get set up for the evening’s performance.
Jennifer had me drive the scenic route back to the townhouse and then eventually the venue. We drove through the area along Naraganset beach and watched the tourists play in the sun and surf. I also got to spy the famed Naraganset Towers that lot over the roadway along the coast.
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We arrived at Shaidzon (Shades On) Brewing with about an hour before my first set was scheduled to begin. Jennifer helped me load my gear into the beer garden area behind the brewery and I picked out a shady spot to spend the set and got my truck in order.
As I was finishing the setup process, I got a visit from an old friend, Nicole who used to work with me at my former career. Nicole worked at the class ring plant in nearby Warwick, RI and had brought her whole family out for the evening. We gave each other a huge hug and Nicole gave me a set of handmade earrings for Kimmy and a small painting for my sheddio. It was incredibly thoughtful.
Although that job eventually made me sick enough that I had to step away, I was always grateful for the wonderful folks like Nicole that I got the pleasure to know. Now she was here to see me play and neither of us worked on the old toxic environment we had once been forced to work inside. As I finished getting my stage setup in order, Nicole and I chatted at length about our lives. A few minutes later, her husband Al arrived and he and I hit it off right away.
As we approached our relatively early start time of 5:30, I grabbed myself a beer and tidied up the two sets I’d be playing over the evening. I have worked hard to keep the sets different every night. Although the core of the songs remains the same form evening to evening, I am always changing up the sequencing of songs and sliding in at least one or two new songs in each set. With nights like the two set timeline at Shaidzon, I have some room to stretch my legs and play the occasional deep cut or obscure cover I haven’t touched in a while.
My sets at Shaidzon felt like walking on air, to be honest. There was a lovely breeze and in the cool of the shade, the beer garden was absolutely delightful as far as temp was concerned.
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Often at these brewery shows it can be a challenging environment to really dig into the storytelling part of my show. The stories that I share with these songs about my life and where the songs come from is hugely important to me and has become a critical way for me to connect with these audiences. At Shaidzon, I was treated to a generous, engaged and sizable crowd for the run of the evening.
After each set, several folks made it a point to come up and leave tips and offer compliments. Surprisingly, even in that environment, the stories were talked about as much as my songs. It felt so good to connect with an audience comprised mostly of strangers who had stumbled into my show.
Nicole and her family helped me load out and I bade them goodbye with another round of boisterous hugs. It will not be my last visit to hang with the McHale clan in Rhode Island. Jennifer and I headed back to the house for a late meal and some much needed rest.
Jennifer threw together a beautiful meal of shrimp tacos, slaw, black beans, and rice for our dinner. We chatted about the show, the day we had enjoyed and how much she and Patrick were enjoying the east coast since moving from Chicago a couple of years ago. I managed to swallow down a taco and half before calling myself stuffed. After a bit more interesting discussion, I made my way to an early bed.
In the morning, Jennifer chatted about philosophy, the afterlife, and the nature of human energy over coffee. It was heady stuff, but even right out of the day’s first light I love to talk about the rally important shit. It’s really all I want to make time for anymore.
I gave Jennifer a big hug and thanked her profusely for her kindness, friendship, and hospitality. She wished me safe travels and I tossed my last bag in the car and headed down the road to Baltimore. Oh man, what a drive that would turn out to be.
Cheers,
Matty C
Looks terrific, Matty. Must be nice to have friends all over the country.