After the wonderful reactions that David received (not to mention the awesome vibes that he was receiving from the crowd,) David took the FlipVideo cam and stopped to interview a couple of Biggby Coffee Madison Heights baristas (and a regular customer…who is quite essential in getting the Biggby Coffee Madison Heights Open Mic up and running.)

Alex, one of the baristas, also talks about the positive vibes and personality of Biggby Bob (don’t worry.  All of what he said is good.  Again, MANY thanks @BiggbyBob.)  ;D

Per Beth Ann’s request, David Kav performs “Muse.”

“Muse” is available on his current album “Better You Here Than Alone,” now on sale at iTunes:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/better-you-here-than-alone/id291760247

& at CD Baby:  www.cdbaby.com/cd/davidkav2

And now…a surprise for the Writing The Rails team/audience.

The powerhouse vocals of Beth Ann Barbieri.

You can find her on Facebook.  Her Twitter handle is @bethannbarbieri

A previously unreleased song which was inspired by Writing The Rails, overall, in its infancy.

The song was originally recorded and sung with Courtney Freed.  David sings this by myself for WTR: Detroit and for the Open Mic crowd at Biggby Coffee Madison Heights.

David Kav started out with the original song “This Is My Surrender” during his late afternoon show at Biggby Coffee in Madison Heights, Michigan

TIMS is one of the songs off of his current release, “Better You Here Than Alone” - available at CD Baby and iTunes.

It is amazing as to what faith from friends and family can do for a person - especially when said person is really “down in the mouth.”  A support system can pick someone up when their down, give them that extra kick or just reinforce what he/she already knows:  The only way failure is achieved is through inaction.

“Take the first step.  You don’t have to see the whole staircase.  Just take the first step.”  - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Started my day at the Motel 6 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Had a LOT of difficulty getting up out of bed.  However, finally did so (at the last minute, of course,) took a shower, got out in the knick of time (before the check-out time of Noon,) called a cab, hauled ass and made it to the train station with, at least, 20 minutes before the Eastbound train would arrive.

On the train, I was really nervous.  Why?  I was on this tour by myself for the first couple of days.  Even though I was nervous about taking the tour on my own in the beginning, I was starting to like the taste of the solitude.  So, with Beth Ann and her parents in the mix (along with the humility to be had of having them pick me up and drop me off at various places for the rest of the weekend and to have them take me into their own home,) I was uneasy as to how the rest of the tour would inevitably change once I got off of the train at Royal Oak.

I had my compelling moments while passing through Detroit (see the Detroit [unedited vid.])  I stepped through the uncertainty.  I got off of the train and muddled through the crowd.

I saw her smile.  I had forgotten what the problem was.  What problem?

Her mother and father were in the car.  I was last in Michigan with the fam for Thanksgiving weekend.  With the emotional roller coaster of the Holiday season long and gone, there was no stress to be had.  Notwithstanding, it felt as if we never skipped a beat.  At one point, I had to remind them (and myself,) “funny.  I’m still on tour.”  Never missed a beat there, either, since they dropped me off at the Madison Heights Biggby Coffee in more than enough time.

Played a set from 4 pm to 6 pm.  Same-ish feel from yesterday’s Ann Arbor store.  With the exception that I got more of a reaction from the people today (i.e. I got SOME reactions from the people today…and SOME TIPS.  Let me reiterate from the Ann Arbor trip, I got NOTHING yesterday besides the CD sales from Hasan at Famous Hamburger.)  I know I got more than $10 for 2 hours.  Ok, I thought.  Progress, right?  THAT’S what counts.  :)

As soon as I finish my first set, Daniel Bora (Biggby Coffee Madison Heights store manager,) came in.  I talked with him for a bit.  Very warm, very friendly.  I was digging the snowballing of the positive momentum at that point.

In talking about the host of the Open Mic, the Devil did appear…along with his wife (that is, if the Devil were an older, hippie-like, mellow type of guy.)  We introduced ourselves, talked up a bit as to how, when, and where I can sell my merchandise.  Once that was settled, I hauled ass and moved my stuff to an unimposing area of the coffee shop.

So, the PA was set-up, the Sign-Up list was set out, the musicians came in, the energy was picking up in leaps and bounds in the best kind of way.

Beth Ann was a sweetheart and helped with video, with marketing for tomorrow’s show at The Belmont (which I still need MAJOR help in packing the place with 30+ people.  So, PLEASE spread the word,) and with the social networking needed for Writing The Rails.  I am forever grateful.  As we both assessed at the end of the night, the teamwork and the camaraderie between us and the others in the room helped tremendously.

Before Biggby Coffee in Madison Heights, Writing The Rails collected $20 for Friendship Circle.  After tonight’s Open Mic at Biggby Coffee in Madison Heights, MI, Writing The Rails collected $118 in CD sales and in merch/tips.

Talk about night and day.  Night and day, indeed.

So, after the video uploads, I am going to pass out at around 5 am this evening/morning.  Then, I do it all over again at the Biggby Coffee in Allen Park this afternoon at 4 pm-ish followed by the Main Show at The Belmont.

Until next time…

Peace, love, music, laughter and life,
David Kav

David is too compelled to not film what he observes as the train passes Detroit proper and makes its way into Royal Oak.  David reveals what he has (and what he is) learned/learning from touring through Writing The Rails thus far.

Another day, another adventure.

D Kav departs from his room at the Motel 6 in Ann Arbor, Michigan and sets off, once again, onto the Amtrak.  This time => Royal Oak is the destination for his show at Biggby Coffee in Madison Heights, Michigan.

This song, “(Would You) Grant Me Mercy?” was written during Writing The Rails: Memphis.  This was recorded in the home of Rich Varnon - guitarist of the group Radio Flyer.  Rich Varnon plays lead guitar.  It was truly an honor to have him featured on this track (Rich, thanks so much for taking TLC and me into your home in December 2009…and for your help.  Many congrats on your forthcoming child as well.  ;D)

‘Ello, world!

Funny considering that the accent that I have chosen does not fit this area at all.  Well, it’s funny to me (in the least.  Could be the sleep deprivation.  But, I digress.)

I sit in a Motel 6 in Ann Arbor after an eventful day.  The video posts can and do show this.  However, remembering the old blogs that Theresa Carter (The Local Tourist) and I posted during WTR: Memphis, I felt that the tour wasn’t (or wouldn’t be) complete if I didn’t post some sort of blog (notwithstanding the fact that I didn’t write one last night due to very limited Internet access.)

Train was smooth after it arrived at the Kalamazoo station 30 minutes late.  Regardless, the attendant at the KZoo station was very polite in answering the same question over and over again, “I was just curious…” “Where is our train?”  ”Do you know …?”

Got out once the Amtrak hit Ann Arbor.  Walked the 1.5 miles to Biggby Coffee on Plymouth Rd.  A LOT of inspiration for video and music came to me on said walk.  I am going to attempt to put lyrics/music to said song in the music written at Plymouth Park (I feel that there may be another song in me.  We’ll see what happens.)

Biggby Coffee - very low traffic.  Jessi, the barista/shift lead, was very polite.  She seemed to like the tunes as well.  Hasan, the manager at Famous Hamburger (right next door to Biggby) is a percussionist.  Upon many tangents and YouTube searches of various African, Arabian and Spanish artists/music (all which were very good and very inspirational, btw,) he came during a “break” and listened to “Bone-Dry Boulevard,” (the Live vid posted from Day 2 of WTR: Detroit.)  He bought a couple of D Kav CDs.  So, I made the first $20 for Friendship Circle as of today.

Jessi even stated that the end of the night was slow even for her standards.  Truth be told - a bit disappointed, I am (and like Yoda, David speaks…or thinks…since he’s actually not saying these words out loud as he types this…for a change.)  However, I’m not worried.  I KNOW that there is a reason, a rhyme, a song and overall, progress that is being had from all of this.  I knew when I was sitting at Matilda’s with The Local Tourist and Leah Jones that I needed to come out this weekend to execute WTR: Detroit (that postponing or rescheduling did not feel right to me.) Leah told me before we had the Final WTR: Detroit meeting, “I want you to go to see that you can do [WTR: Detroit] by yourself.”  She gave me a DM this morning that stated (for the most part:) “I told you so.”  Leah, you were more right as I went along off of the train from Ann Arbor.

I can tell on myself further that I had the opportunity to wait for my g/f and her father to pick me up from Ann Arbor since they are currently driving back to Sterling Heights (Beth Ann is going back home for the weekend for a couple of b-day parties in Michigan.  HUGE, HUGE coincidence.  I did NOT plan WTR: Detroit around this.  You can ask Anyone on the WTR crew?  Leah?  Theresa?  Witness, please?)  In my gut, I felt that if I went back with them this evening, I would not have had the time necessary to reflect and to digest the events from the past two days.  I also felt that I would be stifled to create the song (or songs) that need to be finished AND created this evening.  I feel that Writing The Rails would lose its vision completely if I didn’t stay the course for, at least, half of the trip (since I will be going back to Chicago with Beth Ann at the end.  A HUGE help since my funds were extremely limited at the genesis of this journey.)

Judgment to be passed on me?  I don’t know.  If I have anything to say about it, I don’t think so.  I do believe that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

I thought about this on my walk to Biggby this afternoon, “did Bono know that he was going to become Bono when he started out?  All he knew was the passion that he was born with and that he had when he started out as a teenager in war-torn Ireland back in the 1970s.  Self-proclaimed megalomaniac?  Sure.  However, he was a poet that became a rock superstar.  Being Bono isn’t (and can not be) the end all/know all.  So, why do I want that so bad?  I’m NOT Bono…nor should I ever be.”

You may laugh at the above paragraph.  However, the more I let go of my rock star dream and just follow my gut (despite the fears of my peers, friends and family around me,) the more the magic unfolds in my path.  My fingers are still balled up into a fist around my dream.  However, the grip is loosening more and more each day.  One day at a time.  One step at a time.

Wow.  Did NOT think all of THAT was going to come out into this passage.  I’ll sign off now before I sound more preachy than I already might.

Thanks for reading…and for all of your support thus far.  G’night!

D Kav