I awoke at my hotel in Jessup, Maryland just after the sun popped above the horizon. I made a single cup of coffee with the machine on the bathroom counter and got ready for the day. After I had showered and dressed, I set to work on some WAIM tasks, most importantly, keeping up with these missives from the road. By 10:00 am, I was ready to hit the road for Baltimore.
I packed up Aretha and began the drive north and set the coordinates for Sophomore Coffee. By just after 11:00, I rolled into the Goucher neighborhood and found a spot on the street to park. I carried my rucksack into the cafe and found a place to sit. I began chatting with the two folks behind the counter, and ordered a cappuccino.
While Kirsty and her co-worker, whose name I now forget, worked on my order, I asked them for tips about what to do in Baltimore. They were incredibly kind and helpful, suggesting the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Hampden neighborhood and a few other spots that I might want to check out. As I sat sipping my coffee and writing, I got a message from my friend Scott Vieth inviting me to come by the house once I’d arrived in town.
Scott was a guest on the WAIM podcast a while back. He and his wife, Jean run the legendary Club 603 house show venue out of their home in Baltimore. Scott and Jean have hosted more than 200 shows with living room performances by Luna, Alejandro Escovedo, Craig Finn, The Bottle Rockets, Rhett Miller, Pedro The Lion, and a slew of others. I worked for another 45 minutes or so, slowly savoring my large cappuccino. After I had finished a tour diary entry and tightened up some email, I made my over to the Club 603 to visit the Vieths and snag a bite of lunch.
The neighborhood where Club 603 is located is a gorgeous old section of Baltimore filled with beautiful homes for the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Vieth’s place is a beautiful play on the American Craftsman style, with recent improvements and additions done by Scott and Jean who are both recently retired architects. I parked Aretha right out front of the house as Scott was coming out to say hello. He greeted me with a big hug and welcomed me in.
Scott introduced me to Jean and they gave me the grand tour of Club 603. To begin the tour, Scott took me upstairs to the third floor where I would find the guest room and the green room for show nights. I dropped my bags in the corner of the guest room and we continued the tour down to the second floor, and eventually to the first floor where Jean and Scott have a huge living room in which the shows are staged.
Next, Scott gave me the tour of The Liquor Cabinet Of Extraordinary Treasures, a closet in the side of the dining room, stocked with dozens of bottles of bourbon, rye, gin, vodka, and more. Much of the inventory comes from show attendees who bring a bottle to share and leave it behind after the show. Some of the bottles have even been gifts from fans and artists who have played there.
Although it was barely 1:00 pm, Scott poured us each a Manhattan and we retired back to the living room to chat. Jean and Scott talked with me about their career paths, their sons, and their extensive travel. And of course, we talked about music and house shows. Scott shared some of his upcoming gigs, and gave me a peek behind the curtain at a few of the big names he is still working to get into 603. Cocktail hour at the Vieths flew by and before we knew it, it was time to head over to the venue for load-in and a pre-show meal.
I pulled into the small parking lot next to Waverly Brewing and began loading in. I opened the door to find that Andrew Grimm, a Baltimore singer and songwriter known for his band June Star, setting up the PA. I introduced myself and helped Andrew carry in a bit more gear. Scott and Jean both helped me bring in a few things. I arranged my merch a bit and chatted with Andrew before we headed around the corner to the Blue Pit BBQ.
Although I normally do not like to load up on food before a set, I am also a sucker for barbecue. I ordered the two meat plate meal, and opted for the brisket, two St.Louis ribs, baked beans, and mac and cheese. I ate slowly, making sure to leave half the meal behind for take home so as not to stuff myself.
By the time we had returned from dinner, Andrew had the PA set up and ready to go. The evening’s other two performers, Brian K. Pagels and Kurt Deemer had also arrived. Brian, a DC based singer/songwriter, had not only been kind enough to catch my show on Wednesday night in Falls Church, he had been integral to making that show happen. I thanked Brian again for his help with the gig, and told him how much I appreciated his making it to the show.
At 6:30, Andrew Grimm kicked things off with a half hour of superb songs. Andrew possesses a towering, dynamic voice that he harnesses to bring a deep ache to many of his songs. Grimm is not a performer phoning it in. I was entranced by his delicate, almost quiet presentation that centered around a lightly strummed guitar and the haunting hum of his voice.
After Andrew finished up, I breezed through 35 minutes of my own songs and stories, feeling fantastic about my performance and the crowd’s reaction. Feeling emboldened, I decided to try an impromptu cover of Gram Parson’s ‘Streets Of Baltimore’, but couldn't manage to get the lyrics in the right order. After that failed attempt, I tried to play ‘This Year’ by The Mountain Goats and was now so anxious about remembering the words that my mind just went blank.
Under normal circumstances, I would have been mortified at this performance. In Baltimore, it felt like I was playing a house concert. The vibes were loose, the patrons were enthusiastic and supportive, and they were very kind in my moment of defeat. The brewery owner Mel, a genuinely lovable soul, poured me a Kolsch and told me, “I’ve lived here my whole and I can’t always remember all of the words to ‘Streets of Baltimore’ either.”
Brian took the stage next, impressing the room with his fantastic original songs, including several that will be on his brand new album scheduled for release this October. Kurt Deemer closed the night with another set of excellent original tunes, and a pair of well chosen covers. Watching those three performers cemented for me how much terrific original music is being written and recorded right now. Anyone who tells you that there is no good new music is simply a liar or a fool.
Scott, Jean, and I made our way back to the house followed by a pair of friends, Brennan and Michelle, who are also regular attendees at Club 603 shows. Over a couple of cocktails we talked about music, the vibe at the 603 on show nights, as well as the current political hellscape we currently find ourselves mired in.
There were also lots of questions about my tour. They asked reasonable questions, like how things were going? How did you set up all of these gigs in a row? Can you make any money?
I was happy to give them the straight dope on touring at my level. I explained how much work goes into booking and planning the tours. We discussed how much of the income for touring musicians now comes from merch sales, often even more so than ticket sales themselves. I also broke down the costs involved in playing at a club versus a house concert, where the host gives all of the money to the musicians. For example, just between my shows in Durham and in Falls Church, there were close to $400 in expenses to venues and promoters. If those shows had been house concerts, that would be $400 more in the pockets of the people who played. I do not want to besmirch any venues. I know these venues and bars are businesses with costs to cover, but if I have the option of a house concert versus a club show with room fee, I am taking the house concert every time. I simply cannot leave that money on the table.
What Scott and Jean Veith are doing is an incredible service to the music community at large. They have created a curated space that offers a rare opportunity to see some of the best artists in the country playing in a 50 seat room. The Veiths have also developed a template for other would be hosts to follow. And while they are not the only folks hosting shows like this, they are leading providing a shining example for others to follow. I can only hope that others will pick up the torch and carry it to other cities across the country.
Michell and Brennan finished their cocktails and made their way out the door for home. Absolutely beat, but glowing from a beautiful night with new friends, I made my way to the third floor where I collapsed into bed. As I drifted off, my brain ran through ‘Streets Of Baltimore’ remembering every damned word. Curses!
I got up just after 9:00 and made my way downstairs where Scott and Jean were already chilling in the living room with coffee at the ready. Scott poured me a cup and we laughed and chatted about the events of the prior evening. Jean showed me some beautiful metal prints of photos that she had taken on safari in East Africa. My mother and I are hoping to make an East Africa trip this coming winter, so I pelted them with myriad questions about their time in Tanzania, and Zanzibar.
The morning hours churned away quickly. At about noon, we headed over to the Golden West Diner, a favorite spot of the Vieth’s. Once we had been seated seated, I ordered the fish tacos and a Coke, and the travel talk continued. More than stuffed after my lunch, we hopped back in Scott’s car for me to pack up my gear and hit the road.
Before I made my departure, Scott gave me a virtual basket of gifts. He pulled out the Club 603 merch box and offered me stickers, a coffee mug, and a hat. He also generously gave me a hand silk-screened poster that had been done for Luna’s three night residency at Club 603. Not only was the print gorgeous, it had been signed by the band. I rolled it up and dropped it in a protective mailing tube to keep it form being ruined inside Aretha on the rest of the tour.
Finally, it was time for me to say my goodbyes. I hugged Jean and Scott and thanked them both profusely for their generosity and hospitality. Once again I found myself amazed at the network of remarkable folks that I have built around the country. It is a ragged nation of devoted music fans and kind souls, and I am forever grateful for it.
I made my way out to Aretha and stuffed all of my gear, and my freshly acquired souvenirs inside. I thanked Scott and Jean one last time and set the coordinates for Animated Brewing in Coatesville, PA, just outside of Philly.
Cheers,
Matty C
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