SCENE SCRIBE
By Michael Swanger scenescribe@mchsi.com
Wanted: place to stay after Des Moines show
Lest you think that PJ Bond is a flirt or a thief should he ask if he could crash at your place after his show on Jan. 5 at the Vaudeville Mews, guess again and keep reading.
The 28-year-old, itinerant, Americana artist is more than half way through his “Year of A Thousand Roommates” journey, which he launched April 15. That’s when he moved everything he owned into a friend’s basement in Montclair, N.J., and hit the road with his guitar, a list of friends and boxes of his new album, “You Didn’t Know I Was Alphabetical.” For the New Jersey native who cut his musical teeth on the road, traveling in overcrowded vans with indie-rock bands Outsmarting Simon, Marigold, Communipaw and The Color Fred and performing in dive bars, art spaces, coffeehouses and sweaty basements, his decision to live without a permanent home as a solo artist for a year was a bold, but necessary decision.
“I’ve learned a lot about who I am,” said Bond via telephone from Gainesville, Fla., where he was staying with friends after a concert. “I’ve also learned how to deal with people. It’s easier for me now to walk into a room full of strangers and talk to them.”
Communicating and identifying with the audience is essential when you’re onstage. But being able to gain the audience’s trust offstage is equally important. There are times when a promoter doesn’t offer Bond a hotel room, or he doesn’t know anyone in town to stay with for the night. That’s when he has to be his most convincing with people to avoid having to sleep in his car. After more than 250 nights on the road, Bond is proud that he has not had to resort to that yet.
“The few times I didn’t know somebody in the area I’ve really lucked out,” Bond said. “After touring for eight years, I’ve been lucky to have met tons of amazing people across the country. I’d say more than 50 percent of the time I’m visiting an old friend.”
Then there are nights when Bond admits he has to “suck it up” and find someone at the bar.
“The worst is when you’re sitting there, and nobody is taking the bait,” he said. “The fact of the matter is I’m so appreciative when somebody takes me in. I would never steal from them, and I try to make my existence with them the most positive and least impactful experience I can. I do my own dishes and make sure I don’t leave a mess.”
When Bond rolls into Des Moines next Tuesday, he says he’ll probably be looking for someone to put him up for a night or two. Whoever hosts him will likely become a part of Bond’s book, “Year of a Thousand Roommates,” which he plans to release next year.
After completing his yearlong, nomadic voyage, Bond plans to tour the United Kingdom and Europe, followed by a trip to India to visit his brother before returning to the United States to quickly assemble a band for a festival. And yet, that’s not enough to satisfy Bond’s wanderlust. Next year he hopes to begin his next adventure: city hopping.
“I want to live in cities like Chicago for a month, subletting an apartment, picking up odd jobs and busking,” Bond said. “My goal is to do that for a year or two so when I return to those cities to play, it will be more like a homecoming.”
Though Bond admits he was “born to travel,” he said one day he would like to own a small house with a record player and a bookshelf and divide his time between touring and being at home.
“I’m a 28-year-old man who’s never had what most people would call a proper job,” Bond said. “My goal is to get that house by playing music.” CV
caption: PJ Bond performs an all-ages show Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 5 p.m. at the Vaudeville Mews. Johnny Anderson, The Erased Life, Scott Pennick and Burt Foster open the show. Admission is $5.
