The O-town Scene

Passengers dance while the Horseshoe Lounge Playboys perform July 2. Continued from Page 16 The Music True to its name, the Cooperstown Blues Express mostly presents blues bands. The talent is local and throughout the Northeast _ Binghamton, Albany, Syracuse, Boston, Vermont and New Hampshire. Oc- casionally Fish will book non-blues bands if he thinks the talent is there. (This year’s schedule includes a bluegrass band and also a reggae band.) The Delta Generators are a Boston-based blues band that typically plays in clubs, bars and festivals. When Fish approached the band to play the train, bass player Ryan O’Neal said it “sounded interesting but we didn’t really know what to expect.” Getting to the venue June 25 and setting up, the band was still a bit uncertain about being in such a small town and on such an antiquated train (many of the cars are from the 1920s). As the engine pulled away from the depot and the band found their legs in the sway of the rail cars, the true magic of the experi- ence came through. “All of a sudden everybody just squeezed onto that flatbed car, and for three hours, people were just yell- ing and cheering and drinking and dancing and having Jenny Stockdale and Ryan Laurey pet Blue in the food and booze car of the train. (Blue is the Blues Express owners’ dog.) a party,” O’Neal said. “It was just the best time.” The Delta Generators will perform again on the Blues Express on Sept. 3. Brian Potenziano is a blues harmonica player and singer with the Parlor Cats of Binghamton, an annual Blues Express act that performed May 28 this year. “It truly is the coolest gig that we play,” he said. “It’s a rolling party.” Fish has observed that many bands will bring their own following of fans, but just as many passengers on the Blues Express have no idea who the band will be. These passengers just trust that the experience will be a good time and seem to enjoy themselves, whoever the band is. “Put a quality band in front of them and they’ll be happier than hell,” Fish said. The Crowd Passengers on the train are all 21 years of age or older, and typically come in groups. The only other factor that customers have in common is a willing- ness to shell out the $18 ticket price. “The price helps eliminate most of the nonsense,” said Fish, who notes that people willing to pay for the ticket are more in- Riders in the gondola look down the train. terested in having fun than starting trouble. Overall, the mood on the train can generally be characterized as loose and relaxed, getting a little wild by night’s end. Anywhere from 60 to 150 people will typically attend a Blues Express event. Fish has seen a recent trend in “Jack and Jill” wedding parties, but this carries over to a general attitude of “any guy can dance with any girl and any girl can dance with any guy.” “It’s a unique, adult good time,” said Steven Doyle, a hairdresser from Oneonta who rides the train several times a summer, often bringing guests. “They all say they wish they had something like it where they live.” Doyle also said he appreciates the sense of camarade- rie between passengers. Being captive for the three- hour ride is definitely a part of creating the experi- ence. Unlike a bar, where customers may not interact much with one another and can leave at any time, passengers on the train are committed for the evening. Potenziano of the Parlor Cats put it this way: “It’s like a party at your Uncle’s house, only everyone gets along.” For a schedule of upcoming events, visit www.cooperstownbluesexpress.com July 21, 2011 O-Town Scene 17

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