DAY 36 - After my show last night I headed down to Santa Barbara (home of the mighty UCSB Gauchos) to scout out some new venues to play at. This town makes things pretty easy, because everything is one one jam-packed user-friendly street: STATE ST.

After a late dinner with my buddy Alan, we took a walk around all the big live music venues, and stopped into the ones that looked appealing. Inside of an hour, I had 3 venues selected, with business cards of each of the owners/booking agents.

The first was a little coffee shop that seemed very mellow but upscale called Northstar Coffee Company. Second was a more rock venue that’s pretty famous for its high energy acts called Velvet Jones. Finally, we happened into a little acoustic lounge called “Rocks” where I instantly felt at home. They were hosting a showcase of several artists from L.A. and offered to let us in — just as soon as we paid the $7 cover.

(Hey, I’m nobody special yet. But I bet Beyoncé would have gotten in free.)

We were just scouting locations for a fall mini-tour, and after chatting with Justin (the Rocks promoter) were ready to leave. But something told me to stop in and check out what the little girl singing on stage with the big guitar was up to. She turned out to be a very talented up-and-comer named Amy Kuney.

Ignoring the obnoxious drunk birthday girls in the back booth, we stood and listened for the remainder of her set, pleasantly surprised at what we heard. She had a sensibility and a sophistication that I don’t see very often among young songwriters. Her last tune, “Breaking Bad Habits” stuck with me for the rest of the night. (I still can’t get that hook out of my head.)

Ironically enough, she’s playing tomorrow night in Redondo Beach like 3 miles from my house. I’ll be sure to check her out. Hope 2 nights in a row isn’t too weird. (How soon is too soon to be a groupie?)

Next up was a John Mayer-esque guitar-slinging surfer by the name of Tim Fagan. Very skilled player and I enjoyed his set very much. BTW, if you ever see Tim live, ask him to play “Blame it on the Rain,” by Milli Vinilli. Superb.

Needless to say, I was amazed by both artists. They had me nodding right along as if I had been a fan for years.

All in all, I made some great new contacts, including a veteran music producer (and world record pinball champ) Mandi Martin.  She seems very friendly and down-to-earth.  Someone I’d love to work with one day.

Who knows, maybe the $7 cover charge will be the golden ticket that changes everything…