Jac with No K rocks Forest and Main (5 April 2019)

I wish Friday’s weather was nicer. Chilly and rainy, but that did not stop me from traveling to Ambler to see Jac with No K. Although the weather was crummy, I still found joy in the journey to Ambler.

I decided to take the train to Norristown, then the high speed line to Gulph Mills to catch the 95 to Willow Grove. I could have hopped off at Conshohocken, but I wasn’t sure how far Stoddard Ave was from the train and I wasn’t sure if it had a shelter. Gulph Mills has a shelter. It was a light drizzle as I waited for the bus and as I stood in the shelter waiting for the bus, I started talking to an older gentleman that was getting ready to go to work at the Inquirer. We continued our chatting on this bus; he was nice to chat with and I was asking him journalism questions. He answered them. When he hopped off, ten minutes later, I thanked him for his time and that it was nice to chat. He said, “I was going to say the same thing to you. Have a great evening and enjoy your show.”

I put my iPod on and looked out the window. I love window watching and I learned that Stoddard Ave is right next to the train station, and it’s under the bridge. Next time! Next time when I see Jac with No K, I’m hoping it’s sunny so that I can walk to Conshohocken. Anyway, once we passed Plymouth Meeting, I was familiar with the area leading into Ambler. Ambler is a really nice town; small and quiet. Before I hopped off the bus, the driver was helpful and pointed me in the general direction of Forest and Main. Once I hopped off the bus, two young women I ran into showed me where it was. It was only a three minute walk from the bus stop.

Forest and Main was beautiful. A cherry blossom stood in front of the pub house and this is where I wish it was sunnier; the dreary weather didn’t do justice to its beauty. I had to stop and take a few photos, naturally.

After I was finished with being a shutterbug, I crossed the street and walked up the stairs to Forest and Main. When I opened the door and walked through the frame, I was greeted by warmth from the building and friendly staff. A young lady greeted me and I asked her about the gluten-free menu. She pointed it out and I told her I was seeing the band tonight. They have a different menu and she had to ask if the GF menu was available in the new space. She asked and there wasn’t, I had to order in the main building and carry the food over. The hostess wasn’t too familiar with GF, but the bartender who waited on me was since her old roomie had Celiac disease. She was really helpful, I ended up ordering a burger without the bun and bacon mayo, and a side of greens instead of French fries. I loved sitting at the bar for twenty minutes as my food cooked. I loved the decor and the bartender was chatty. It was a pleasant twenty minutes.

As soon as my food, packaged carefully, arrived, I thanked her and walked over to the new space. The new space was just as nice and warm: both with the atmosphere and people. I wanted to sit near the front and a young family was sitting at one of the tables. I asked the dad if I could sit with them and they enthusiastically welcomed me to their table. Their children were nervous at first, but as soon as I started chatting with their mom and dad, they saw I was friendly and both the little girl and little boy opened up to me. They come every week and see the first half of performances. The children were no older than 8. They loved how Forest and Main was family friendly. I told them about Jac with No K and explained the story to them.

When they left at intermission, the mom who introduced herself as Jennifer, said they were awesome and really enjoyed their music. I wished them all a great evening and weekend.

Jac with No K was awesome. Since I was sitting close, Jac recognized me and gave me a big smile. I loved how they played a mix of covers and their original music. Their original music is well written and composed. I was tapping my feet and bopping along. I loved the covers they played and was singing and grooving along. I want to share some videos and cell-phone photos with you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the show ended, I went up to Jac. A lot of hugs were given. 😊 He introduced me to his bandmates and they asked how he knew me. He excitedly said, “she was my Lyft passenger last month, I gave her a CD and she mentioned that she would come see us sometime.” They each shook my hand and we all chatted for a bit. They agreed to a photo, and Jac agreed to a photo with just me and him. I chatted with just Jac for a bit and he gave me a set list. I put the set list and the photo with him in my Happiness Box.

I took Lyft home and chatted with the driver. I told him about the story and he had the same surprise in his voice as the band mates. The driver just said, “wow, that’s awesome. You never hear stories like that. Most just go on with their lives and that’s it, but that’s really awesome. You never know who you meet and it sounds like it was a lot of fun.”

I know Uber and Lyft have been getting a lot of heat lately, but I have no complaints about Lyft. I’ve always had awesome driver’s for the most part. In fact, one Lyft driver I had a few months ago is a photographer and we exchanged Instagram accounts. I like to read and I tend to notice things when I get into cars. Jac had a band poster, the photographer had some business cards. I inquired about each and we ended up chatting about what they love, which in turn is what I also love. The photographer and I follow one another and it turns out he knows my friend who is a professional photographer. It really is a small world.

Jac with No plays Forest and Main next month, I’ll go back again and support. One of the many reasons why I love riding with Lyft. Also, kindness is amazing and costs nothing to spread it.

I did bring my DSLR camera, but I will admit that the pictures turned out meh. I’m still learning how to shoot in challenging lighting conditions, however, I decided that the photos aren’t going to be sold for professional purposes, they are for me to remember a meaningful night. I ended up putting the camera away and enjoying my evening. I want to share the 28 DSLR photos with you.  https://photos.app.goo.gl/bPcZ7Rp4MC7vKqFx6

I’m thinking of making a mini album or maybe just a page of 4×4 photos that I can add to my 2019 Happiness Box scrapbook next year.