Ithaca Farewell!

In 1985, with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from UC Santa Cruz, I didn’t know much about Ithaca, and my only experience of the town was riding through it on a bus. I have a memory of looking at funky houses, people who dressed like I did, and the sun shining on the lake.

I had a feeling like I would like it there.

I was looking for a town that had good music, and restaurants and culture. Someplace where it snowed. Someplace I could play my songs in a cafe. Not too big, and not too small.

And on that basis, knowing only one person slightly, I came here, with a dulcimer and a backpack, looking to start a new life. 24 years later I’m leaving with a 14 foot UHaul packed to the rafters, with a friend driving my car.

I spent all of my adult life here (after college.)
Virtually all the songs I’ve ever written and recorded were done here.
My first puppet show was here.
My first girlfriend was here.
I learned how to swing dance here.
I formed a band and met lots of great musicians.

I will miss:
My friends
My yoga teacher - Jessica Rodgers at Soma
My chiropractor - David Cedarbaum
My haircutter - Ellie Jones at Hairy Canary
My songwriter’s group
Treman Park
The walk along the inlet
The Plantations
Greenstar
Wegman’s
The State Theater
Cinemapolis
ABC Cafe (farewell!)
The Commons
The Ithaca Festival (though I might be back for it!)
The Tompkins County Library
Cayuga Lake
The numbers that change on New Year’s Eve at the Ithaca College Towers

The Garbage Monster Video on YouTube

The final Garbage Monster Video!

Tom Knight is moving to Northampton!

You may have heard a rumor about me. It’s true! I’ll be moving from Ithaca, NY to Northampton, MA on August 1st, 2009. Photos from a recent trip.

Why am I moving? I'm still working on the answer to this question. Basically, I feel like I need a change in my life. It will be 24 years in August since I arrived. It's been a great town, but I feel like I've done everything I want to do here. I want to shake up my life, meet new people, write new songs, find new collaborators. I'm already talking to a puppeteer I hope to collaborate with and create an entirely new puppet show.

Why Northampton? Once I started thinking about moving, the question was, where should I go? I love the East Coast - the seasons. I don't want to cut myself off completely from Ithaca by moving very far away.

I looked around Boston, where I have friends and relatives, but didn't really find any place that felt like "home." A good friend suggested I might like Northampton, so I decided to visit. When I got there and walked along the street, I felt my heart racing. It just felt exciting and new, yet familiar. This is a place I want to be!

It's a town full of artists, musicians, students, cafes, theaters, and liberal politics. It seems like there are many like-minded people there. Even though I don’t really know anyone there yet, it feels like I can easily make new friends.

From a career perspective, I think it's a good move because Boston and other cities are close by. I'll have easy access to new performing venues.

I plan to continue doing shows in Ithaca and central New York, since it's only about 5 hours away, but I'll try to put all the shows together in a tour. Some of my Ithaca fans might not even know I've left.

In the meantime, I’ve started booking shows in Northampton, and made some great professional contacts. It seems like no one else in Northampton is doing exactly the kind of thing I do, so I should be a welcome addition to the landscape.

So far, everything has been going incredibly smoothly. The people I've met have been really inspiring, and feel like kindred spirits.

There's a lot I will miss about Ithaca. But I am very excited to try this new adventure. Thanks for your support and encouragement!

Sincerely, Tom Knight