Mike Birbiglia in Boston

Traveled up the the Wilbur Theater last evening to see Mike Birbiglia in concert.

 Not my usual stomping grounds, but a friend from a long-ago mindfulness series, who has remained a connection through the magic of a few common friends and Facebook, had picked up tickets before she realized it was Valentine's Day and her usual concert buddies would be doing coupled things. So she reached out, and I am so glad she did.

Not sure I've ever been to a large venue "comedian" concert - the CT Forum does not quite count, perhaps some comic nights at a bar. In some ways very much like a concert (I could swear I've been to the Wilbur in my youth, maybe to see Pretenders or Cheap Trick or somebody back in the day, although a lot of these halls look the same) in some ways a bit less crazy and loud. Lot of women in the crowd, I think a tribute to Mr. Birbiglia's audience as well as the date.

I got familiar with Mike Birbiglia mostly through This American Life (follow the link for a page of all his contributions), his book and movie Sleepwalk with Me, and the 2009 TAL livecast Return to the Scene of the Crime. Last night, I realized our roots are similar (Catholic school, he grew up in Shrewsbury MA, near my alma mater Worcester Polytechnic Institute). Topics included yoga(!), laties vs. earlies, religion. Mike brought forth a few self-effacing "inappropriate performance" stories, including a Muppet TV show (his first word was a swear), a baseball writer's dinner (he failed to notice the honoree was blind and tried to shake his hand, then got an attitude when the guy ignored him), a christian school (he riffed on Jesus, the socialist Jew, returning, who, as he noted "are not high up on most Christians' list of favorite people")

It was a great evening, although I was not perhaps laughing hysterically, my face hurt from smiling. Opening up form Mr. Birbiglia was comedian Jon Fisch who did a good job, mining the "single guy" thing with funny stories abouttoo many meals at his favorite sushi place, his nieces, his lack of hair.

And so nice to get out of my "rut" - Thea, my friend, is lovely, creative, and engaged in life (singing, art, etc.) - and it was fun to just hang out, chat, ride the "T" in from Riverside, and hit the big(ger) city.

Madame President

I was called to a meeting of my condo association last week, and, as I expected, I was elected president of the association.

Truthfully, it's not that big a deal - we're a small (four unit) building, each of us is an officer, things roll around. Kate, the outgoing president, is moving to a new place in Newington and renting her unit out, the other two owners are an older retired woman who had a mild stroke (she's OK, but not great in the memory department) and a young single guy who is not really that interested. So....it's me.

Not that hard a job really - we have a handful of regular expenses: insurance, water & sewer, a small shared electric service. We have a few regular maintenance tasks - lawn care in the summer (I've been doing it) and snow removal in the winter (seems to be kind of ad hoc at this point). And the seasonal stuff, power washing, trimming trees and bushes, etc.

Along with my responsibilities, I was handed a meticulously balanced checkbook (I have not kept a personal check register in many years), and an antique accordian-fold file (about the size of a microwave oven). My first official duty was to run down to Staples for a plastic file box replacement, some hanging folders, and a PAID stamp (no particular reason, what's the point of being president if you do not get to stamp stuff).

I spent this evening going through the falling apart accordian folder to see what we have. Water and electric bills going back over a decade. Checking account statements for close to 20 years, ranging from Fleet, Bank of America, Webster, and Farmington. 15 years of insurance documents (State Farm and Travelers) including a roof leaking problem in 2006 that was probably ice dam related, and I've thought about it this year as well. Federal tax forms, state of CT incorporation stuff, some old legal documents, and small piles of snowplow, landscape, and maintenance records.

We're not a very progressive association - the condo fees are very low (agreeably so for all concerned) and we're not making a lot of major repairs or upgrades. The bank balance seems healthy. So for now, it's stay the course.

I have some geekery to set up - Kate emailed me a very old and barely useful spreadsheet of expenses / income (I can do much better), she's been keeping the record of condo fee payment in a chart that is one step above crayon. I see in the archives that a past president did an annual budget projection that I'd like to resurrect, and I'd like to send out a periodic condo association letter to keep folks updated.  

I'd love to do some things this summer - trim the trees, create a bricked garbage / recycling can area (presently some plywood on the ground), perhaps repave the parking lot and add a few spaces (presently 6 spaces for four units, I and the guy on the end get one space, would be nice to have two)

I've been coasting for a few years now in terms of "adult responsibilities" - time to step up again! 

Oscar Nominated Shorts - Documentary

I got out to see all three of the "Oscar Nominated Shorts" shows at Real Art Ways this year. Plenty of time to see these before Oscar night.... visit the official Academy Awards site for a list of the films, trailers, and movie websites. I'm putting these in order presented.

CaveDigger / Jeffrey Karoff
Amazing story of a man whose passion is to dig beautiful, artistic caves into the sandstone of New Mexico. Amazing for both his creations and his story (many of his caves were commissions)

Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall / Edgar Barens
A amazingly sensitive portrait of an embattled, alcoholic WWII vet, imprisoned for life for killing the drug dealer who supplied his son (who killed himself as a teenager), during his past days in prison hospice. A very difficult film (more tissues) but quite stunning for it's compassionate portrayal of this man, his estranged but loyal son, and the other prisoners who staff the prison hospice.

Facing Fear / Jason Cohen
Not part of the showing, but here's the trailer.

Karama Has No Walls / Sara Ishaq
Not part of the showing, but here's the trailer. 

The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life / Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
Not part of the showing, here's the trailer. 

  

Oscar Nominated Short Films - Live Action

I got out to see all three of the "Oscar Nominated Shorts" shows at Real Art Ways this year. Plenty of time to see these before Oscar night.... visit the official Academy Awards site for a list of the films, trailers, and movie websites. I'm putting these in order presented.

Helium / Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson


A lovely little story about a sick young boy in hospital, and a story-telling janitor. Helium is the place the janitor makes up when the boy complains that heaven (where folks are telling him he will be going to) sounds boring. Charming, in every way, really creative in both concept and the fictional land of Helium. My vote for the Oscar because I am a sucker for sick kids and a little magic. Also, pass the tissues.

 

The Voorman Problem / Mark Gill and Baldwin Li
Kind of a one note joke / sci-fi kind of thing about a prisoner who may or may not be a God. Why yes, that is Martin Freeman (The Hobbit (Bilbo) / Sherlock (Watson) as the assuredly human protaganist. Was short and amusing, reminded me a little of 2011's "God of Love" (which won) although a much more compact and punchy piece.

Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything) / Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras
A terrifying slice of life as a woman with two older kids attempts to flee her abusive husband, with the aid of her fellow workers and supervisers at a department store. The abuse is hinted at and uncovered slowly, by the end, I was on the edge of my seat. Really powerful stuff that totally communicates the helplessness and terror of a woman and family in that situation.

Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me) / Esteban Crespo
Kids in war zones are good fodder for both documentaries and live action shorts. This one was also terrifying (with good reason) and also a bit of a tear-jerker. Three aid workers travel into a war zone to rescue child soldiers. They come across a band of child soldiers with sobering results. But at the end, perhaps a little redemption. Triggering on a lot of levels, so be warned.

Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?) / Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari
Goofy, swell, funny. A real life family who can't seem to get it together, but end up having a good time together nonetheless. Combine Roseanne with Vicar of Dibley. Loved it.

Oscar Nominated Short Films - Animated

I got out to see all three of the "Oscar Nominated Shorts" shows at Real Art Ways this year. Plenty of time to see these before Oscar night.... visit the official Acadamy Awards site for a list of the films, trailers, and movie websites. And oh yeah, the "hosts" of the show, an animated ostrich and giraffe (Clive and Martin) were hilarious. Perfect transitions between films!

First, the animated shorts:

Feral / Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
Very conceptual, artistic film of a young boy lost among wolves, found and "civilized", and returned to the wold. Lovely, beautiful music, although kind of thin theme.

Get a Horse! / Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
 A Disney feature based on an old Mickey Mouse B/W short, with Mickey's nemesis Peg Leg Pete, wherein the B/W characters breakout into the color, wide screen world, and do battle with those still in the B/W small screen film. Quite cute and clever, although the Disney animation stuff always feels a little too corporate and save for my taste. I saw this before Frozen, in 3D....

Mr. Hublot / Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
A fascinating dystopia / steam and cyberpunk feel to this charming movie. Very creative story-telling, characters (Mr. Hublot seems a little OCD in a charming kind of way), and a highly imagined world. This one is my pick for the Oscar. 

Possessions / Shuhei Morita
Remember when I asked for a Miyazaki-ish snowman in Disney's Frozen?  Well, here it is. A tinkerer / traveler stumbles upon a haunted hut in the woods. Imaginative, colorful, sweet and dark as the same time. I loved it for a lot of reasons, just felt Mr. Hublot was a little more inventive.


Room on the Broom / Max Lang and Jan Lachauer
Highly charming in the vein of (and by the creators of) 2009's The Gruffalo and based on the book of the same name.  It was very sweet, and funny, done in a claymation-ish style. I liked this a lot (the music was a big plus also) but again it seemed (to me) a little too well designed and implemented.

Battery Recycling

I tend to use, accumulate, and collect a lot of batteries.

Part of that is vocation and hobbies:

• I own a case full of mostly battery powered test equipment for my engineering business. 
• I play music semi-professionally, with the need to replace batteries in guitars, foot-pedals, portable recorders. 
• I crew for (and occasionally ride in) hot air balloons, so often burn through a set of AA batteries as I take 30-40 digital photos during a morning flight
• I spend a week each year at a folk festival, and another at a summer camp
• I tend to collect and horde the batteries used a the yoga center (wireless headsets) because I know they are not getting recycled there. 

In addition, I have the usual assortment of consumer battery needs - remote controls, smoke detectors, portable radios, flashlights. I try not to overuse batteries, but they do add up.

And I do *not* want to simply toss them away. In the past I have taken them to Whole Foods, but I get to that store so infrequently (I joke that I almost never go north of New Britain Avenue in West Hartford) and I do not want to bring in 10 pounds of expired batteries.

So looking around the web,  I found this company - Battery Solutions. For a not insignificant price, you can purchase an iRecycle Kit - fill the box (or tub) with batteries, ship it off (pre-paid) and they are out of your hair and presumably not going to a landfill.

I love the business model, although I'd love to see some form of government support or grant money used to fund this (pretty sure most consumers would not choose to internalize the costs of disposing of batteries the way I will, and just throw them out)

One of my pet "make the world a better place" back burner projects is to set up a battery recycling service - placing recycling bins or tubs at likely locations and collecting the batteries periodically, either for free (if there is money to be made from the recycling) or at a nominal cost.

But in the meantime, I'll spread the word about these folks...

Falcon Ridge Merch Trailer Awards

We came up with these categories last year, (mostly) tongue in cheek. File this under "we laugh because otherwise we'd be pulling our hair out" as we spend our vacation time toiling away in the service of folk music.

Most Organized: Some artist just have the merch thing down - packed well, nice display, tee shirts rolled up and sorted by size and type. Even if there's a lot of merch, it's not hard to count in and count out. Tracy Grammer wins this award, most years - she's a pro! The Grand Slambovians (with merch person extraordinaire Cindy) are also in the running.

Optimist Award (Emerging Artist): Every year somebody brings a full case (300+) or CDs when we suggest perhaps 50-100 max. It's not really a fair award (sometimes artists finish up a CD specifically with the fest in mind and have it drop shipped) but it just seems so hopeful. Although every year, some emerging artist brings 10-20 pieces, sells those out in a flash, and could have sold much more.

B.O.T. (Bin o' Tees) Award: Every year, somebody shows up with 5 or 6 plastic tubs filled with tee shirts: unfolded, uncounted, unsorted, random. We end up counting in (by hand) 200-300 shirts, and counting them out after the fest - a huge commitment of time and energy for a small crew. We are (of course) filled with resentment. Last year, if I recall correctly, I spent an afternoon mid-fest rolling and rubber-banding one artist's tees as a form of festival Metta (loving kindness) because I realized I was sending out all sorts of crappy vibes to this particular artist solely on the basis of their merch, and wanted to even out my karma.

Artists we love figure out a way to control tee-shirts. We've seen them rolled and banded with rubber bands or hair ties. We've seen them folded and placed in zip-lock bags. Just something so that we can count them quickly and accurately, and aren't stuck straightening up the mess from your last gig.

Dan Navarro Suitcase Award: We love Dan to pieces, but one year he showed up with a huge soft sided suitcase filled with CDs. It looked as if someone had opened the suitcase at the end of the merch table at his last gig, just swept all the CDs into the suitcase, and closed it up. Everything mixed and  jumbled, he was amused and bemused by it as we were. We tease Dan about it when he brings his smiling face back to merch land (and for the record, it only happened once). Every year somebody shows up with a merch collection that looks like it got packed from across the room with a slingshot, and we flash back to that moment we opened Dan's suitcase and thought "What the what?"

Creative (non-musical) Merch Award: Folks put a logo on just about anything, and we like to recognize that. Spuyten Duyvil is pretty good with this (can cozies, flasks, bottle openers, etc.) - but we've had also had water misters, lighters, frisbees, matches, coasters, you name it.

I'm Special Award: Most often it's someone not appearing or performing at the fest who wheedles their way into the merch tent (I'm pretty watchful, but stuff gets past me, or people go over my head). No, you do not get to sell your CDs in the tent just because you were an emerging artist in 2003 or have been a volunteer since 1995. We have to track, count, carry back and forth to the trailers, and assume liability for stolen merch, and we're only going to do that for performers actually playing the fest. And if you do sneak or wheedle your way into the tent, know that checking you out having sold nothing during the fest kind of makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Karma, bitch!

Dregs Award: Sometimes artists show up with a merch selection that looks like they cleaned out their trunk - one of this, two of that, a handful of another. Kind of get the feeling that bringing merch to sell was kind of an after-thought. And often we're telling people "sorry, that's all she brought to sell" throughout the weekend. You are missing sales!

Display Over-Achiever Award: Some artists really put a lot of thought and effort into their merch displays, with lights, suitcases, racks, posters, etc. Every year we are duly impressed, and note other artists looking on with envy and perhaps planning their own future merchandising.   

Granola Award: Eco friendly packaging or merch. It will be a long time before someone beats Poor Old Shine with their CD cases made from recycled / reused cereal boxes, gleaned from the U-Conn cafeteria. Folks were frantically pawing through the stack of CDs to find a cereal box (inside) that they liked.

Late Arrival Award: Invariably, someone shows up five minutes before their set, throws the merch at us, and runs to the stage. Often patrons have been asking for their stuff all weekend. After their set, the artists run back to the merch tent, intent in checking-out (having sold almost nothing, because their fans were all listening to them play). Artists - we're more than happy to have you ship stuff ahead of time so it's out and available for sale from the festival start, and if you leave early, we're happy to keep a small pile of your stuff all weekend and ship it back after. No need to lose sales....


Merch? What Merch? Award: It's hard to believe but some artists show up without merch. Sometimes it's a national act who just can't be bothered. Sometimes people just forget or do not realize that there are 1000's of music fans here with vacation money waiting to be spent. Their spot in the merch tent (carefully laid out pre-fest) is sadly empty all weekend.

Down to Earth Award: You might be a major celebrity or minor musical god(dess) but you treat the folks in the cheap seats well. Amazing how accessible, real, and human most of the folk performers are, but some really do stand out.There are a couple of well known, national audience folkies who never fail to greet me and give me a hug when I see them at other fests or gigs, that's very sweet.

My People Handle That Award: Conversely, there are some artists / performers you will never see in or near the merch area.  It's just off their radar, they have managers or merch coordinators to do that.

Festival Virgin Award: Every year somebody (emerging artists, but sometimes mains stage or dance stage acts) show up with a wide-eyed "we're not in Kansas, anymore" look at the size and scope of our little fest. We try to make them feel at home and help them find their way around. 

Tootsie Roll Enthusiast Award: Merch trailer all-around good guy Lance brings a big jar of Tootsie Rolls every year (which we try hard to keep the ants out of) and invariably some performer makes a stop in every few hours for a fix. It's quite charming. 

We're in the Band Award: We're generally happy to put out merch for side musicians, solo efforts, but some groups end up with 15-20 titles for side musicians, compilations, side projects, etc. You could stock a small music store....

P.I.T.A. Award: We don't really like giving this one out (and often it's bestowed affectionately). But if an artist returns to the merch area 4-5 times to add or remove merch, changes the prices 3 times, set's up convoluted sales special (buy two CDs and get a tee-shirt free) takes stuff out of the tent without telling anyone, grabs merch to give away while signing, moves their stuff to a better location (we put things out alphabetically), etc. they are in the running.

Putting in Time Award: We once watched an artist (OK, it was Susan Werner) spend 2.5 hours in the signing area, taking time to talk to every fan, putting folks on the guest list for upcoming concerts, handing out free CDs, and not leaving until everybody got seen. Kind of unbelievable and inspiring to watch.  

Falcon Ridge - Most Wanted Artists 2014

Falcon Ridge recently announced the winners of the 2013 Emerging Artist Showcase "Most Wanted" (based on audience survey and appeal), to be featured in the 2014 festival. 

1 - THE BOXCAR LILIES and DARLINGSIDE tied for FIRST place, with over 28% of the votes cast.

2 - ROOSEVELT DIME - garnering exactly 24% of the votes

3 - CONNOR GARVEY - with over 23% and nearly a tie for second place

A tie is less than 1/2 of one percent apart, or 1-3 votes out of several hundred. This year nearly 2000 audience members filled out surveys, 905 of them voted in the showcase portion.

Three of the selected Most Wanted artists are "groups", just one is a solo artist. The festival chooses three Most Wanted artists, but more often than not of late (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013) goes with four if things are close. Can't say I argue much with the choices - although I rarely vote in the audience poll, I voted with my debit card last summer and picked up CDs from Boxcar Lilies, Roosevelt Dime, and Darlingside.

This caused me to ponder whether "groups" (duos, trios, etc.) might have a bit of an advantage in the audience survey (my guess was that they do). And since I am the mistress of the festival merchandise (which gives me no special knowledge or pull, but it does mean I have complete records going back a few years), I decided to do a little audit. Please note that my evaluation of an artist as a solo as compared to a group are based on artist name and memory; some of the "solo artists" may have appeared on stage with side musicians giving them more of a group feel but if they are billed as an individual, that's how they went. 

Here's the record for the past few years:

2007 Most Wanted: Anthony da Costa, Joe Crookston, Lindsay Mac, and Randall Williams
0 of 5 groups made it into the most wanted, 4 of 19 solo artists

2008 Most Wanted: Abi Tapia, Amy Speace, Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers, Lucy Wainwright Roche
1 of 3 groups made it into the most wanted, 3 of 21 solo artists

2009 Most Wanted: chuck e costa, Swing Caravan, The Brilliant Invention
2 of 8 groups made it into the most wanted, 1 of 16 solo artists

2010 Most Wanted: Barnaby Bright, Chris O'Brien, Folkadelics, Spuyten Duyvil
3 of 6 groups made it into the most wanted, 1 of 18 solo artists

2011 Most Wanted: Blair Bodine, ilyAIMY, Louise Mosrie, Pesky J Nixon
2 of 8 groups made it into the most wanted, 2 of 16 solo artists

2012 Most Wanted: Gathering Time, Poor Old Shine, The Yayas
3 of 8 groups made it into the most wanted, 0 of 16 solo artists

2013 Most Wanted: The Boxcar Lilies, Darlingside, Roosevelt Dime, Conor Garvey
3 of 11 groups made it into the most wanted, 1 of 13 solo artists

I think I got everyone, if I missed any "four most wanted" years, let me know. (Thanks, Ellen, I did miss Louise Mosrie in 2011, and thanks Jake, for reminding me about The Folkadelics in 2010)  Now, how does that look graphically? At the risk of being called the Nate Silver of folk festivals....

24 Emerging Artists per year, with a trend towards a higher percentage of "groups" as compared to the traditional singer-songwriter / solo artist. A low of 3 groups (2008) and a high of 11 groups (2013)

The Most Wanted Artists show a clear trend towards groups, with 2007 being the last year with no groups, averaging one solo artist since 2009. (two in 2011, none in 2012). Also of interest, 5 of the past 7 years there have been 4 "Most Wanted" artists, rather than the 3 expected. 

So you want to be a Most Wanted returning artist? Get yourself a band, because since 2009, the odds of coming back as a solo artist have been mostly under 10%, while the odds of returning as part of a group are 25% or higher.

I'm not trying to stir things up (well, maybe a little) - just trying to point out that the "most wanted" survey mechanism (audience surveys) tends to favor the louder, brighter groups, with harmonies, multi-instrumentals, etc. that might lead to a higher appeal from the hillside, as compared to the solo performer. I personally consider it an "apples and oranges" kind of thing, there's a different audience, level of appeal, etc. And yes, I've a little skin in the game - the "Most Wanted" stage slots I've really enjoyed over the years consisted of 3-4 solo performers swapping tunes (and perhaps working together instrumentally and through harmony) - they often tour together pre-fest and kind of grow together a bit. Groups tend to be a little more self-contained as a unit (vocally, instrumentally) and as great as it is to see them play the main stage, I'd rather they did a solo set rather than a song swap format.

I (personally, and I wield no particular power here other than the power to count 100s of tee shirts tossed into bins) think it would be a good thing to split the competition into group and solo categories, and perhaps choose two from each. Because looking over the past many years, I see a ton of really good singer-songwriters who did not make the "audience cut" and perhaps should get some recognition.

Although, as has been pointed out on Facebook, a lot of the "solo artists" do bring along side musicians so the line between group and solo artist gets pretty blurry. Perhaps if you bring your own side musicians, you might need to compete in the group category. Not a great deal, IMHO, since an ensemble that has been playing and singing together for a while can be pretty tough to top.

As with anything, your opinion, and mileage, may vary....

Facebook Invites (How Not To)

I recently posted the following to my Facebook timeline:

Facebook folks, if you are using your personal account to promote your business or services, send out mass INVITES to events and workshops to your entire friend list, etc. I am probably going to unfriend you. You need to set up a separate business page and direct your solicitations and invites to folks who have specifically LIKED your business, rather than to every single person you know.

I don't mind an occasional update on what is going on, but my INVITE list is often filled with invites to events I have no interest in from folks I rarely if ever see that are pretty much the Facebook equivalent of SPAM.

Despite this, one of the main offenders on my friends list proceeded to send out a spammish INVITE just this morning. And was summarily unfriended.

I look upon invites from the perspective of "what if everyone behaved that way". I have 580 Facebook friends. Not bragging; it's just that I move through many communities - yoga, music, arts, local, history, glbt, etc. and a few in particular (yoga teacher training, GLBT summer camp, and the Falcon Ridge folk festival) tend to be "meet lots of people" places. Mind you, that 580 is a conservative number of "friends" - I have a fairly rigid "if we've never met in 3D, we're not friends" policy, I almost never make friend requests (but also rarely turn them down), and I have a "one friend connection per person" policy for folks who have multiple facebook identities.

Now, if every one of those folks used Facebook to promote a business, hobby, group, or cause with a handful of events or activities per month, I'd be looking at 1000-2000 "invites" per month. Declining Facebook invites would become a full time job, and I'd no doubt miss a lot of events and invites that I want to see in the "noise" of the unwanted solicitations.

We're not talking about a party here - but rather things like a weekly meditation class, or a monthly reiki training. Hey, I teach yoga. I could, I imagine INVITE all 580 of my friends to each of the three yoga classes I teach weekly, every one of the dozens or so Guinea Pig gigs we play. But no, because that's abusing the system.

Learn how to use the technology, folks. Set up a business page for your business, and send out invites to those who have specifically LIKED the page and expressed interest (and no, accepting a friend request is not an acceptance to get dozens of event invites). Create events for your activities, but instead of inviting 100s of people to each event (and forcing them to decline through gritted teeth of resentment) just post it to your personal and/or business timeline - folks will see it.

And if you are active in a cause, be mindful of flooding your timeline with posts about rescue animals or queer rights or politics or whatever. While nowhere near as intrusive as excessive invites, my "friends" list has several dozen people who I effectively ignore (using the Facebook tools) because of one too many "URGENT PIT BULL RESCUE" post or whatever. Love animals, my pup is a rescue, but I really do not want to weed through 20 such posts on my timeline each day.

Doing the social media dance, whether you are using it for personal or professional purposes, is walking a tightrope between "out of sight, out of mind" (under utilizing the platform) and "annoying your fans" (resulting in "unlikes" and "unfriending") 

My Left Hand

A very vivid and remembered dream last night.

I dreamed I was at a party or function at the home of Dan, my fellow guitarist from The Guinea Pigs. During the party, there was a yoga class, taught by Ana Forrest (of all people; I've practiced with her a few times in the past but she's not really that present in my life right now) in the middle of the street (it was a cul-de-sac, in the dream). Somewhere in the practice, I attempted handstand (not a pose I do unsupported) and folded over or injured my left hand.

Flash forward to the next day; my hand injury has taken the form of slicing away significant parts of my four fingers - the index finger and pinky were pared down to the knuckle, the other fingers had more remaining but still pretty bad. The injuries had healed (no blood) and I was back talking to Dan and his wife Nancy about it (had they noticed this yesterday? Had I bled in their house? Did they find the remnants of my fingers?). I remember telling them not to worry about a lawsuit; I was not that type of person and besides it had happened in the street, not in their house.

And I remember having a deep sadness because the injury meant I would never play the guitar or bass again, and that it would impact my ability to teach and practice yoga.

At that moment, I woke up. The dream was so vivid and real that I immediately went to my left hand, found it to be intact, and was filled with a deep joy and happiness.

The whole thing reminded me of a zen story or parable I have heard, paraphrased here.

A man's child dies, yet he is strangely calm and unmoved by this.

When asked about it, he says "Last night, I dreamed I had four fine children, loving each of them as much as if they were my only child. When I awoke this morning, I realized it was a dream, and my dream children were gone."

"Do I mourn for this one child, or for these four children?"

A lesson dream perhaps. To be thankful for something as small as fingers. And that this body, this life, is on loan, and to enjoy it and use it wisely while it is in my care....

My Drinking Problem

No, I am not about to talk about addiction and recovery.A lot of folks in my life do not drink (either by choice or by commitment) and I've certainly spent some time in various flavors of twelve step circles. And I do not mean to make light of those in recovery or to minimalize the impact of alcohol on the lives of those who drink, and those family and friends impacted by alcoholism.

It's just that I'm not a very good drinker. It's not that I'm a sloppy drunk, nor that I am inexperienced, it's just that whatever combination of innate aptitude, preference, and proclivity go into the making of an alcohol aficionado, I don't have the right stuff. My facebook feed is filled with martini gatherings, creative and colorful cocktails, girls nights out, boys nights out, holiday parties, etc. and I just do not get it.

When I do drink, it's beer - usually something upmarket, and mostly because it's kind of controllable - it's hard for me to drink too many without having to spend the entire evening in the bathroom. As the saying goes, most recently quoted by Bruce Dern's character in Nebraska, "you don't buy a beer, you rent it". I might have 2-3 over the course of an evening, on a really wild night. Back in the (college, young adulthood) I guess I'd drink myself silly now and then, but insofar as alcoholism might require a genetic predisposition, I was favored without that particular genetic code. If I was slated for alcoholism, I would have fallen down that particular path in college. 

Somewhere along the line I picked up a bottle of gin and vodka with an eye to summerish cocktails - gin and tonics, cranberry and vodka. I dragged both bottles up the the folk fest, I actually made myself a drink a few times over the long hot summer, but the gin bottle is 3/4 full and the vodka bottle is maybe 1/2 full. I picked up a 1/2 pint (which ages me, I know it's really 200 ml, a transition that occurred when I was in college and working at a package store) of peppermint schnappes for post shoveling and holiday nipping - and was somewhat chagrined to realize that I do not own a shot glass. (I used a cold medicine measured cap to pour myself a shot  several times). That bottle still has 50 mL or so left - I bought another the last snowstorm which remains sealed. I am tempted by the sickly sweet, not so serious hard liquor of peach brandy or the like. I'm curious about wintery drinks - cinnamon whisky, a hot toddy, etc. But I'll probably remain just that.

Part of it may be social, physiological and economic - I do not really have much of a social circle so not a lot of opportunity to go out for drinkees, hang out with friends. I'm also pretty cheap, so the thought of spending $10 for a mixed drink or a glass of wine is just not on my radar. And finally, my liver, which has processed over a decade of oral estrogen, is just not really happy to get a solid night's worth of alcohol to deal with. I'm at an age where a hangover is just not worth it. 

So yeah, I'm not much of a drinker. And I'm kind of envious of those of you who seem to do it with class and style...

Oscar Nominated Films (and a few strays)

Colin McEnroe recently blogs:

I’m starting to believe the people who say 2013 is one of the great years for movies. Having recently piled “Dallas Buyers Club” and “Nebraska” on top of the long list of other last year releases viewed, I’m starting to see this as a crop that just keeps yielding.

And who am I to argue with him? I've been seeing a lot of movies myself this awards season. It's not something I do every year, but this year the combination of frigid weather, work schedule, interesting movies, and a fairly dormant (dare I say, comatose) social life has drawn me to the big screen more often. And while my normal movie watching generally is about 60% Real Art Ways, 10% Cinestudio, 10% mainstream movies, and 10% Out Film Fest, I've been out to the local multiplex (in provincial Berlin CT, matinees at the Starplex run until 6 pm and cost $5 - very affordable for the self employed with a flexible schedule).

So, with Oscar season around the corner, here is a listing of what I've seen, what I've liked, and what I've missed. Although I'm trying not to drop too many big plot bomb, there are probably a few spoilers following, so be warned.

In no particular order:

America Hustle: Did not expect to go see this, but what a treat. A double feature with Dallas Buyers Club would have worked in terms of bringing back the fashion, cars, and vibe of my youth. Loved the story, loved the music. Jennifer Lawrence was awesome in a "not the Hunger Games" role. Christian Bale was so deeply lost in a role as insane as Andy Kaufman's Tony Clifton alter ego, that I needed to wait for the credits to see who it was.  Totally not something I would ordinarily go see, but it was a total joy to watch.

Dallas Buyers Club: Confession, I went to see how problematic Jared Leto's portrayal of transwoman Rayon was. In fact, Leto did a great job, and was really such a secondary character. Loved Matthew McConaughey, loved the 80's vibe, Jennifer Garner was great. Totally loved it. 

Gravity: I could totally have done without the star power (Clooney and Bullock carry so many of their roles with them, I think I liken it to the Uncanny Valley phenomenon wherein a human features look and move almost, but not exactly, like natural human beings, causing a negative response) and there were enough technical holes in the plot to fuel a half dozen web sites.  But it was nevertheless a visual thrill ride in 3D ($8 at the Starplex matinee) 

Her: Another one I might have skipped, but for some positive reviews and comments from friends. Joaquin Phoenix was great in a role that vibed John Hodgeman; Scarlet Johansson's vocal work was perfect, and there's Amy Adams again (also in American Hustle). As a "be here now" yoga teacher, seeing all those folks with their noses in their PDA's, interactive video games, etc. was a little unsettling, but I liked the idea of the sentient operating systems evolving and deciding what to do about that in a way that did not involve Skynet and Terminators. Call it dystopia lite.

Nebraska: Just saw this one tonight (Oscar nomination brought it back to Berlin) and I was totally charmed. Not 100% sure that the decision to use black-and-white was perfect (or at least, required) - although there were some really amazing landscape and townscape shots that probably would not have worked as well. I kind of wanted a 70s era instagram filter for the thing. While Bruce Dern is getting kudos for his portrayal, I was much more interested in Wil Forte (familiar to this nerd as Jenna's cross-dressing love interest in 30 Rock). Loved the film, in a lot of ways,

Blue Jasmine: I saw this when it first came out. Did not wow me (if I recall correctly) and so very dark in a lot of ways (except cinematography, if memory serves it was a pretty bright film, in terms of light and color). Alec Baldwin does not seem right for a lot of roles, but her he was. And Cate Blanchette's journey through the film  was hard to watch.

Frozen: The only thing that kept this from being perfect for me was the damn snowman. Get rid of that "we gotta sell toys" candy-ass Ewok / Jar-Jar Binks plot excuse for a snowman and put a ghostly Miyazaki silent snowman in there, and it would have been awesome. But it was still pretty great. A few odd plot points (I totally got Ana's loss of her beloved big sister, not so much Elsa's trauma and fear), but so much ran pleasantly counter to the typical Disney princess meets prince plot. And if the songs made it seem like Wicked II (I was mentally comparing the songs as I watched, Idina Menzel's lovely voice only made it more pointed), that's not a bad thing. I'd go see it again....

Despicable Me II:  OK, it's been a while. When the original came out I never saw it, not really a Steve Carell fan, and my loss (happily rented it after seeing the sequel). The Minions were amazing in their whimsy, slapstick, and irreverence - Harpo Marx meets the Oompah-Loompahs, and cranked up to 11.

 
Inside Llewyn Davis: There's a lot not to like here (Greenwich Village seems kind of sanitized and empty), but a lot to like also. Here, Justin Timberlake gets lost in his supporting role, it was fun to grab all the musical characters and plop them into my knowledge of the nascent folk scene, I loved the "wrap around itself" plot device. Even the cat, which could have been a cloying and annoying bit, was deftly and amusing employed. "Oh Brother Where Art Though" seemed a lot more contrived, to me (there's Clooney again, unable to escape his celebrity)

Saving Mr. Banks: Tom Hanks might have the same sort of problems for me that Clooney does (hell, I remember his breakout role in Bosom Buddies, much as I try to forget) but for whatever reason, he does not. He was great here, Emma Thompson was similarly awesome, and I much enjoyed the period piece (Mad Men without the alcohol and sex) and the behind the scenes look at one of my childhood memories (the Sherman brothers were great, and love to see Bradley Whitford in anything, West Wing actors are beloved). I was a bit young to see Mary Poppins when it first came out but I am sure I saw in on Wonderful World of Disney, and perhaps from the back of my parent's ranch wagon at the drive-in. 

Finally, Twenty Feet from Stardom: Another mental double-bill for me, along with this year's Muscle Shoals (not nominated). Both were great looks back to rock n' roll history, and if Muscle Shoals was a bit more relatable to me (late 60's and 70's is the music of my youth) Twenty Feet was an amazing, heart-breaking, and ultimately inspirational story.  

In the "not really nominated for much" category, I did belly up to the cinematic bar for three "junk food" movies in the past few months. Catching Fire (the Hunger Games sequel) was pretty good but not much new as compared to the original. The Hobbit II / Desolation of Smaug - pretty much the same, with perhaps a tad more resentment for dragging what amounts to a thinnish book into three movies without a particularly meaningful of satisfying break point between the folms. And Thor: The Dark World was also pretty good (I especially like the way Marvel is bringing in young nerdish folks as foils / adjuncts for the heroes; I've kind of gotten hooked on Agents of Shield).

Now, what have I not seen?

Captain Phillips: No reason, really. Perhaps the Tom Hanks star vehicle (that Uncanny Valley thing, again), although I've heard a lot of NPR interviews that make me think I'd like it, and Tina Fey's "I am the captain, now" line from the Golden Globes (which, it turns out, was ad libbed by the Somali actor, per Tom Hanks) is bringing me around. I'll rent it between now and Oscar night, probably. 

Twelve Years a Slave: Again, no real reason.  Friends who saw it were kind of shocked by it, and being a lone wolf theater goer, mostly, (and being a bit down in life of late) perhaps I did not feel up to it. It's still in theaters so I really ought to try to get to see this one. I really enjoyed Lincoln (last year's "big, meaningful historical picture" that I did go see). On the other hand, I also seems to have missed "The Butler", so perhaps I'm a bit scared of pulling the scab off of my country's history of racism. 

Wolf of Wall Street: Just not a lot of interest. Leonardo Dicaprio has done nothing for me, in fact, looking over his CV, I seem to be actively avoiding films he's been in (Titanic, Gilbert Grape, and Catch Me If You Can are the sum of his films I've seen). Oh wait, I saw (and was pretty much unimpressed with) this year's Great Gatsby.  Similarly, Jonah Hill is another Jude-aversion actor (seeing only 2011's Moneyball). 

And finally, Philomena: Having spent my youth in the 60's and 70's catholic church (albeit south central Pennsylvania, not Ireland), I've got a kind of PTSD around a lot of the issues here. Themes of adoption, abortion, priests, nuns, folk mass, and catholic education swirled around my childhood. I love Judi Dench, so I'll probably see this. But might want to not see it alone....

One thing I try to do most years is get to Real Art Ways to see the Oscar Nominated films - they generally run the Oscar Nominated short films, short documentaries, and animated shorts in rotation and promise to this year from Feb 1 - 13. So I'll probably make it up to Hartford 2-3 times in the coming weeks.

And finally, all this cinema-passion is generally a preparation for the annual "Oscar Night Hartford" (a CARC / CT Aids Resource Coalition fund-raiser). CARC became AIDS Connecticut this year, and Oscar Night became Red Carpet Experience (probably for legal reasons). I've kind of pulled back from formal fund-raisers the past few years (not feeling particularly good about myself to dress up and be social) but Red Carpet Experience is in a good venue (Spotlight Theater) that offers some good hidey-holes for the anti-social (like, the theater, to watch the show) and the opportunity to put on a movie inspired costume. (Hm....I do recall a certain Minion costume) and besides, my friend and fellow yogini Wendy is the adult-in-charge of the event. So MAYBE.... 

Once more into the breech.....

In two days, I'll be knee deep into the first weekend of the 2014 yoga teacher training at West Hartford Yoga. This is the same training I attended in 2008 (I was, in fact, Teacher Trainee #1, signing up first for the first year of the training). I have been honored to have been part of this training since 2010 (when I stepped in four of the six weekends to hold space due to some personal issues with the other assistants). In 2011, I was invited back, and have been a part of the training ever since.

It has been a huge honor to be part of this, quite daunting and overwhelming, and something I look forward to both expectantly and with a bit of fear. I know I bring a lot to the training - a bit more Kapha energy than my teacher or the other assistant. Solid, reliable, consistent. I'm the teacher that the trainees can look to when they feel unworthy or inadequate, the real evidence that there many ways to practice, to teach. I'm the one seeking out the trainees trying to hide, to crawl into corners, to disappear.

But the training weekends are quite long and somewhat overwhelming - three long days, three hot and long practices (even though I'm assisting rather than teaching or practicing, it's quite draining). 

It's another big class. 49 this year (topping last year's 46), I think they set a max of 48 but for some reason one extra person snuck in (probably someone got overlooked or verbally committed but got left off the list until the last minute). I expect we'll lose one or two this first weekend (that seems to happen every year) and hopefully we'll be left with an even number.

We have two "repeat" trainees this year - not sure what their stories are yet. We tend to have a few each year; folks who feel they need another go at it, were not in a good place the first time around, or missed the deadlines for certification. But it will be nice to see them again. Other than that, the names are (mostly) unknowns. One Facebook friend, two or three names I recognize as regular students. I'm sure once we get them all together I'll recognize others from classes. But at least 40 who are at this point, unknowns.

We have a lot of guys this year - I count 11 names in the roster that are pretty solidly male gendered (and another 5-6 that could be, although I assume not). We've never had more than 4-5 men. So that will definitely change the character of the training, and give me a bit more to do - when it comes to assisting the larger guys, I tend to be a little more involved than Nykki and Barb. Barb will come assist me at times in class, not get me to budge at all, and then whisper "you did not feel that, did you?" Sometimes, height and weight provide a bit of advantage on top of skill and experience.

I spent a bit of time last night revising a document that I created last year to file the student photos. Last year, I took the initiative to take quick headshots on the first day and create a training class "facebook" (just photos and names) for the training staff to use, it helped us all a lot to get to know folks faster. I started with the 2013 document, so I got to look one last time at the 2013 class of trainees as a group. As I sit in the sharing circle tomorrow night, I am sure I'll have that odd feeling of familiarity (30+ sharing circles over the years) and newness (in my mind, the class of 2013 are "the teacher trainees", not this circle of strangers) . And it will be my great pleasure to get to know them over the next six months.

So yeah, teacher training 2014. I have no idea how I got here, but I'm happy that my life has turned in this direction. Bring it on.

Persistence

I've been getting phone calls for my brother. It's a foreign sounding gentleman (india? middle east?) and he asks specifically for my brother. I tell him there is nobody by that name here. He hangs up, and a few days later, same dude calls back. Bill Collector? Telemarketer?

What's really weird is that my brother has not lived with me since the mid 90's. And there is a whole raft of changes that have come between then and now, including:

* I have a new name
* I've moved twice
* I've changed phone numbers 4-5 times, moving from personal lines to business lines, and back
* For 7-8 years, I had no personal utilities (electric, gas, cable, phone, water) in my name (I moved in with a roommate)
* My brother never had utilities in his name at the old place.
* I do not get a lot of telemarketing calls (on do not call list) and I also do not get calls to other folks who share my last name. So it seems kind of targeted.
* I do get occasional bill collector / marketer calls for other folks who used to have my number.

Totally weird. All I can think of is that this guy has followed a string of "call forward" references from Waterbury to Newington to Hartford to Newington to New Britain.

Alternately, the guy I bought my condo from shares my brother's given name, and perhaps they are conflating that with my last name. Next time they call I am gonna see if I can find out what the heck they want....

Supporting Roles

January has traditionally been my time for catching up on films, especially the more mainstream Oscar contenders (as opposed to the indie / arts flicks I tend to catch at Real Art Ways). This week I caught two Saving Mr. Banks (Disney's very meta film about the making of Mary Poppins, with Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks) and Inside Llewyn Davis (The Coen Brothers Greenwich Village / folk music homage).

Before I did into the pics, a shout out to the supporting players. Specifically, Bradley Whitford (still indelibly marked and beloved in my memory for his role on The West Wing) and Ethan Phillips (a little less indelibly marked but none the less beloved as the heavily made-up alien Neelix from Star Trek: Voyager). It was really sweet (and only a tiny bit distracting) to see both of them on the big screen.

So first - Saving Mr. Banks. Like many of the films Tom Hanks has attached himself to over the years, the film felt a little too predictable, a little too designed to tug on the heart strings. But only a little - I still found myself deeply moved and appreciative of the 60s setting (kind of like Mad Men, West Coast edition), the integration of a beloved film of my childhood (which I have not seen in many years). Emma Thompson has been a bit of a personal crush for me, so it was hard to see her as crusty and cold. I appreciated the behind the scenes view of 60's film-making, and I thought the flashbacks to the Hoff family were quite effective.

Inside Llewyn Davis is a much more difficult film. I'm a folkie from way back, familiar with and have seen Dave Van Ronk* perform years back, have run into that sort of "dyed in the wool" authentic folk attitude, the musician too pissed off, too bent on being authentic or hitting every note exactly like the canonical recording of a piece to actually connect with an audience, etc. So it all felt very familiar in a cranky old folkie kind of way. There was a lot of dark humor in there (Llewyn trying to stash his box of LPs under a coffeetable and running into his hosts own box of LPs made me guffaw). I though Justin Timberlake's performance was great - well cast, subtly performed. And all of the performances (especially those of Oscar Isaac, as Llewyn) were spot-on.

There was some nostalgia here - days when a folkie would actually get signed by a label and have management (however inept or clueless). And also some things that never change ("I don't see a lot of money here....."). And the closing, with Llewyn curled up in an alley and a Dylan doppelganger on stage, was perfect.It was not the feel good movie that Saving Mr. Banks was, but it will stay with me.


So - both films get positive votes from me!

Ten Formative Albums

This one has been floating around Facebook, and I started doing it there, but decided it warranted a blog post!
RULES: In your status update, list ten albums that have stayed with you over the years in some way. Don’t take too long on this list - just a few minutes, tops. These don’t need to be “great” records or critical darlings. Just records that have meant something to you personally.

1. Neil Young - Live RustWhat's not to love, two sides of acoustic music I could play, two sides of guitar distortion I could play, and Neil Young's  vocals and harmonica playing seemed wholly within reach. Jimmy Fallon, I (along with a significant portion of my peer group with access to a guitar and a harmonic holder) did Neil Young impressions first

2. Lou Reed - Rock and Roll Animal I was a little old and a little uncool to get The Velvet Underground - but this album unlocked the whole NYC glam / punk / new wave scene for me.

3. The Who - Tommy I did a college thesis on this album, and to this date I can pretty much sing it through. I've never collected many Who albums, but this one I've always updated to the latest format.

4. On a Winter's Night (compilation) Not the more recent xmas / holiday release, this one is from North Star Records (1990). My intros to acoustic / singer songwriter music, and I discovered so many artists here that went on to become faves: John Gorka, Patty Larkin, Bill Morrissey, Julie Gold, Hugh Blumenfeld, Christine Lavin, David Wilcox, Cheryl Wheeler, David Mallett. There's a lifetime of music to listen to right there.

5. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run I could pick any of a half dozen Springsteen albums (Darkness, The River, Wild, Innocent, Nebraska), but hey - Jungleland.

6. The Clash - London Calling Sandanista is a close second. If I've got the stereo blasting as I pull into the yoga studio, it's probably this album.

7. The Kinks - Kink KroniklesA little young and uncool to collect Kinks albums back in the day, but I wore out my vinyl copy of this one

8. The Cars - The Cars It's a little dated but it takes me right back to high school and it launched my rock music career. I still remember hearing that they mixed it on car stereo speakers so it would sound good in the car.

9. Dar Williams - The Honesty Room I was a Dar fan before THR came out - I actually own one of her pre-CD cassettes. So I've felt a little protective of her over the years and proud of her success. I bought my first copy of this from her at Roaring Brook Nature Center (where she was the featured performer for Open Mic night, not even a headliner) You never forget your first love. 

10. Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive
Back in '77-'78 you either wore out Saturday Night Fever or you wore out this disk. This one was everywhere. If there were ubiquitous cell phones or digital cameras (or even videotape recorders) back in the day, one would be able to dig up footage of me faking the "do you feel like I do" vocoder bits, playing my Peavey T-60 through a wah-wah pedal at an end of school year lawn party. Any rock star aspirations I've entertained were born of this album. 

New Year / New Music

Well, not THAT new, really.

I braved the cold and slippery roads to make my way to New Haven last evening for the CT Folk / First Friday concert featuring No Fuss and Feathers Roadshow.



Who? - you might wonder.  Well, they are Karyn Oliver, Carolann Solebello, and The YaYas, familiar to this blogger from their visits to the Falcon Ridge Folk Fest. Karyn Oliver was an emerging artist performer in 2011,the Yayas were in the emerging artist showcase in 2012 and returned as "Most Wanted" artists in 2013. And Carolann Solebello is a repeat offender as a founding member of Red Molly, a group she stepped back from in 2010. Has it really been that long? The years they do pile up.... And although I generally get to know Falcon Ridg artists a bit through my work in the merch trailer, I rarely spend much time sitting in front of a stage at the fest, so catching up with Falcon Ridge performers in smaller venues is a nice side project.

Was a good sized crowd, surprising given the weather (bitter cold and the tail end of a pretty nasty storm that left the roads still somewhat snow covered and slippery) and the date (the first Friday after the new year), and a testament to both the loyal First Friday fan base and the quality and reach of these musicians.

This grouping (it's hard to call them a trio in the Cry Cry Cry / Red Horse / Red Molly / Brother Sun mold, since the Yayas brought a husband-wife duo to the ensemble) came together for the Joni Mitchell tribute album Blue (which I picked up last night), which in turn evolved from a women's folk collective called Chicks with Dip. Many of the musicians involved liked playing together so much that smaller sub-groups formed, including this one.

It was a wonderful musical evening. Not sure any one of the artists alone would have dragged me out, but the three in combination created a gravitational field plenty strong to pull me southward. Traditional guitars were supplemented with a bass (both Karyn and Carolann picked up what appeared to be a short scale bass, neither was funkmaster flash, although Carolann came close at one point, but both did fine). Jay from the Yayas brought a pea green Danelectro guitar at times which provided some tasty leads. Jay mostly played a Cajon beat-box, and Catherine played occasional shakers and miscellaneous percussion (and foisted same upon her bandmates unexpectedly). Mostly, each artist's solo efforts benefited through the increased heft of some backing instrumentation and wonderful harmonies - the three women's voices blended wonderfully, and the group was judicious in their use of instruments (sometimes these sorts of singer-songwriter cooperative efforts get a little "guitar army / 70s catholic folk mass" when everyone tried to play all the time) - but not the case here - they were well rehearsed and practiced as any full time band.

They played round-robin (somewhat like the Most Wanted or Friday Night song swaps at Falcon Ridge) which worked well, and augmented their originals with a mini-set from the Blue tribute as well as some interesting covers. I picked up Karyn's newest CD Magdalene, which includes a cover of one-hit-wonder Player's Baby Come Back which I sadly owned in my mis-spent youth (by dint of a K-Tel compilation album, no doubt) although I could not dredge the artist name out of my memory banks at Karyn's challenge to do so after she played it.

For a few years there I made it a habit to purchase the most recent Emerging Artist albums from eMusic (I'm a subscriber, and yeah, I know it's not the most artist-friendly way to purchase music, but I figure I get points for actually buying 16-20 albums from relatively unknowns each year). So I have Oliver's Red Dress and The Yaya's Everything albums - need to pick up their newest Paper Boats (was not sure if I owned it electronically, so did not buy it last night)  

So, great start to 2014, musically. See this trio quartet ensemble if you can!

2013 Recap

One of the benefits of being a cranky holiday curmudgeon with a social network insufficient to drag me out on New Year's Eve is that I have the internets to myself this New Year's Day. And although 7:00 am is far from early, it should be noted that's I've already made myself breakfast (the "almost never in the larder, but left over from xmas" bacon and blueberry pancakes) and done the dishes. So I'm up and at 'em.

Once upon a time I would scroll back through this blog to recap the past year. Alas, social media has cannibalized a lot of the minutia and epherma of the blogosphere - so I'll resort to Facebook to remind myself what the past year wrought.

Recurring Events

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (for the 20th time, I think. Or 21st. I forget). Camp Camp (third year). Both commitment I'm planing to keep for 2014. As a single person who has done a lot of traveling over the years, without a ton of money, these are perfect times to get off the grid, step out of the ordinary, and immerse myself in loving and entertaining communities. Although "working vacations" (I spend most of the "fest" time at Falcon Ridge in the merch trailer, and teach 10 yoga classes at camp) are probably something I ought to take a long hard look at.

On the yoga front, still teaching yoga, 3x a week plus occasional subs and intro classes. Still assisting with the teacher training program at the studio (since mid-way through the 2010 training; this will be my 4th full year). The studio did Om Street: Yoga on Lasalle Road again, and I (again) ran the sound system. (again with the "working vacation" theme)

On the ballooning front, I actually dragged myself out to the Frozen Buns Rally (coming up again soon), the CLAS annual dinner / banquet (on a very snowy night in Southington), and the CLAS Safety Seminar. All three are on the calendar for 2014. I have (thankfully) stayed out of management with the CT Lighter Than Air Society (although they keep trying to drag me in)

New and Notable Events

We had a pretty awesome snowstorm last February that took several days to escape from. Power and cable stayed intact, so a few days of hunkering down and nesting. I went to Boston to see a Red Sox game for the first time in decades, with the Camp Camp crew. Got down to Pennsylvania for the Trees Family Reunion for the first time in years - Falcon Ridge Folk Fest has historically conflicted about 80% of the time, but with the new fest dates, I hope to be more of a regular.

I had two natural visitors this year - a mother robin nested under my back porch, laying four eggs and fledging her chicks. And a pretty cool spider spun an orb web at my front porch over several weeks this summer. Those, along with my perennial suet cake feeder friends, provided good feedback that I'm carving out nourishing and nurturing space in my life.

And I made two runs at cleaning up my life, food wise this year - a 21 day Detox Cleanse and a 7 day juice fast (with 6 am kundalini yoga, what the hell was I thinking?) - and although both were interesting and useful, neither seemed to be the key to unlock whatever physical, psychological, and emotional impediments I bear that keep me eating poorly.

Music, Playing

My beloved Guinea Pigs kept busy this year. We started the year at MCC on Main (for the first of two gigs), opened for 41 Prospect at the Hartford Road Cafe in Manchester, played Hartford Hodge Podge, Blue Back Square, numerous farmer's markets (Wethersfield, Higganum, Billings Forge, and Bozrah, where we played without AC power), the Audubon Nature Center, and the Glastonbury Apple Harvest Festival. We snuck in an open mike appearance at Lasalle Market in December to close out the year.

In addition, I made my Camp Camp musical debut playing bass for the Scat Orrs (don't ask, it's kinda gross), the infamous camp lesbian folk rock ensemble. I also backed up one of the solo artists on bass. Lot of fun! And although I barely have memory of this, apparently I played bass for several Grateful Dead songs at a UU service in Manchester.


Although it does not really count as playing per se, I ran the sound for kirtan at West Hartford Yoga (twice) and for Little Ugly at Blue Back Square.

And broadening the category to all performance art, I did a piece at the December edition of The Mouth - the theme was "I Fought the Law" and my piece was titled Burger Prank Foiled

Music, Listening

As usual, a diverse musical year. Dervish and Deborah Voight were two "tag along with friends because I'm the one who can drive at night" shows that were nevertheless delightful. The many artists of Falcon Ridge (of course). I snuck down to the CT Folk Fest this year (which has become a mini Falcon Ridge reunion) and saw several notables, among them Honor Finnegan and Poor Old Shine.

Also, Dar Williams at the Iron Horse (twice!) as well as Meg Hutchinson. The Iron Horse has become a nice place to meet up with friends from that part of the world (holla, Amy and Patty!). Little Ugly (total age-inappropriate music crush) many times, most notably a WNPR livecast from downtown Hartford. Kate Callahan twice (once at West Hartford Yoga, once at the nascent Hartfolk Fest). String Theorie (loved 'em!). Hugh Blumenfeld's new group, The Faithful Sky at Roaring Brook Nature Center.  FRFF Emerging Artists from years ago Danny Schmidt and Carrie Elkin. And Girlfriend Project, one of my friend Julie's many musical projects.

Home Improvement

So yeah, I was a busy beaver. My friend Nykki moved into a new condo, and watching her spiff up the new place motivated me to redo my upstairs bathroom. What started out as a "slap a coat of paint on the walls" became two steps shy of a total tear-down. I replaced all the lighting fixtures, all the electrical switches, the thermostat, the towel racks and sink fixtures, the faucet and drain, and, to ice the cake, the shower curtain, towels, and rug.

In addition, I replaced an old (and never used) ceiling fan / light fixture in my kitchen with pendant lamps (dimmable LED technology), replaced my kitchen sink fixture with undercabinet light bars (which force me to clean the sink area far more often), two outdoor light flxtures (front porch and back deck) with downward facing fixtures (to reduce light pollution).

I also fabricated some spiffy shade screens for my front porch (to both block afternoon sunlight and give me some privacy from the building next door)

In the sense that ART = HOME IMPROVEMENT, I picked up some nice pieces - a series of Guinea Pigs doing yoga poses (keywords META YOGA CUTE), a beautiful photo of a blue heron in flight, an original hand-drawn bird print. My home's walls have become a nice reflection of my soul....


Toys and Consumerism

The biggies this year were sound and audio gack. I picked up a 14 channel audio mixer, 16 channel snake, and a pile of audio gear (mics, stands, monitors, power cables) - building myself up a nice little sound system. Right now it (mostly) augments the studio's sound system for kirtans, but I aspire to do more.

I also picked up a cheap ukulele (I blame Camp Camp, and my friends Eden and Kaia) and a cheap Epiphone electric guitar (I blame fellow Guinea Pig and guitar hoarder Dan)

In the non-musical territory - a tripod sunscreen / shade for Falcon ridge (intended to provide rain and sun shade for my tent, not all that effective), a small windo A/C unit for the basement office (the summer got pretty insufferable around August) 

I finally gave up and purchased a flat-screen HDTV (totally a late-acquirer, the cost came down to the point it was cheaper than my CRT television was when I bought it in the early 90's) - and with that came the decision to "cut the cord" (with HDTV, the low cost analog cable I was buying seemed kind of stupid) - I bought a cheap antenna which I hooked up on the outside of a second floor window, and that, along with a Roku box and subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu Plus, and the free apps on my iPad, are all the television I really need).

And lastly, I retired my old canister vacuum cleaner (a Kenmore unit I'd been lugging around since the mid 80's, one of my first adult purchases with my Sears credit card), replacing it with a much lighter Dirt Devil unit. I also started to use the vacuum cleaner to clean kitchen and bathroom floors (heretofore I've been sweeping them, how dumb / luddite-ish am I?). And bought the first dustbuster I've owned in 20+ years. (I had taken to using a hand broom to brush the dog hair off the bed each morning, and came to the realization that this might be one contributor to the dog hair covered rug up there). So now I vacuum my bed most mornings. TMI, I know.

Transitions

I'd note all the new babies in my life, except THERE ARE TOO DAMN MANY OF THEM. But special welcome to Nate and Freya, who parents are particularly beloved. I will say that, although there are many young children in my world, without exception their parents are amazing, healthy, sane, and full of love and life, and the world will be a better place for each of these new life journeys.

I was fortunate to have no significant deaths in my life this past year, although friends did lose parents and loved ones. RIP especially to Lola the pug; her mama moved to Califormia this past year and although we did not spend a lot of time together, she was always a bit of a guardian angel to me.

This year I decided to stop playing with the studio's kirtan group - I was finding the events to be a huge sink of energy for me; I'd end up with a 2-3 day "hangover" from each kirtan, and be filled with resentment at those who I saw as taking from me, but not sustaining me. The group has survived (with a new bass player and guitarist, apparently it takes two people to fill my seat, although both are far better musicians, and their involvement has affirmed my decision) and I've taken on a new role a sound engineer which lets me be part of it (OK, I'm still there for hours of set-up and tear-down) without draining my energy. I'm very happy with that decision. 

This year I also seem to have made a decision to stop traveling for work. It was less than conscious - it was in fact very awkward. I took a trip out to Portland, OR - and never finished the trip report, never billed the customer. I've just grown tired of that aspect of my work - I'm busy enough with the things I can do remotely, it disrupts my financial, teaching life, and travel has become such an unpleasant chore. Getting older? World changing? Life changing? Not really sure.

Finally, my yoga practice has transitioned this year into something different. I've been (over the years) a "Type A" yogi - hitting the mat 5+ times a week for a vigorous power practice. Whether it's age, the physical cost of being overweight and eating poorly, wear-and-tear from the practice, or some combination, I know I am good for maybe 2 power practices a week with a very select set of teachers. Add an angsty relationship with the community itself (and my own difficulties balancing my expectations and roles as teacher, student, friend, community member) and lack of resonance with some of the available less vigorous classes, and I'm just not spending a lot of time on the mat there.

Friends and Relationships

It's been a tough year on that front - a lot of holidays and weekends spent by myself, digging in to a cave of loneliness and self-pity. Yet there have been some highlights.

My friend Cheryl, the dark spirit of my teacher training class who terrified me (and was therefore someone I was curious about) has become such a good friend. Although we are on such different wavelengths (she runs somewhere between 4x and 10x as fast as I in just about everything - jobs, passions, living arrangements, relationships - so it's hard to keep up with her) she is nevertheless the one person who I can count on for a "how you doing?" text or an out of the blue invite for pancakes or pho. 

My friend Amy, who has transitioned from being on the periphery of my life (we've been Dar List / Dar Camp and Falcon Ridge acquaintances for many years, although truthfully she was mostly memorable for her hat and her camera for a lot of years) to being a good friend through Camp Camp and Falcon Ridge. She's helped to bridge the lonely weekends with Facebook chat and the occasional folk music foray (yeah, Iron Horse!) - and I can only admire her stamina when it comes to getting out to see live music!

And my "Little Buddy", Kaia (which she has noted, makes me "The Skipper") . I've no kids, but if I did, and could pick, she'd be atop the list - smart, talented, beautiful, real. It's been such a pleasure (and honor) to watch her life journey unfolding and she's one of those "I knew her back before she was famous" people.

Finally, my friend and teacher Barbara, who puts up with all my bullshit and flailing around (and 2013 was a big year for both) and neverthless continues to hold a place for me in the yoga teaching ranks, honors me with the opportunity to assist teacher training, makes sure I have at least one healthy meal per month, and drags my sorry ass up and down the hills of Colchester periodically, occasionally in a downpour. 

And although my single status and lack of a life partner seems to be a recurring source of struggle for me, well, there are signs of life. Faint maybe, but they are there.

In Summary

So...much as I whine and kvetch about how sucky / empty / lonely my life is - don't let that fool you. I had a pretty full and awesome year. If 2014 brings more of the same, who am I to complain?

I'm going to publish this now (while the day is young) and then go back and hyperlink the hell out of it. Because that's how I roll.

Old Friends

Friday night, I snuck up to Northampton to see Dar Williams and Lucy Wainwright Roche at the Iron Horse. I was not really planning to head up (my usual Modus Operandi) but a Facebook friend who happens to run merch for Dar posted a "Who am I going to see at the concert?" post and that prodded me out of my pre-weekend lethargy, and off I went. As I listened to Dar, I realized that this is the fourth time I've seen her play in the past year - last year's Middnight on Main in Middletown, the Iron Horse (right around this time, I forget exactly when), Falcon Ridge, and now this show.

Dar and I go way back. I ran across her back in '92, before The Honesty Room was released in fact, as she was tooling around New England with her guitar and a box of cassette tapes. Yes, I do own a copy of "All My Heroes are Dead" on cassette....

My first encounter was somewhat problematic. A friend (oh, OK, to be honest, my ex) was coming back east from Los Angeles, and was looking for a place to play, I approached graham, the owner of a slimy bar in Bristol called The Common Ground that ran a Sunday evening folk series and a Monday evening open mic. Graham, seeing the dollar signs of a homecoming concert, said sure and offered a date. What I did not know was that he had already booked that date to a musician named Dar Williams, who got bumped to opener.

My ex did well that night - filled the bar up with her family and friends. Graham did well, with a full bar on a Sunday night. And I'd like to think Dar did well - playing a short set to a full room (instead of the handful of folks she'd draw on other occasions at the bar), selling some merch, and picking up one very devoted fan (me).

I became a Dar Williams fan that night. That led me to see her at the Common Ground on other occasions (often to a smallish crowd that made me feel bad if I needed to leave at the break) and other New England coffeehouse venues. I particularly remember one gig at a little coffeehouse in East Hampton where she broke a guitar string and had no spares - thankfully another musician, John Scott, had a guitar in his car and lent it to Dar. For many years (until recently, in fact) Dar seemed to be quite a nervous guitar player on stage, I'd sit on the edge of my seat praying for a successful first few songs until she settled in. She was always the kid sister I was rooting for to do well.

I was there at Roaring Brook Nature Center for an Open Mic where Dar debuted "The Honesty Room" - she was the "featured performer"  (not quite a headliner) and she signed my copy "Thanks for listening....and for playing". Ironically, one of the songs I did that night was the Roches "Face Down at Folk City" (also, John Gorka's "The Gypsy Life")

And yes, I was at the WWUH Holiday benefit for which Dar wrote "Christians and the Pagans", the Nields wrote "Merry Christmas, Mr Jones" and my local faves High Blumenfeld and Margo Hennebach performed. 

I was active on the "Dar List" email list, visited (but did not camp with) the Dar Camp group at Falcon Ridge, was there for the first time the Falcon Ridge hillside lit up for "Iowa" (not cell phones, back in the day, but real lighters and flashlights)

Over the years, as Dar has grown into a mature and successful artist, I kind of stepped back. I still loved her music and bought it all, but she was playing larger and more expensive venues, and I kind of felt like she no longer needed me in the audience. So it's been lovely to reconnect with her and her music.

Now, Lucy Wainwright Roche. She was a Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist back in 2008 and returned as a Most Wanted artist in 2009. (to be honest, I was shocked it was that long ago). But I've been a fan of music by women named Roche (Suzzy is Lucy's mom) for 30+ years. It was 1980 or thereabouts when I stumbled across a review of The Roches first trio album in Rolling Stone - my musical tastes at the time ran along the Springsteen / Neil Young / Cars axis (although I was dabbling in Lou Reed and Jonathon Richman), so these three funky, folkie, NYC folk-punk women was a real change of pace. I was smitten by their cover photo, their harmonics, their humor. Been a huge fan ever since.

I've seen the Roches live a handful of time (most notably, front row center at the Tarrytown Town Hall). In the "music collection" department, in terms of how much of an artist's catalog I own, I'd have to rank Dar #1, Springsteen #2, and The Roches #2. So yeah, big Roches fan. And in the ensuing years, I've also picked up a fondness for Loudon Wainwright, Lucy's father. So yeah, Lucy is worth a trip, anytime!

Lucy and Dar were both in good voice and good humor. I particularly loved Lucy (having only caught her in short sets at Falcon Ridge in the past) and her "not quite as seasoned a perfomer as Dar" was charming and authentic. Dar's set and performace was not much different from last time I saw her at Iron Horse - she's such a mature and polished performer these days that it's hard to be quite so thrilled and smitten as when she was a bit more of a wild card. But still, wonderful to see her and hear her.