Pacman and Packin and the Bands

The middle of the week was spent hosting some great musicians (from my last post) who needed a place to stay during a rest over day from their tour. Heres to the long Haul, hauled it back from Providence, managed to get my phone number from a friend, and called at 11:30 pm hoping for somewhere to stay. They hung out for a couple days, played some music, relaxed, went hiking, and had a show on WHUS  with Washboard Pat that we hooked them up with. It was great to get to know the guys, get to hear them play more, and to make a southern musical connection. 

       Todays picture is from a lovely seller on etsy that you can find here on misterrob. I love this kind of artwork.

    So far my weekend has consisted of a lot of cool and un planned events involving music. First a friend of mine at WHUS radio invited me and Truckman to see a free thats right FREE blues show at Black Eyed Sally's in Hartford. A real cool music venue that has a lot of primarily rock and blues shows that I've always wanted to go to. WHUS was sponsering a live broadcast of this band The Delta Generators that hail from CT and just competed in the International Blues Challenge in in Memphis TN, and they came out as one of the top 10 bands out of hundreds from all over this country and elsewhere. The concert took place at 10:00 am and was broadcast live as an advertisement for a show that they are doing this Saturday at 9:00 pm same venue, same town, same good music. Killer guitar playing, loose and groovin drums, an excellent bassist, and the voice that comes from Craig Rawding is big and booming, you can tell that it comes easily from his gut. I'm coming to find that a lot of the singer I like the best have this quality of big vocals that come from a deeper place than just sitting in the throat. 

    After the show in Hartford we drove to the Reggae Fest at Wesylan University. It always seems that events at Colleges are poorly attended, as the afternoon wore on attendance picked up a bit. Some musical aquaintances of ours, a couple of musicians from Club D'elf performed and were great as usual. If you check ou the link above to Reggae fest you can look at the other bands as well. Buru Style was big but tight, we left partway through their set. 

     To top off the night we bought a boxing match on the tellie (yes I'm a rather large and very closet boxing fan) between Manny "The Pacman" Pacquio and Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton. It ended in a second round knockout with Hatton laying in the ring. Tough fight to watch, but I can't beleive their athleticism and dedication. Thats always worth watching no matter what sport it's in if you ask me.

Heat Wave

This weekend has been un-real for nice weather. A dunking (somewhat forcedely) in a local river completed the albeit short transition to summertime for me. It seems we still have a little while till we can really call it summer around here. Went to some good music yesterday with my folks to a show that a friend of mine helped to put on, a great southern appalichian band Heres to the Long Haul. There were uppbeat, and fun to move to, I finally learned how to clog about a year ago and was dissapointed at having a temporarty ankle injury that prevented me in partaking in my foot stomping good time. Friendly and talented fellows that are certainly worth the time to listen to. Once you do you'll be addicted. I promise.

     There is a dreaded day each year when the farmers that live on either side of our property spread chicken shit out on their fields to get them ready for planting corn, and of course if you've ever come into even remote contact with chicken poop you know of the foulness that it emits when spread in large quanitities in hot sun...So it's 75/80 degress out at 9:45 at night and the windows are shut to prevent our selves and all of our belongings to smell horridly of chicken droppings...Oh the suffering. At least the cows who eat the corn will be well fed.

Old friend

I talked to an old friend today. He's from the south, born and bred. We had a lot of fun long ago canoeing in NC, avoiding rabid dogs in VA, seeing the scenery on the Appalachian Trail in TN. We met when we were 14 and we are still long distance, occasional, but really good friends. I appreciate having the friends that you don't have to talk to for half a year, and they'd be there for you in a second. In homage to my southern friend I'm listening to Old Crow Medicine show, an understandably loveable and raucous old time band. I thought the faces in this picture personify the attitute deeply embedded in their music. Check em out.

Don't Ride that Horse by OCMS

To Winnipeg, Saskatoon
Eutaw, Wawa, empty room
Hidin' bags, rollin' smokes
Skippin' punchlines, crackin' jokes

So pour it on, toss it back
Play that cocaine, play that shack
Sleepin' every now and then
Curled up tight with Crit and Ben on the ground

I ain't never goin' home again
I was tuggin' at my mama's breast
The first year really is the best

His blood pressure's droppin' down
We ditched the pot and we marked the ground
Ante up and watch him ride
Check that dude, he almost died

Seein' bears, ascendin' clown
Shut our whole damn circus down
Crappin' up in Joliet
We haven't wrecked the trailer yet
But we will
We're gonna get killed

Don't ride that horse
Don't ride that horse, honey
Don't ride that horse back home
Just let him roam
Let him roam

There seems to be an odd attraction to all things horse today...They keeping popping up, in person, in print, and now in song.

Heart Shapes

Just found out some rather disturbing news, I feel that this should have been heard about earlier, Ticketmaster and Livenation entertainment industries that are huge with ticket sales promotion, and overall large companies that charge large sums for tickets, (not to mention that Ticketmaster is pretty much one of the only companies to get tickets from if you're going to a larger music venue) are now merging into one giant super company!

Here it is. A little info to brighten the day...

   On another note, check out the cool earth heart. I love finding hearts in nature, in stones, trees, cloud shapes etc. I think it is one of those universal shapes, not just because the heart shape symolizes love and unity and all of the valentines we made when we were little, but it seems to be a very organic free flowing shape that is inherent in alot of formations in nature and the things we make. My favorite new heart is the one that my dog friend Olie's rump makes when he lays on his stomach smelling the manure pile. The true picture of contentment and love. Happy Earth day.

Daffodils and Rain induced Rooftop Trills!

Almost a month since the last post. Oh well the wagon with the band on it has to go a little faster than all of us from time to time and we're bound to fall off when that happens you know?

  Starting farming work this week. Knitting, reading, planning, getting sick, getting better...

    I've been learning to sew, the crafting projects that are possible at this point in my life are a little daunting, knowing that I'm mystically attracted to every single crafting discipline that there is. Maybe it's not so mystical actually and it really makes perfect sense, once shown all the techniques and tricks of different crafts how could you not want to know how to do everything?

   Here is the Etsy find for the day. Or really the hour, as the Etsy addiction is just about as bad as the crafting itself, except that you get more instant gratification from looking at what someone else has made without having to go and make something yourself, you can still look at something beautiful and inspirational. 

Gardening in Heels

It's been a little bit since I have written anything on my blog here. I found this image during a search for a professional looking photo of my new/old New Home Sewing machine circa 1944. Instead of finding an online photo I found this victory gardener. 

 So the machine really is a new family household purchase, and not just my own, but I will pretend. It was found by the amazing mama at the first flea market of the year this past sunday. It's in wonderful condition. Very silvery and smooth and weighs about a 1000 pounds so it seems! It is a glaring object of well made machinery that just doesn't exist anymore. It's very sturdy, and to look at it side by side with the newer machine that lives here in the house as well, it looks as if it could beat the newer machine to a pulp with just a gentle shove.

   I've been learning to sew, something that I did when I was younger, and then lost track of. I would love to be able to make quilts, bags, and clothes. Not exactly something that I am anywhere near being able to do at this point, but it's practice I'm sure. I got some very pretty fabric and I'm making some cute Easter eggs to hang on a branch for an "Easter tree" when the time comes.

   Anyway, this picture of the 1940's victory gardener reminded me of spring, of the little green bits of daffodils and crocus's coming up. Of chives that are thrusting themselves very strongly out into the air, and the big chubby winter birds excitedly darting about, hoping to find fresh grubs even in today's cold winter seeming day. Notice how this very stylish lady is gardening in heels, mighty impressive, can't say you'll ever catch me in the act...

Lemonade I have made...

This is a lemon cake that me and a cake lover I know made a week or so ago. An excess amount of cream cheese frosting topped off this tasty treat. Of course milk is one of those obligatory accessories one must consume with anything chocolate or sweet. 

     I had a nice time doing some present making and decorating for my moms birthday. 2 scarves, one I knit and one made out of recycled sweaters that my Grandma helped me sew. I also made a whole bunch of oragami cranes, I'll put some pictures up later.