Sandy Andina: News

Here I am, typing as a breather from being elbow-deep in dishwashing after yesterday's turkey feast and rehearsing my (not so) little keister off.  That can mean only one thing: we're coming into holiday show season! 

Had an amazing Oct./November:  shows in Loveland, CO, Casper, WY, Goldendale, WA, and at FARWest in Eugene, OR--got to see the Rockies for the first time ever and the Cascades for the first time in decades.  Then, after battling the bronchial bug I caught on the plane home, we headed back East, for a delightful time as Jon Stein's guests on WTBQ's Hootenanny Cafe, some much-needed R&R in and around NYC (including showing Stephen the city for the very first time), recording in Brooklyn with our friends Stereo Sinai, visiting L.I.'s North Fork  wineries that inspired my song "Talking to the Vines." Next, we headed back up into the Catskills to Kerhonkson, NY, where we had an intense weekend showcasing (both for ourselves and backing up marvelous Mara Levine), networking and learning.  And I finally triumphed over that pesky turkey (free range organic) and got it to the table for friends and family.  (Still can't contemplate the concept of "mealtime" just yet--maybe in a few hours.  No more dirty dishes......pleeeeeeease)!

About those rehearsals:  I'm multitasking from now till just before Christmas.  Intensive rehearsals (first weekly, now daily) have begun for the 88th annual (and my tenth) CBA Christmas Spirits revue, "LawLawPalooza." Besides my usual supporting and choral roles singing and committing attempted dancing, I'm front and center this time--singing lead and playing guitar (hey, Bob--my Gramann!) in a scene. (Six changes of costume--yike!).  For the first time, we're discounting ALL advance purchases: instead of the erstwhile $65, tickets are $45 orch./$25 mezz. That's right--the lowest-price Broadway-style theater ticket (and by far the funniest evening) in town.  Dec. 6-10 at the Merle Reskin Theater, 60 E. Balbo in the South Loop. 7:30.  Don't miss it! www.barshow.org or 312-554-2134 for tickets (and tell 'em I sent you).

Then it's Andina & Rich's annual "Holiday Party for Those Who Hate the Holidays" show. Usually held in Madison, WI, this year we're bringing it down to the Chicago area (we'd wanted to do a Madison/Chicago doubleheader, but the venue we'd planned to use up in Cheeseland is retooling). Sat. Dec. 17, from 7-10 pm we'll be ho-ho-hamming it up at Grounds For Appeal Coffeehouse in Berwyn, IL (only a block from the Metra station).  Joining us as our special guest will be the inimitable Andrew Calhoun, who'll regale you with traditional holiday and folk songs, his originals, and his world-famous puns. (In fact, we may have a pun throwdown).  How much is this gonna cost you? Just the cost of getting there--and whatever you feel like feeding the tip jar. As always, there'll be free cookies, Wendy's door prizes and her gigantic and delicious hot-and-cold-drink (no alcohol) menu.

So we have all that Madison-specific holiday stuff, and the guest performers up there who were going to help us play it. What to do?  Well, keep an eye out for Red Dragon TV's "Andina & Rich Holiday Spectacular:" the best of this year's "Andina & Rich Comedy Hour," our year-end topical recap, special commentaries, new holiday-themed sketches (there WILL be pie), and of course holiday music: our own originals and our spin on the classics as well as topnotch songs of the season from our arsenal of artists who've graced us with recordings and videos--all hosted by "Escape to Music's" Sam Spindler.  And it streams worldwide at reddragontv.tv, as well as going into our YouTube on-demand archive, so "Madison's too far" is no excuse!

January brings the main tracking and mixing sessions down in Sparta, IL for the third Andina & Rich album, "Chasing Lightning." It'll be chock-full of co-writes, as well as a couple of choice covers and plenty of humor--a nice balance of silly & serious.  And on Jan. 26, I'll be doing a rare solo early evening free set at Metropolis Coffee (cor. Granville & Kenmore, 1.5 bl. e. of the CTA Red Line) from 6-7.  You'll hear stuff I don't usually get to play out these days, and drink some of the best coffees & teas in Chicago!

NEWS FLASH:  Andina & Rich will be Jon Stein's guests LIVE in-studio on WTBQ's "Hootenanny Cafe" out of (premature winter wonderland) Warwick, NY this Sunday, November 6, at 8 pm Eastern/7Central (that's Standard Time, which kicks in late Sat. night).  You can listen in the Hudson Valley/N. Delaware Valley/Catskills on 93.5 FM--or stream it worldwide at www.wtbq.com.  We're headed out there right now!!!

 

Hi everyone! Has it been four months since I posted here? Yeesh!  Steve & I have been on the road since then to such exotic locales as Naperville, Geneva, Bolingbrook, Grayslake, Morris and of course Madison & Chicago.  And, oh yeah:  Loveland, CO; Casper, WY; Goldendale, WA; and Eugene, OR.  Tell ya more later--it's 2 am and we have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow from Youngstown to Warwick--with a fun extended weekend in NYC before we head to NERFA.

Red Dragon TV, the host site (and studio) for the Andina & Rich Comedy Hour, has found a new home on the Internet at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/red-dragon-tv (Home site is www. reddragon.tv). Used to be hosted at justin.tv, now just on TV--internet TV, that is! Sundays at 7 pm Central (same bat-time, sorta same bat-channel).

Returning by popular demand, on Wed. 6/22 at 7:30 pm, I'm part of the MSG's Songwriters in the Round (think of it as Bluebird-Flown-North), with Stephen Lee Rich, Brandy Held, and Midwest folk and blues legend (and now DJ) Jim Schwall. 50% off bottles of wine and five-buck martinis as well! THE BRINK LOUNGE, 701 E. Washington St., Madison, WI. Make sure you enter from Washington St. (US 151) to Blount St., because Willy St. is still under destruc---er, construction.

Stop the presses! On Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 8 pm Eastern time, Andina & Rich will be the Featured Artists for a Mini-Concert on Jon Stein's "Hootenanny Cafe" radio show on WTBQ, 93.5 FM locally in Orange County, NY and environs---and WORLDWIDE at www.wtbq.com. Jon is a great friend of folk music and a terrific DJ and all-around nice guy----drop everything and LISTEN wherever you are and however you can!

What a May it's been! Iowa City, Columbia MO, Omaha, Madison & Sparta, IL were all great (and recording River City Folk in Omaha was as much fun as going out with Tom May, his engineer Clint and their wives afterwards). Our episode of River City Folk will air the week starting Sept. 12 (in the Chicago area, on Tues. 9/13 at 9pm Central on WDCB 90.9 right after Folk Festival with Lilli Kuzma from 7-9). We had a great, diverse, touching and enthusiastic audience at Uptown Bill's in IA City--they stuck around to hear us after the open mic. Shook things up a bit and challenged some assumptions about how entertaining two geezers can be when we were at Barley St. Tavern in the Benson area of Omaha. Made some great connections and will return late in Aug. to play the Benson Farmers' Market (and hopefully Benson Grind and the PC Collective there that week). May also do the IA Old Time & Bluegrass Fest the following week--still working on it. Sep. 9 will be joining Stephen with his political-song side project The Outside Agitators (who do our co-write "This is What Democracy Looks Like" as well as Tom Kastle's "Whose House? Our House" and maybe my "They Don't Care About You") at Wild Hog in the Woods in Madison. but I'm getting way ahead of myself!

We learned about the true meaning of Tornado Alley that mid-Apr. week when multiple tornado watches had us huddled beneath an overpass bet. Omaha & Wichita as we witnessed at least half the ten Biblical plagues (hey, just before Passover)--dark skies, howling winds, wedge clouds on either side of the freeway, pouring rain, locusts (ok, bugs smushed on the windshield), murrain (aka death of animals, to wit: road kill), boils (found a new zit)..... Then next day en route to a gig in Hays, KS we had to cancel due to ultra-high winds (50MPH. steady-state, 75 MPH gusts), NWS warnings to stay indoors; turns out they were relieved to be able to close early since they had the same conditions (plus a snowstorm two days before). Ate BBQ till we could take it no more. Had gracious hospitality, fun & friendship with Gary & Roberta Gordon at Gordon House before & after our concert at the Sparta Library (which raised a total of $2200 for the library even after we got paid, playing before a near-capacity crowd despite storm warnings and high winds). Recorded the rough live tracks of "Body Scanners," starting on our next CD! (Look for a teaser download soon). "This is What Democracy Looks Like" is going viral and will be screened at the San Francisco Labor Film Festival in July! And we've gotten rave reviews of the first two episodes of The Andina & Rich Comedy Hour (7pm Central Sun. on justin.tv/reddragontv).

Threw out my back last Sun., but still had a magical week first at the Local 1000 retreat at the history-steeped, Smoky Mt-nestled, welcoming and inspiring Highlander Center in New Market, TN--birthplace of the fusion of folk music with the civil and labor rights movements. Then the sun came out for our wonderful weekend at SERFA in the gorgeous Blue Ridge setting of Montreat Center in NC near Asheville. Drove up through the Blue RIdge--NC, VA, WV. Weather held up till we emerged from the tunnel into WV--been stormy ever since and promises to be till we set out for Chicago tomorrow. (Our drive from Charleston-Cincy-Indy today will be a challenge).

Tomorrow night (Tues. May 24, 7-9pm) we'll be on the special Dylan Birthday tribute radio concert on Folk Festival with Lilli Kuzma on WDCB. Gotta send this out as a Sandygram now, so catch you later!

Still down here but heading home (just for overnight) tomorrow evening. I have condensed 15 years' worth of Cajun/Creole dining into ten meals and my digestive system is beginning to crave soft boiled eggs and dry toast (though my taste buds are still whooping it up a block down on Bourbon St.). A foodie's roll call: Fri. lunch at EAT, pre-gig gumbo at the Tavern of the Court of Two Sisters, late fried-seafood dinner at Coop's Place; Sat. lunch at Pier 424, dinner at NOLA (cutting-edge Cajun via Emeril); Sun. brunch at Brennan's (where my hair almost got flambeed along with the Bananas Foster) and dinner at Commander's Palace (truly the Restaurant at the End of the Universe--at least till I finally score a table at Alinea back home); Mon. brunch with Gina at Camellia Grill, dessert with Bob at Pat O'Brien's (no Hurricane that early), dinner at Desire (watching the storm roll in & out); leftover bread for breakfast, the mandatory beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde (managed to avoid getting powdered sugar on my black pants & sweater, listened to fine streetwise Dixieland band--worlds better than the three ancient jobbing musicians halfheartedly reading charts in the Convention Ctr. lobby); and classic French/Creole dinner at Antoine's--where we were so stuffed, despite sharing appetizer & salad, that dessert was merely a concept for another day). Stomach still groaning, and have one more lunch to conquer--can't bear the thought of breakfast--before heading to the airport.

A great stay--wonderful food, music (especially Gina Forsyth, with whom I had the honor of playing Fri and hearing as part of the Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band at Tipitina's Sunday--even got Bob to dance!--and buskers better than most cities' pros: everything from jazz to folk to country to bagpipes to even a Klezmer trumpeter), scenery, history, delightful St. Charles Ave. streetcar rides (will take home the memory of Mardi Gras beads festooning trees and trolley cables as well as scattered all over the "neutral grounds," or what we Yankees call median strips), and wonderful joyful people.

Wish I could say the same for my lodging: the Hotel Ste. Marie, apparently where Service With a Smile Goes to Die. Small room, thin walls (I learned the couple in the next room have postnasal drip, sleep apnea, dyspepsia and an active love life--all without asking or even meeting them); hard pillows (no feather or down ones--heck, even Holiday Inns have those on request); the extra blanket I asked for turned out to be an old Vellux one washed so many times it was nearly a rubber sheet. Twice one desk clerk promised to get a taxi when the valet was absent, only to get distracted by something-or-other; when I asked for a Band-Aid for my sorely blistered toe, she grudgingly gave it to me as if I'd demanded a pint of her blood; another clerk sent us to the wrong place for dinner (a smoky bar with bad snacks instead of the seafood place we found on our own next door); tonight one refused to give us a late check-out past noon tomorrow (and our room wasn't ready when we arrived Friday); a continental Breakfast buffet consisting of stale croissants, danish, canned o.j. and coffee that was consistently and sullenly torn down 10 minutes before stated closing time; a card slipped under our door at 1:30 saying they'd tried to make our room up at 2 pm; glacial and non-secure wi-fi; a computer-printer combo so slow it seized up when we tried to check in and print boarding passes; no restaurant or bar, nor fridges/minibars/gift shop; and tonight, when our keycards inexplicably stopped working, said clerk had to call two colleagues to re-code them: she didn't know how. On the plus side, there was a lovely courtyard and outdoor pool (but no indoor pool, hot tub or exercise room), and a comforting lack of tiny livestock. Oh, I've stayed in worse places for about the same money (nonetheless, not by any means a budget hotel) but there are other and nicer hotels in New Orleans, especially when our next visit will involve neither a convention nor festival.

Other observations: I like fun, alcohol and music as much as the next person, but over the past 20 years or so Bourbon St. has morphed into the Eternal Spring Break From Hell. Love the Cajun and blues bands and buskers; not so much the strip joints, really bad Jimmy Buffett and Sixties/Seventies cover bands (especially when three of them are each playing simultaneously next door to each other), and profusion of voluminous alcoholic drinks (when did they invent the "Hand Grenade," an invitation to both accelerated cirrhosis AND diabetes?). I'm sorry, but I do not want a "Big Ass Beer:" I prefer one dispensed from a keg, bottle or tap. Note to women my size and age--do you REALLY want to wear shorts and tank tops when it's 50 degrees? And did your moms really raise you to go to dinner at nice restaurants in cartoon-character-adorned apparel past the age of ten (and do you wear that stuff back home)? Then there are all those souvenir shops that belong to the chain "T-Shirts Guaranteed To Get You Jailed for Contempt at Your Next Trip to Traffic Court." I'd relate some of the slogans, but I'd have to wash out the keyboard with soap afterwards, which would doubtless ruin Bob's laptop.

Speaking of which, the Mobile Devices Revolution is still in beta. I tried, really tried, to stay connected via only smartphones and an iPad (I HATE using this Windows laptop), but typing on onscreen keyboards really bites; batteries drain faster than your checking account in Vegas; and Web-authoring and editing on an iPad is a nightmare, what with the lack of a screen-top menu bar. iPads are nice to have on one's person, but they can't replace a computer once you're in your room and have work to do. My next iPad will be a MacBook Air.

Up at the unholy hour of 5 a.m.; off to Midway for an 8:40 flight. Day dawned raw & cold in Chicago, with a wintry mix forecast for the Cubs' home opener--stepped out of New Orleans airport into summer!

Killed time till our room was ready, downing what will have likely been the first of many oyster po' boys for lunch. At the hotel, Bob woke me from my nap to bring me a potent Hurricane from Pat O'Brien's-- don't remember them having been that strong in my youth. Took three gulps and was out for two hours! I don't like to eat much before a gig but Bob was starving, so we headed to Bourbon St. (already deafening and crowded by late afternoon) for a cup of gumbo. Got to Neutral Ground in time to hear the first set, and unfolded my Voyage-Air dread. Fished around to remove the by- now superfluous humidifier (Toto, you're not in Chicago any more); when I couldn't reach all the way in, I upended the guitar so the thing would be reachable. Fished it out only to find that to my horror, two bridge pins had fallen out.....black bridge pins, black case, black pants, black paisley carpet! Found the first one right away, but no luck with the second. Found all manner of detritus on the floor: Scrabble tiles, pennies, scraps of balsa wood, tinsel--despite my efforts none worked. Neither of the two first acts had a spare. But the barista directed me to a decrepit beater guitar, in various stages of stringlessness, and suggested I borrow a pin from it. White plastic and not black ebony/abalone, but it did the trick. Gina Forsyth arrived, we got caught up on news since last we met, and agreed on the two songs on which she'd play fiddle and the one of hers I was only going to sing harmony on but found out I could also suss out the harmonica part (good thing I brought the right ones from home). The song was "St. Anthony:" she joked that since he was the patron saint of lost objects I might find my bridge pin. The set went well, and we exhorted the crowd to sing along to help St. Anthony do his thing. Lo and behold, as we were packing up afterward, she spotted my bridge pin on the carpet. (I'm still remaining Jewish, however). Speaking of that, on the way over we saw a sign on Touro Synagogue advertising Jazz Shabbat services, featuring Irma Thomas the weekend of Jazzfest. Our cabbies included a retired guitarist with the Gypsy Kings, a 20-yr-old with both an e-Trade account and mean sax chops, and a full-on conspiracy theorist. And on Bourbon St. I saw a guy in full pirate regalia, with a sign on his tip box reading "Not Somalian!" Lord, I've missed this place!!!

Seems as if I just got home--and here I am packing for the first half of my next trip!  This time I'm spending some quality time in New Orleans with my sweetie, though I am playing a few songs as I sit in with Gina Forsyth this Fri. night at Neutral Ground. (I get to see her play with the Bruce Daigrepont Band on Sunday---I don't know what's more exciting: seeing her play, seeing that band, or finally going to Tipitina's! No way would I DARE to sit in there)! This will be a fun but challenging week--so many restaurants, so little time, and I hope my knees are up to the task of the exercise necessary to avoid packing on more pounds. I suspect making the rounds of the Exhibit Hall at the ACC convention will keep me walking.  (I only hope Bob's willing to share dishes so that I don't have to clean my plate each time).  Hope my sinuses & TMJ don't make my toothaches flare up.  (Yes, I had that cavity filled).

Then home for one day to do laundry, get my nails in shape for playing, repack and hit the road for the Great Plains with Steve--Iowa City, Columbia, MO, Omaha--and River City Folk!!!--and Hays, KS.  We're going to have to exercise some routing ingenuity, what with gas prices skyrocketing.  At least the cheaper gas prices further from Chicago offer some measure of consolation. My last fillup, last week in Beloit, WI, was $3.45/gal.  It's up to four bucks here by now.  (People ask me why I travel so much for my music--I only half-jokingly reply that it's for the cheaper gas).  Then catch my breath, do Passover, and head down to Sparta, IL the next weekend for our concert at the library. Spending time with our hosts the Gordons will make it feel more like a friendly respite than like work, though we will of course bring our "A" game. 

Meanwhile, I have "gotten religion" when it comes to guitar humidification.  To my horror, Terry at Guitar Works found a couple of nascent cracks in my Voyage-Air dread (I'd brought it in for a fret-buzz correction after I got my pickup installation in my Gramann tweaked to correct a strange resonance in the B & G strings--turns out the pickup wires needed to be harnessed).  He had it spend a few days "in the schvitz" (atop a small room humidifier) and stabilized the cracks.  But I am taking no more chances.  I had been using Planet Waves clay-filled soundhole humidifiers for the past couple of years but had gotten behind in refilling them with distilled water, so I'd switched to dampened sponges in vented Baggies.  Not good enough, I found out--especially in those semi-hard cases that Voyage-Airs come in or in padded rigid gig bags, both of which are porous.  So I got a bunch of Oasis soundhole humidifiers--that's all Terry uses in his house, which like mine has radiators but no ductwork for a furnace humidifier--and a gallon of distilled water.  I put them in my guitar cases, supplementing them with the re-hydrated clay-filled units, and I check them every other day.  Of course, every soundhole humidifier comes with a plastic syringe--and I saved the syringes from the old clay-filled ones that I had to discard when they developed mildew & mineral dust from using tap water.  My bathroom is full of plastic syringes (the ones with the skinny tips are good for refilling fountain pen cartridges too); should there be a police raid I'd have some 'splainin' to do.....

The tour was a terrific success--made some great friends and wonderful connections, with return engagements in the offing (Stephen's family obligations permitting---eldercare is a delicate dance indeed when balancing two spouses' weekend work & travel requirements).  We have a few Chicago/Madison-area shows scheduled after our return from the Great Plains:  Sparta, IL Public Library Apr. 30, Mill Bluff Arts Festival (LaCrosse) June 4, People's Church (Chicago) June 10, Gebhard Woods Dulcimer June 12, Lisle French Market June 18, Maxwell St. Days (Madison) the weekend of July 15-17.  

If you're near a radio or streaming computer, we'll be on Lilli Kuzma's "Folk Festival" show Tues. May 24 for the Bob Dylan Birthday Celebration; and Stephen will be on WMMM-FM (Madison's Finest Rock) on Apr. 4 (time TBA) with our latest song, "This is What Democracy Looks Like" as part of Tom Kastle's presentation of local musicians doing political protest songs (I'd be there but I'd have to teleport myself from New Orleans).  

Check out the video for that song at the DulciYodel channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9AoVjvsdKQ

My prayers and good wishes go out, of course, to all those impacted by the horrendous earthquake and tsunami in Japan (make sure you text "Japan" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross) and those in harm's way--from both Qaddafi's forces and the side effects of the Allied efforts to enforce the no-fly zone.  I am reserving judgment on both the wisdom of our involvement and the way the decision was implemented. I support freedom and our President....but am willing to call 'em as I see 'em......once I have enough information to "see 'em" clearly and accurately.  Now is not the time to complain about who should get the credit (or blame), nor to cling blindly to the Constitution as the sole and immutable touchstone for any & every governmental action.  Contrary to popular belief, governments both federal & state have powers and people have rights not specifically spelled out therein.  More specific than that and it'd have to be a blog entry---and it's too late at night for me to start that tonight.

What an amazing 2011 it's been so far!  Turned 60 (or 30, v. 2.0) painlessly and tunefully among friends & family and singing with Stephen Lee Rich, Norm Siegel, & Dean Milano at Grounds For Appeal in Berwyn in January.  Had a productive and fun Folk Alliance in Memphis mid-February, terrific house concert for Crows' Nest (Andy & Darlene, thank you!) in Upper Sandusky (which is neither near nor north of Sandusky), OH; and our opening gig for Red Horse at Carnegie Lecture Hall in Pittsburgh went far beyond what we'd dared to dream--we kicked butt in front of a packed house (over 500!) and are eager to come back next year (we've been invited). Thanks to Tricia and the dedicated staff of Calliope Concerts for doing a great job of making us feel welcome and special and helping us give the audience our very best.  Had wonderful family time in the VA suburbs of D.C. with my sister, niece and friends (also made some valuable club contacts). And this past weekend, not only took in the Baltimore Pen Show but also had a delightful time playing Conewago Coffee in Elizabethtown, PA (thanks, Marti!) with our good friend Aaron Nathans (formerly of Madison, now of Wilmington, DE) opening; and at Aaron's invitation, playing both the Delaware Songwriters' FAWM Showcase in Newark, DE and the open mic at the Kennett Flash in suburban Philly's Kennett Square, PA.  The latter turned out to be an audition, which we passed with flying colors: we'll be back there in August, this time for a gig! It's one of the area's top folk venues and we're delighted to be in the company of some terrific and well-known performers.  Tonight back in Pittsburgh had a lovely dinner with my friend Randy Hoffmann, catching up on our doings since last I played Confluence with SASS! back in 2007. (Look for us there in July).

No real weather adventures (yet--we're headed into flood country tomorrow & Wed.) on the order of our little I-57 thrill ride in Feb. '10.  We managed to hold the road despite wind, sleet & ice en route to Montpelier, OH; but apparently, 7 semi-trailer rigs and an SUV between there & Upper Sandusky did not.  We dodged a couple of HUGE "snow bullets" there:  10" overnight as we slept in Montpelier, and another 4 or so overnight in Upper Sandusky.  But out in farm country road crews take snow removal seriously--driving was no problem and even the county & township roads were clear and (mostly) dry. By the time we got to Pittsburgh the ice & snow from earlier in the week was gone; we had nice mostly mild weather (interspersed with some rain & minor chill) in northern VA all week.  Heavy rains didn't dampen our fun in the Wilmington/Philly area; and Sunday's snow in Pittsburgh was long gone from the roads by the time we pulled in tonight. Hope our route up to northwestern OH tomorrow and home Wed. will be above the waterline!

Just a reminder that on Sat. 3/12 we'll be playing one of our very favorite concert series, Second Saturday at Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago (7475 N. Lincoln in Skokie---just barely in Skokie) at 8 pm, with Norm Siegel opening. $8 gets you an evening of fun and entertaining folk music, plus noshes & sips available.  

And the week after, Fri. 3/18 finds us up in Madison, WI at Wild Hog in the Woods Coffeehouse, Wil-Mar Center, 953 Jenifer St. (a block east of the Willy St. corridor). Admission $3/members $2, sugg. donation up to you--remember to "Phil the Pig--Wild Hog's unique tip jar--at the refreshments table.  Open mic between sets--sign up before the show starts at 8 pm. Come for the State Capitol protests, stay for the music!  (Because Stephen Lee Rich was unavailable to serenade the sit-in on Sat. night, the protest organizers had to go with their second choice: Michele Shocked.  By all rights, Stephen could be crowing about the pecking order, but he's ever the gentleman).

That's March (unless something else crops up, which will be the subject of add'l Sandygrams).  April finds me in New Orleans with Bob (long overdue alone time) with a possible gig-share; and then on to the Great Plains leg of the Attitudes tour--Iowa City, Columbia, MO; River City Folk taping in Omaha, and a return to Cafe Semolino in Hays, KS.  After that, Passover & Easter.

Just found out the date our Featured Artist spot will air on WTBQ's "Hootenanny Cafe:" June 4, 2011. So those of you within the Warwick, NY broadcast area (Catskills, southwest Hudson Valley, NE NJ & PA, Delaware Water Gap), tune in--the rest of us can stream it (and Wisconsinites and SE Minnesotans can then head over to Mill Bluff State Park).

Steve & tested out the new Bose L1 Model II at rehearsal tonight--getting a little easier each time we set up, and it's a MUCH easier teardown.  We discovered if we mic our instruments we don't even need to add a submixer.  We have a couple of new songs to debut (well, one's a new co-write, the other a familiar one we turned into a mash-up/medley) this Sat. night at Grounds For Appeal in Berwyn. (Show's 8-10 pm, but we'll be there about 6:30 to set up and pre-caffeinate).  I know I promised CAKE--but for those of you who were hoping to rock out to live electric guitars & trumpet on "Never There," "Short Skirt, Long Jacket," or "M'na M'na," I must apologize--I meant the EDIBLE kind of cake! 

Three days away....there's Bears in the air.  Hopefully, not to be intercepted by Packers.  

New Andina & Rich dates to announce, albeit a bit further out:  Hootenanny Cafe featured artists in June on WTBQ, Warwick (Orange County), NY (and an in-studio there on Nov. 4); Paulson House Concert Series, Naperville, IL, July 9. More springing up every day!  

Wow--was the last Journal update back in Oct. about FARM & SERFA? Time to fill you all in!!

First, the sad news.  We lost Bob's dad, Peter Andina, to three massive strokes and their aftermath on Nov. 4, 2010. Friends and loved ones flocked to say goodbye at his wake and funeral in Chicago and wake & interment in Queens, where he and Bob's mom Elizabeth are reunited, both returned to the Earth and to eternity.  Condolences go out to the families of those killed in the Tucson mass shooting this past Saturday, and prayers for healing and courage go to the wounded (chief among them Congresswoman Giffords) and their families. And finally, for Debbie Friedman, who revolutionized Jewish music, liturgy, and congregational participation--rest in peace, may her memory be for a blessing, and may we bless her by singing the musical setting of Mi Sheberach she composed that brought comfort, strength, and healing to so many over the years.

Now the good news.  FARM, SERFA, and NERFA turned out to be more fun and productive than we ever dreamed imagine: old friends, new connections, and wonderful music to hear and to join in performing.  And two of the prettiest mountain ranges you'd ever want to see--the Ozarks and Catskills (as well as Poconos and Alleghenies on the way home from NERFA).   The Bar Show, "Plea," revivified by a huge infusion of fresh new talent (our biggest cast in years) was a success and a stone gas.  

We're gratified and delighted that our song "Caffeine" was chosen as #3 by WDCB "Folk Festival" host Lilli Kuzma on her Top Ten Fave Songs List for 2010; that our CD "Two Guitars, a Dulcimer, and an Attitude" also made her 2010 Favorites list; that the CD was approved by the Recording Academy for inclusion on the preliminary Grammy ballot in 7 categories; and that EVERY ONE of its 14 songs has received airplay--worldwide, broadcast, webcast & satellite--some of 'em in rotation!  "Where Did the Good Man Go"was chosen for and is on the just-released Acoustic Rainbow "Roots/Americana" sampler; and "Morning" will be on Acoustic Rainbow's first-ever Bluegrass sampler!

And now, as promised in my Sandygram, "the organ recital:"

My right knee continues to heal nicely from the partial lateral meniscectomy arthroscopic surgery I had in July--and will NOT need to be replaced for at least a few years--I've been fitted with a support brace to make sure I don't tear anything else in it and that my patella stays where it belongs; and there's much less damage in the medial compartment than we'd thought (the damage on the lateral side's been smoothed by my ace orthopedic surgeon and will not require "unloading" of the forces on it).  And although the verdict on my left knee was initially grim--the medial (inner) condyle is bone-on-bone and the knee is a candidate for not a partial but a total replacement because I haven't had an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in it since ''94--I now have a combination ACL support/osteoarthritis "unloader" brace that will take most of the pressure off the inner surfaces of the knee and keep it from locking or collapsing. And it is a spiffy purple (almost went with Candy Apple Red metaillic).  This ought to keep me from going under the knife for at least another year, and make exercise (walking, hiking, stairs, and elliptical training) much easier.....and hopefully, help me shed a little of my excess "baggage." Come to my gigs, and I'll show it to you!

And the rest of the "organs?" Well, my bronchi misbehaved for a few days following the Bar Show (having had the courtesy not to go blooey during the run of the show) and my back went out for two weeks--the second day of its lumbar rebellion coinciding with both a massive snowstorm and the vandalism of my garage and car. (All that was lost was my driver-side window, a dying GPS, my sense of security--and to my greatest regret, my inability to entertain you at the Andina & Rich Holiday Show in Madison, hosted by the wonderful Shava Bas Riva. Thanks so much to Stephen, his wife Ingrid Frances Stark, and Nancy Rost for stepping in and delivering my intended musical contributions)!  But my body seems to be behaving just fine now........kinahorra........(Yiddish for "knock wood"). And my car's been fixed and I have a new GPS (as well as a reinforced garage door).

What's coming up? This Friday night 1/14 at 6:45 pm, I will be participating as one of the Worship Song Leaders at the TBD Minyan service at Emanuel Congregation (5959 N. Sheridan, Chicago), in honor and memory of Debbie Friedman. Next Sat. 1/22 from 8-10 pm, help me celebrate my Big Six-O birthday at Grounds For Appeal in Berwyn. (Details in the Calendar Dates section, in the last Sandygram, and a reminder next week--at our age, we need all the reminding we can get).

And check the Calendar Dates section for details about:  our showcases at Folk Alliance in Memphis on 2/18 & 19 (conference runs 2/16-20), house concert for Two Crows Farm in Upper Sandisky, OH on 2/25; and our biggest break thus far:  opening Sat. night 2/26 at Carnegie Lecture Hall in Pittsburgh for Red Horse (John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson)!  Then it's on to Conewago Coffee in Elizabethtown, PA on Sat. 3/5 (with a possible jam/writers' round in the Wilmington, DE area Fri. 3/4), with special guest our old friend Aaron Nathans; our annual concert at Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago in Skokie Sat. 3/12, with the inimitable Norm Siegel opening (and helping us close); Wild Hog in the Woods Coffeehouse in Madison, WI Fri. 3/18; The Mad Hatter's Room in Iowa City, IA Fri. 4/8; KOPN Sunday Morning Coffeehouse on-air 4/10; taping the syndicated "River City Folk" with host Tom May (we'll fill you in on air dates!!!) 4/13; returning to Cafe Semolino in Hays, KS Fri. 4/15; attending the AFM Local 1000 retreat at the Highlander Center near Knoxville, TN (members only, limited spots going fast!) 5/16-19; then on to SERFA as it moves to the spring at the Montreat Center in Asheville, NC 5/19-22; and places in between till our return to Cheeseland for the Mill Bluff State Park Art & Music Festival in Camp Douglas, WI Sat. 6/4; People's Church, in Chicago (tentative) Fri. 6/10; and Maxwell St. Days in Madison on Fri. July 15.  More to come in between and after, of course (and we're already booking into 2012, to tease ya)!

Stay warm, dry, and if you must go out on the ice, at least wear skates and carry a hockey stick (cue the vamp from "Chelsea Dagger")!!!

FARM 2010 is just four days away, and we already have 167 advance registrants! (That's twice the average since 2006, and 40% more than last year).  There will be a Folk-DJ showcase on Thurs. night, headlined by Jim Post, Joel Mabus, and Lou & Peter Berryman.  And of course, you're probably wondering when Andina & Rich will be playing. Our Performance Lane showcase is 11:20 pm Saturday night Oct. 9, in the Clover room (1st conf. room on the left after the lobby).  

We're heading south to SERFA in Mt. View, AR the next weekend (Oct. 14-17 at the Ozark Folk Center).  For those of you coming, our showcases are as follows: 

Thurs. 10/14, 1 a.m.            Songwriters in the Round with Bill & Kate Isles

Fri. 10/15, after lunch          Fast Pitch showcase (in main conf. auditorium)                                                                          11:30 p.m.         Artists' Continuum                                                                                                                      1:20 a.m.         Texas Sugarbabies                                                                                                  Sat. 10/16 10:30 p.m.        Make Nashville Weirder                                                                                                              12:20 a.m.        Virginia & Lovers

Cabin numbers will be listed in the conference program.        

AND don't forget the official Chicagoland release party (THE big one!) for Andina & Rich's "Two Guitars, a Dulcimer and an Attitude," 7-9:30 p.m. at McNichols Studio For the Performing Arts, 5225 Main St. (across Main from Emmett's Ale House and across the parking lot from the Ballydoyle; 2 bl. s. of the Metra BNSF Downers Grove station)  in Downers Grove, IL.  $10 gets you in the door, feeds your face and wets your whistle, and sends you home with an autographed CD!   Intimate friendly room with great acoustics (and gracious hostess!), and a show that'll be tons of fun.                                                                                                              

 

 

Here is when and where on the Fox Valley Folk Festival grounds to find Andina and Rich:

Sunday, Sep. 5:   11:00 a.m.  Main Stage;  1:30 p.m.  Two Way Street Favorites Stage

Monday, Sep. 6:   11:00 a.m.   Chicago Songwriters' Collective Workshop Stage  (possible time shift to noon)

Just been informed that for our Edgewater Third Saturdays outdoor show on Aug. 21 from 1-3 p.m.., we've been moved north from Thorndale & Broadway to the NW corner of Granville & Broadway, at the entrance plaza to the Claro Vista Apts., same building as Aldi. (Bananas Foster Cafe is across Granville).  We'll play rain or shine--there will be a canopy.  As always, this is a free entertainment series for the enjoyment of shoppers and the neighborhood. CDs will be available for sale.  

On a sad note, this has been a difficult summer indeed in terms of losing dear friends to the march of time. Farewell to Nate Brenner, a castmate of mine and veteran of the Chicago Bar Assn. Christmas Spirits show since 1965.  He was a genial and gentle soul who mentored cast newbies and while quiet, always had a quip or two up his sleeve.  I can't wrap my mind around his being gone, and will miss him even more once the reality sinks in.

Am now nearly 2 weeks post-arthroscopy on my rt. knee (see my blog).  One week post-injury, the swelling had gone down enough for the surgeon to manipulate my knee to ascertain I was having mechanical problems from the lateral meniscus tear; and this changed his mind--he decided I needed arthroscopic surgery after all.  So I had the surgery July 29 at Swedish Covenant Hospital.  Good news--no torn ligaments or tendons, just the lateral meniscus. Not-so-good news was that since the tear was in the avascular part of the meniscus (no blood vessels), it could not be stitched back together as was my left medial meniscus in 1994 and had to be trimmed smooth. The rough articular cartilage surfaces of my knee joint itself were also smoothed (to some degree) to reduce friction due to pretty advanced osteoarthritis (which is actually worse in the other knee). So it looks like I will be getting a pair of steel-and-teflon knees for Christmas. After some painful and shaky spells, now that I've been cleared to remove the compression bandage my knee is actually stabler and less painful.  Even able to take some small distances sans cane. (Considering that for the first couple of days I was on crutches and then for three more on a walker, not bad, huh?).  Seeing the surgeon tomorrow, and I expect to have the two sutures removed, and get permission to take a normal stand-up shower without wearing a garbage bag on my leg (and dangling it outside the tub while I sit on a shower chair)--and, hopefully, be cleared to drive....short distances at first. Norm, our bassist, will drive me to the CD release party in Madison on Thurs., as a 300-mi. roundtrip (on the day of a high-pressure show) is not the wisest choice for my return to the driver's seat.

CD release party tomorrow! Showtime at the Brink (701 E. Wash., Madison) is 7 pm, but that'll depend on how much before 6 we can get in to set up & soundcheck.  Normally, an hour's more than enough time for Steve & me, but this time we have Norm on bass & occasional third vox (plus his amp), Nancy on keys (plus her amp) and Julia on fiddle (okay, that's a relatively easy soundcheck); AND we hope to record this live. Ten bucks gets you in, and sends you home with an autographed CD.

Catch us in Chicago in my 'hood, on the corner of Thorndale & B'way, outdoors from 1-3 pm on Sat. Aug. 21--a return engagement in the Edgewater Third Saturdays summer concert series.  This should be a well-traveled but much more music-friendly (no noisy, stacked-three-deep, fume-spewing CTA buses idling on their route turnaround as were my accompaniment a mile south in July).  Free, of course!

Just found out we'll be playing the Two Way Street Favorites stage at Fox Valley (again, w. Norm on bass) this Labor Day weekend, and the Chicago Songwriters' Collective Showcase there on the other day of the fest.  Those of you in the CSC who have requested slots, I think you'll all be accommodated and I will be assigning them as soon as we know which day we're doing TWS (which requires a Main Stage mini-set the first slot of the day we're playing, which is usually the CSC's time slot--even if the CSC plays at noon that day, we'd prefer not to have to rush from one end of the park to the other, especially with my knee still feeling its oats).  The Festival runs 10 am (music starts 11)-6 pm (with square dance Sun. night) both Sun. & Mon. of Labor Day Weekend (9/5-6) on Island Park in the middle of the Fox River smack dab in downtown Geneva, IL. (Metra commuter rail at west end of the park).  No camping, but less than 90 min. by car from far northeast Chicago (shorter from points south & west), and plenty of reasonable lodging options in Geneva and surrounding 'burbs.

More airplay:  KOPN Sunday Morning Coffeehouse has played "Let 'Em Eat Moose"--the first broadcast station to take on Ms. Palin vicariously (or at least, via me). 'Nette Radio (internet, out of Los Angeles) played "Talking to the Vines." And Radio Crystal Blue's Novus Ordo podcast, which played the Appetizers version of "Comin' Home," will feature another song, this time off the full CD, on its Aug. 15-recorded podcast (likely up by Aug. 17).

Got the news Friday--the CD arrived chez Steve on Friday, and it sounds and looks great!  We're giving our good friend Lilli Kuzma, of WDCB-FM 90.9/www.wdcb.org, first crack at it--we will be officially debuting it on her "Folk Festival" show this Tues. night, 6/29, at approximately 8 pm CDT (the show itself runs from 7-9, and is definitely worth listening to in its entirety) and performing selections from it live in-studio as well as introducing cuts from and discussing it with Lilli.  Your first chance to buy it in person before its official release?  If you are coming to our special outdoor holiday dock concert for the Woolpys in Minocqua, WI on Sat. night July 3, we'll have it with us there.  If you plan to be in Hays, KS Fri. July 9 at 7:30 pm at Cafe Semolino, we're selling it there too. We're hoping to have it on Columbia, MO's KOPN "Sunday Morning Coffeehouse" with Steve Jerrett (also the home of Stephen Lee Rich's comedy segment "Penguin Shoeshine Theater") live in-studio the next day before heading back up north. Sat. July 15, 1 pm at Edgewater Third Saturdays in Chicago (location TBA, somewhere outside along either Granville, Thorndale, Bryn Mawr or Berwyn Ave. w/in steps of the CTA, or along Broadway between Granville and Berwyn), I will have some for you in my open guitar case--no tips necessary, they're paying me--as I perform solo for your enjoyment. You West Suburbanites get your chance to buy it when Andina & Rich play the French Market in Lisle Sat. morning July 24 from 8-noon (or longer if we're on a roll) and Northsiders can come to the Glenlake Block Party to watch us play (gratis) at my block party during the dinner hour.  Madisonians get their chance at our first OFFICIAL release party Thurs. Aug. 12 at The Brink Lounge just n. of downtown--for $10 you get not just admission but the CD itself....and maybe some noshes.  We will have accompaniment (fiddle, bass, mandolin, perhaps accordion, just like on the disc). We're still working on the location of the Chicago release party; and we would love to be able to have one down in Southern IL near Sparta, so our full in-studio lineup can join us on stage!

It's also being processed by CDBaby.com so very soon you can buy it there and via Amazon and BestBuy.com (and on the usual download services including iTunes, Amazon, & Rhapsody--but you'd be missing out on the terrific packaging and art direction by the amazing Annie Capps if you only download).  It is immediately available for $15 (S&H included) from www.andinaandrich.com--just e-mail becausewecan@andinaandrich.com until we have the link up and we'll get it out to you (we'll even remove the shrink-wrap and autograph it if you'd like).   Look for t-shirts and other merch as well very soon.

If you'd like to be part of "Andina & Rich's Attitude Army" ("street team" is so yesterday), let us know at our e-mail address!

Also, if you reside or have contacts anywhere along the road from Chicago to Hays (including the Des Moines, Topeka and Kansas City areas) and Columbia back home (the St. Louis and s. IL areas north along I-55 or I-57) and would like us to entertain you up-close-and-personal (but not in-your-face)--do let us know ASAP:  we will do house concerts, coffeehouses, bookstores, hoedowns, whatever.  By ASAP, I mean STAT, PDQ, yesterday!

Finally, a special shout-out to my good friend Jean-Luc Leroux in Nouméa, New Caledonia.  Besides being a wonderful singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist, he is the deejay and host of "Route 66," the Southwest Pacific's premier roots/Americana/Canadiana/bluegrass/country music program en français, on Radio RRB, Saturday afternoons from 4:30-6pm Nouméa local time (14 hours earlier for Central Daylight time, interpolate your time zone from there). Listen streaming live (and archived till each new show) at http://countrydanseetmusiquenc.lagoon.nc.He has been playing country selections from Andina & Rich's, SASS!'s and my solo CDs. And for the past month or so, I've been his American music correspondent, delivering the weekly "Nashville News" and spotlighting two noteworthy new releases per show.  (Aussi en français, bien sur).  The talk may be in French, but the music's mostly in English and always a delight.  I hope my schedule (and knees) will permit me to deliver one of those weekly reports live from Nashville when Jean-Luc visits there in late September! (And to let Steve take his French language skills out of mothballs).

Ah, I love the smell of shrinkwrap in the morning!

Despite the worst spring allergy season on record (sky-high grass pollens and cottonwood blizzards), I've bludgeoned my asthma into submission with albuterol 4x/day and Singulair; and now I've been switched to Advair twice a day, with nary a wheeze. (Still being vigilant about my sinuses).  Got my hair repaired so that it's stronger and won't frizz for at least the next three months.  Fixed my malfunctioning machines (and replaced the one--Gordy's A/C--I couldn't fix). 

And after several fun weekends gigging and also entertaining for just the fun of it, plus furiously proofreading and e-mailing, I am excited to say that the new Andina & Rich CD is now wholly in the hands of the pressing plant. Yup-they have the master, the artwork, the text and the payment.  Soon as we get the hard-copy proofs back and approve them, pressing and packaging will be complete 16 business days later. And then, when the discs arrive, we'll schedule the release parties: one in Chicago, one in Madison, and maybe one even down near Sparta where the album was born. In any case, we will have the same instrumentation as we did on the CD so that what you'll hear on stage is what you'll get to take home (if we can't get the original studio musicians, we have some excellent subs at the ready).

We'll see you next at Cafe Carpe in Ft. Atkinson, WI on June 4 (co-bill with Rich Baumann, who may also join us on fiddle); and I'll be volunteering June 6 at the Sing Out! benefit concert at First Congregational Church (home of Two Way Street) in Downers Grove--tickets are going fast (Anne Hills is headlining). Then I'm headed to San Diego for a week of rest, relaxation and reconnection with friends---anyone down there who wants to host a house concert, let me know and I'll pack my guitar & dulcimer.  And on June 19, we'll be in Berwyn at Grounds For Appeal!

So the night before the Remembering Tom Dundee tribute concert, I was having a pre-temple-karaoke dinner at B'way Cellars and suddenly realized I did not want dessert. This was a bad sign (as all who know their desserts can attest).  Head home and find I am having trouble holding notes singing along with the radio. Decided that singing in one corner of a social hall full of kids also playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero would not be good for my voice (nor for said kids). So I took the usual early-cold precautions and turned in early.

Next day was just about able to get through the three songs Steve & I did in the postlude, and tried to spice my cold into submission with a Southern dinner at Big Jones. Felt lousier & lousier till Tues. I called the family doc--who told me to come in STAT. I was wheezing & gasping so hard I even stuffed a toothbrush into my purse just in case I got admitted. It didn't come to that--but it turned out an allergic postnasal drip had combined with a cold (which I probably caught at a beauty treatment on Thurs.), turned bacterial and occupied my lungs. This bronchitis in turn triggered asthma--which had been impervious to even my nebulizer.

Now, whenever there's a flu or cold outbreak going around, health reporters do stories admonishing sufferers not to pester their doctors for an antibiotic 'scrip, since colds & flu are viral and antibiotics don't work on viruses.  I had a standing scrip for a Z-Pack I never filled, for that reason (I was also spooked at the prospect of abusing antibiotics), as well as Flonase and a Medrol (prednisone) Dosepak in reserve for a sudden laryngitis attack before a big gig; I skipped the steroids because I thought that they depress the immune system and shouldn't be used during an infection.  But it turns out that anyone with chronic sinusitis and especially asthma should have an emergency supply of both, according to my doc.  The pollen mixed with the viruses, awakened a colony of strep or mycoplasma in my sinuses and sent the whole stew slithering down into my lungs. Yuck.  

Also learned a better way to use an inhaler, more effective than even a nebulizer--exhale, shake inhaler, insert into mouth (closed around inhaler), inhale SLOWLY and during inhalation depress the canister for 2 short puffs. Count to 5, relax & exhale.  For the first time, I actually felt and tasted the medicine in my throat, not just the propellant in my mouth.

Breathing much easier now, not fully recovered, but enough of my range is back to handle two sets next Fri. night at Wild Hog.  So don't feel like a doofus or hypochondriac if you feel a cold coming on and you have allergies or asthma--especially if you sing!  You still might not need any more than chicken soup, steam, saline spray and hot tea.......but let that be your doctor's call, not yours.

Now if poor Ruby (my '02 Taurus SEL) would just get discharged from her "hospital;" did the math and the repairs are still less than low blue book value, but regardless of that, I don't want a new car.....nor a new loan.  3 motor mounts, 2 shocks, oil pan/steering/trans. fluid leak, new side view mirror and oil change....coulda been a lot worse. Gone through a few batteries, a set and a half of tires and a set of brakes, about par for the course over eight years (and all of the latest ones of those are new).   Come home, Ruby--I'd rather drive you than that crummy little rental car to Madison!

We had a terrific time at Folk Alliance, and did a number of wonderful concerts:  with the Holdsworths opening for us, we nearly filled the room at Ethical Humanist and have already been rebooked for January.  We had an enthusiastic audience for our newest material at Live From the Living Room in Pontiac, MI, watched Annie & Rodd Capps do a terrific video concert at Trinity House in Livonia, and Annie is just about done with the CD graphics--we just have a couple more photos for the back cover and booklet to take and send her; hopefully, we'll have the 14-song full monty to the pressing plant by the end of the month and will be scheduling the release parties (Chi., Madison, and S. IL) as soon as the discs are in our hands. Meanwhile, had a wonderful time reconnecting with my Bar Show castmates at Scoozi (and am honored to have won the Spear Carrier Award; for a full year, my home will be protected from intruders w/o my having to possess an illegal firearm).  Attended Mary McNichols' voice studio opening in Downers Grove: it's beautiful, roomy and has great acoustics (hopefully, we'll be doing some performing there) and her and Pat's hospitality was gracious (especially despite my klutz tendencies flaring up that day and inspiring others to do the same).  Saw John Gorka & Susan Werner own the room at McAnich Arts Center; thank goodness Werner can't be gigging everywhere at once, so I don't have to give up and go back to practicing law full time. Stephen & I had a wonderfully entertaining SIR writers' round in Madison, where we were wowed by Andrew Nath and Bill Camplin (a guy who can sing, play, write, run pristine sound AND cook)!  Finally,  I had a blast playing Folk Jeopardy on Lilli Kuzma's Folk Festival show last week (Robin & Jenny Bienemann providing imaginative and fun interludes--including the Jeopardy! theme on chimes--and all of us doing a mass singalong on "City of New Orleans" and "This Land is Your Land;" my dulcimers got quite a workout and I introduced much of the W. suburban folk musician community to Passover munchies in the green room). We will definitely be taking that show on the road--at least across the w. suburbs--with the "Folk Jeopardy Players" providing the music.  Friday night we took Bob & his dad to see Celtic Woman---wish I'd been able to shoot video of Dad, nearly 90, clapping and singing along and playing air bodhran.  Sat. was the Christ Hospital gala at Union Station, where we were delighted to find ourselves seated with fellow pro-health-reform liberals! (Whole lotta toasting goin' on).  

What's up next? Well, tomorrow we send off our 1040 so Tax Refund Fairy can wave her magic wand soon; this Sunday 4/18, Andina & Rich will perform our version of Tom Dundee's "These Cowboys Born Out of Their Time" during the postlude to the Dundee tribute concert starring Donna Adler, Chris Farrell, Mick Scott and Norm Siegel at Lilly's on Lincoln at 3 pm.  Then it's up to Wild Hog in the Woods in Madison on Apr. 30 at 8 pm, and The Newport Coffeehouse in Bannockburn, IL on May 14.  (Got some personal and family events to attend, hence the lessened amount of performing).

Apologize for no blog activity--between Facebook maintenance, TV and computer repair, tax doo-dah, a bad back and the above stuff I haven't had much of a chance to shoot off my mouth.....digitally.

Up Monday morning for breakfast, then packed in a whirlwind. Loaded the car and decided to forego our annual visit to Schwab's:  we had all the props and tchotchkes we needed and wanted to get home ahead of the snow. So we were on the road by noon, a Memphis record for us. The Vibe indeed drove like a dream.  First anticipated stop: the Cotton Inn in Osceola, AR for some Southern coconut cake or sweet potato pie (breakfast had been too recent for a full lunch) and a jar of that amazing Alan's Organic Honey we'd bought there last year.  But there was no coconut cake (the sweet potato pie was still a nice consolation prize) and there was no honey in the display case:  they'd sold their last jar on Sunday, and there'd be no more for awhile, as it had not been an abundant summer for bees. Back on the road, we reached BJ's BBQ in Kewanee, MO at lunchtime. Last time we'd been there, it was all you could eat for eight bucks. But times are tough: it's down to $6.25! We loaded up on ribs, chicken, pork chops, beef ribs, veggies and cornbread, and happily burped our way north to Mt. Vernon, stopping at 17th St. for frozen ribs, condiments and a T-shirt to take home.  

Noticed along the way that as my throat had begun to clear, Steve was coughing and sniffling more & more. Uh-oh.  Checked into the Holiday Inn Express, found our way to our favorite Cantonese buffet, and I saw that I seemed to be out-eating Steve. This alarmed me--he (the man with a hollow leg and the metabolism of a blast furnace) was nibbling. I suggested he just go for the chicken broth in the wonton soup and he felt a bit better. Got back to the room--it was too late and we were too wiped out to record "Chasing Lightning" so we watched TV in our adjoining rooms. I fell asleep and was awakened by heartburn; as I sat up and it subsided, I heard him coughing and hacking. He assured me he'd be okay.  At breakfast the next morning, I suggested we pick up some DayQuil for him, and so we did.  We made excellent time going home (stopping at Effingham for snacks & Arcola for a late lunch).  Stayed a step ahead of the snow and behind the Chicago rush hour--smooth sailing all the way.

Both got home feeling like dreck--Steve had caught the cold that was going around FAI and I had caught it (a different virus than the one I'd brought TO Memphis) as well. We were both too exhausted and laryngitic to record; and I advised him to sleep over, as the guest room was ready for him and Ingrid confirmed it was snowing in Madison.  I slept in, and by the time I'd awakened, he was full of breakfast and on the road.  I had begun to run a fever again (this time accurately recorded) and so napped on and off, watching the Olympics on Wed. and catching up on bill-paying and this journal. Today (Thurs.) I found out he'd arrived home yesterday at 1:30pm with just enough energy to hit the sack; he slept straight through till 7 this morning!

We had a marvelous time, despite mishaps and maladies en route (and news of mishaps at home as well--Ingrid had been rear-ended in Madison the night we spun out, and Bob had fallen on the ice Sunday walking from Holy Cross Hospital to the Mother House of the Sisters of St. Casimir to visit a sick nun who was one of his patients, and bruised his ribs so badly he thought they were broken; but he went to work anyway).  Despite his own injured ribs, he was eager to devour the BBQ'ed ones I brought home from 17th Street.

So it's back to my normal routine (with a bit more gray hair than usual--no time for a touchup) tomorrow: looking forward to reconnoitering with my Bar Show buddies at the Cast Party at Scoozi, to be entertained and lampooned by the rookies.  And more blogging, promoting, family stuff, and checking in with the office.  Life is good, even if uneven; music is better; family and friendship is best. Little mishaps engender big miracles.  All in all, as Andy Calhoun said on his Facebook page, living in the "now" is as good as it gets.

Amen. And so to bed (after a glass of bubbly with my darlin', who just got home from a grueling day at the hospitals).

My dream reverie of a lazy Sunday morning sleep-in preparatory to Exhibit Hall teardown (in no shape nor mood for a rousing gospel breakfast buffet with the Sacred Steel Revue) was jangled into reality by a panicked phone call from Steve: the Exhibit Hall was no more--every table stripped of everything and everything on or in it in the dumpster. Seems teardown was from 6-8pm SAT. night (which had never happened in my FA experience--teardown was always early Sun. afternoon, accompanied by frantic selloff deals by merchants who wanted to schlep as little home with them as possible). He'd retrieved the one FARM banner Annie had hung over the hotel escalators but the one I thought she'd wanted me to take from the hall had vanished into the ether. After frantic phone calls to everyone I could think of, Steve and I met for what was left of the breakfast buffet and began to brainstorm. I still felt awful physically, but the overlay of guilt made it even worse. I resolved to repay Annie to make another one (the printing firm still had her artwork). Went back to my room, updated e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook (whatever did we do in the olden days before 2006?) and there was a message from Annie telling me she'd gotten home safe and sound and had a blast. I apologized about the banner---and she replied that there had been only ONE banner--the one Steve had safely retrieved.

 I collared the other officials and regional leaders to whom I'd made panicked calls and told them all was well. Said as many good-byes to departing friends and acquaintances as my diminishing voice and energy would allow and headed back up to the room for more e-mail, Olympics and naps. Awoke at 3:45pm, and for the first time that week, actually hungry.  Called Steve (and woke him up too) and we decided to grab a cab to Gus'. Got downstairs, said some more goodbyes, and headed out to hail a cab. Unfortunately, the heavens had opened: rain coming down in buckets, thunder and lightning, and saw some old bearded dude in robe and sandals carrying a yardstick marked in cubits and a pile of lumber, muttering something about having to find a male-female pair of rats.

We took this as a sign to eat in. There were too few guests left (the cotton-gin conventioneers had not yet arrived in force) for the buffet, but we ordered off the menu. Chicken soup (finally!) and the best piece of salmon I'd had in quite a while.  Just as we were debating dessert, we noticed Sue Fink, to whom I'd wanted to talk all weekend. We stretched out a lovely dinner and a lively conversation, and headed back to my room to work on a co-write we'd started earlier that week.  

We'd thought it'd take at least an hour.  Worked out the chords and melody for the verses and bridge (we'd nailed the choruses and lyrics earlier) and 20 minutes later we had the finished song "Chasing Lightning," the most equal co-write either of us had ever done. Only thing that kept us from recording it right then & there was that the remaining guests were not night owls and we didn't want to awaken anyone on a Sunday night.  We said goodnight, knowing we had to pack, load and leave in the morning.

Friday morning dawned too darn early--gulped down coffee, headed to the FARM breakfast only to find there wasn't anything set out--so we grabbed buffet tickets for the hotel restaurant, and started our meeting half an hour late (as did all regions).  Normally, we're lucky to get half the room filled and use up most of our allotted time. This time, it was SRO, and we ran as long as we could till the next panel literally pushed us out the door. Consensus was that this fall's Gathering was the best ever and the only thing wrong with the hotel was the absence of communal dining--which we've fixed for 2010.   Kept getting buttonholed in the hall by grateful FARM-goers (and potential attendees) who told me how wonderful FARM had become. We will definitely stay in Bolingbrook this year, and the consensus is that to maintain a good relationship with the hotel (mirroring FAI's with the Memphis Marriott) we'll probably meet there in 2011 as well, keeping it our home base for occasional forays every two or three years (starting in 2012) to a hotel in another Midwestern city that's an airline hub with good rail access: the Twin Cities, KC, St. Louis, Detroit/Ann Arbor, Cleveland, Cincinnati,etc..  The days of bucolic and primitive retreat centers located away from international airports and AMTRAK are over......unless we want to have an interim folk retreat during the year, sort of the Folk Alliance equivalent of a science fiction "relaxicon:" no showcasing, no pressure, no business or adminstrative meetings, just good clean informal fun and music.

Off the hook as a no-longer-Regional-Leader, I rested up and skipped lunch, and headed to a long but pleasant and productive Local 1000 EB meeting, breaking for Shabbat services in Cynthia & Dick's room. Joining us were Chico Schwall and Mara Levine.  It felt like family...it felt like home. Same prayers (synthesis of Gates of Prayer and the newer Mishkan Tefillah), different "niguns" (melodies--every congregation or region seems to have its own except for the major hymns).  I don't attend temple often enough, but I felt so at home and among a new family who felt as if I've known them forever. I still didn't quite feel up to real dinner, so I ordered another bowl of soup from room service, watched some politics and Olympics and dozed off, so I went back to rest up for the Local 1000 Showcase-Free-Zone song circles. Meanwhile, Steve had taken the car in to a GM dealership to determine the extent of unseen damage--and all there was were one cut and one off-kilter tire. Not bad--and with new tires, the car was better than even before we'd left Chicago.   I made it into the SFZ room with no voice but a guitar and dulcimer--croaked out "The Dream Deferred" a step-and-a-half low, and skipped a verse, but still did okay.  Went to bed knowing I had a full day of meetings and performance ahead.

Up early for the remainder of the L1K EB meeting--had a granola bar, DayQuil and a quart of hot herb tea and honey for lunch & dinner.  Broke in time to rehearse with Steve for our 2 pm Parkington House showcase--again, though the audience was small at first, our energy level and ensemble vibe brought people in and we got a gig offer (and, we hope, entertained our hostess). Then on to set up for the L1K membership meeting--which was warm and enjoyable.  Next, to Cynthia & Dick's room for Havdala service--the ceremony marking the end of Shabbat, almost always held at home rather than in temple. Again, I don't think I'd ever felt as at home at a Folk Alliance as I did with the Roths.  Chico joined us at the conclusion. I begged off a repeat fried chicken dinner, as it was the first evening I had enough appetite to handle a full dinner and Steve had been craving our annual trip for ribs at the Rendezvous. Acting first upon advice to try Tops instead, we arrived at the branch across from the Medical Center only to find they served only pulled pork and burgers--no ribs. So we cabbed it back to the Rendezvous--during our wait for a table, we ran into a family from Northbrook, who'll be coming to our Newport Coffee gig this May. Small world!  And the ribs?  Oooohhhh  my...........there's a reason why Food Network, who employs the Neelys (who run a competing joint) had its panel of critics rate the Rendezvous as the best.  Hey, how can you go wrong at a place referenced in a John Hiatt song? ("Memphis in the Meantime," if you're keeping score).

Back to the hotel.  I'd not been comfy with my voice at the L1K meeting closing song--I think my vocal energy'd been spent giving my all at the Parkington House showcase earlier in the day. Steve and I both had writing and blogging to catch up on too, and the semi-open writer's round in Kari Estrin's room had a line stretching out the door and down the hall.  I drifted off during the Olympics and was awakened by a call that our presence was requested at a writers' round in the Roths' room.  We hightailed it up there and I did "Dad's Harmonica." We then sat through a delightful set from Canadian Kerry Katherine, and then the closer from the inimitable Andy Cohen.  Though he is a "blues" player, it is impossible to feel anything short of energy and exultation after one of Andy's sets. No way were we about to fall asleep. (Heck, he can spin his Gibson in the air mid-run--take THAT, Los Lonely Boys!--and not miss a note).  We said our heartfelt good-byes to the Roths, who were leaving for north Texas in only a few hours and headed off to sleep (which did not happen till close to 5 am, since the Andy-Cohen-induced musical high took that long to wear off).

On Tues 2/16 we hit the road (more gingerly this time, noticing carefully just how many breaches in barb-wire fences we saw) for Memphis, detouring for a power supply for my Mac, and for lunch at the inimitable 17th St. BBQ, the southern IL chain of which is a perennial world rib-cookoff champ and well-deserving of it.  It seemed that the sunset came faster; and at one gas stop in Sikeston, MO we got ourselves lost (despite GPS in both of my cellphones) due to ambiguous signage--a problem that repeated itself when we found ourselves missing the I-40 turnoff and entering Memphis in a decidedly unfamiliar part of town (unfamiliar at least in daylight). We'd been looking forward to enjoying Mardi Gras on Beale St, but arrived so late we had to settle for the bar at the Marriott, with margaritas instead of hurricanes. Laissez les bons temps rouler? Hey, after the two days we had, laissez ANY temps rouler and not "tombler." 

Awoke Wed. morning intending to hit the breakfast buffet, but it was all I could do to choke down a couple of cups of coffee and an Atkins bar.  Yup--I had come down with not just the mother but the mother-in-law of all colds. Spent much of the day napping and then headed to Exhibit Hall setup. Only there was nothing yet to set up--nothing and nobody had arrived at our table but yours truly. It was COLD in there too--I looked longingly at the "clothing petting zoo" of velvety tops and jackets but dared not buy one. I decided to rest in my room and skip the Exhibit Hall welcome reception--just not up to it and needed to practice my parts, and conserve my strength and voice.

Eschewed dinner for a bowl of room-service soup, then napped. Uh-oh.  For those of you with colds or reflux who must sing later in the day, do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT nap, no matter how rotten you feel. (I knew I had a fever, but the thermometer I did find--packed into my bags long ago when Gordy was still a kid--had such an old battery that it informed me my body temp was somewhere between Popsicle and sushi). I awoke at 8 for our 10:30 showcase with very little voice, all of it either basso profundo or Minnie-Mouse falsetto. I figured we'd focus on the songs on the CD featuring Steve on lead and me on soft harmony and instrumental prowess.  I could barely croak out that harmony. By sheer dint of water, vitamin C, a tangerine (thank you, Doug Spears!), Ricolas, throat spray and hot tea with sugar and soft warmups, we were able to get through both the rehearsal for the set for which we were Cynthia Bennett's backup band (along with Chico Schwall and her husband Dick Roth), our own set (note to anyone who saw that--my voice is much better!) and then Cynthia's. On the whole it went well.  We were then informed that Louis Meyers, the Exec. Dir. of FAI, wanted us to record Cynthia's hilarious parody, "The Bassist Who Never Returned" (a situation familiar to anyone who ever found themselves first waiting forever for and then unable to exit a crowded convention elevator) the next day---on a true Edison wax cylinder!  (Good thing I'd brought my acoustic bass guitar!).  En route back to my room and dreamland, Cynthia hugged me softly and sang a Mi Sheberach for my healing.  I realized that I was in the process of making not a contact, but a real friend.

Awoke Thurs. feeling somewhere between hit-by-a-truck and death-warmed-over.  Went to my final Regional Leaders luncheon, passing the FARM President baton into the able hands of Annie Capps. Nibbled my way through the omelet & salad, passed around my fries. Then off to the Trolley Stop for the wax cylinder recording.If you've never seen this before, it was like going back into a time machine.  Everyone: vocalists, instrumentalists, gathered in front of a small condenser mic atop an old-fashioned gramophone horn.  A hollow wax cylinder was slipped over a slightly smaller metal tube and rotated at over 100 RPM while a steel needle etched the analog of the sound funneled through the horn.  Each cylinder is only 2 minutes (about 5") long, so we managed to capture only the first half of the last chorus.  So another cylinder was slipped on and we picked up with the last part of the last verse.  Now, you young'uns used to editing a computer-screen ProTools or Logic waveform with a few mouse clicks may never have seen analog reel-to-reel tape spliced with a metal block, a razor blade and sticky tape.  Imagine going back a step further--actually cutting off parts of the wax cylinder and pressing them together to make an edit!  Can't wait to hear the finished product!

Sent Steve to the Folk-DJ reception while I set up the Local 1000 table.....except none of our materials had appeared to arrive save for the guitar picks which I'd brought with me, and nobody from the union was in yet. Then, to my immense relief reports of arrivals trickled in on my cellphone and I met Local 1000's interim office mgr. Amanda--who was friendly, professional, and bearing loads of literature, forms and our two banners. We quickly set up and sat at the table, despite the still-arctic hall temps and dearth of passerby. Still, I stayed till 5:45. Steve came by and had been able to hand out only 6 CDs--the lines at the reception for each DJ were THAT long. Oh, well--there were several days left, and I had handed some out myself.

Our next showcase wasn't till 2 am in the GoGirls room.  Gratefully accepted Cynthia & Dick's offer of dinner at Gus' Famous Fried Chicken (Cynthia pointed out I'd be getting my chicken soup in solid concentrated form). Madalyn Sklar of GoGirls Music, her partner and another friend came along and we had a marvelous time (although I learned the hard way that as with fried green tomatoes, one prudently eats fried pickle spears with knife and fork--those are HOT). Went back to the room to nap. Awoke at 12:20 for our 12:30 rehearsal---and I had NO voice. NONE. ZIP. NADA.  Enough wind to play harmonica but my croaking wouldn't have satisfied the least discerning frog.  So Steve arrived and I bludgeoned my way through every therapeutic warmup exercise I knew, gobbled Ricolas, guzzled hot tea and tepid water and whatever Singer's Saving Grace I had left--slowly my voice came back, we dropped everything a step and went for it.  Arrived in the GoGirls room to find Mara Levine softly, soothingly and calmingly charming everyone--and then noticed the webcam.  We weren't going to need to blast, just be ourselves, audible and entertaining. And it worked--we kicked butt and took no prisoners, knowing the world was watching. We had fun to make sure our viewers would too.  We closed out the night; and if I'd had the strength to pick up Madalyn Sklar and hug her I would have--we settled for a high-five, a hug and a goodnight!