Breaking Through the Blues-Blahs of Januweary

Every once in awhile you get to see a performer at the peak of their creativity, youthful energy and joy of being in the moment with the crowd. Last night Mary and I got to be part of that with several hundred other devotees at the Brandi Carlile show at the Intersection in Grand Rapids. Our daughter Ashley had seen her a couple of times around Boston and said how great her concerts were, we all loved her first few records, especially The Story and the latest Give up the Ghost. To see a group of musicians all clicking, feeding off the crowd and being true to themselves; the first Springsteen show I saw in Chicago in 1975, or a 1990's show of Lindsay Buckingham's at the State theater here in Kalamazoo are two that come to mind. From a cover of the Beatles, "I've just seen a Face" to her latest single "Dreams" to the song she dedicated to Michigan, "The Story", she and her band rocked, reeled and mellowed it with her sensitive songs that the crowd sang along with Brandi and her band made the evening magical. The first hour of the show seemed like 15 minutes and the next thing ya know she was doing Johnny and June's, "Jackson" and then into her signature cover, "Folsom Prison Blues" to bring the crowd in to a frenzy. A few encore songs gave folks a chance to relax and listen to the diverse instrumentation as she brought out the opening act, Katie Herzig for a song with both bands, when 2 cellos were played along with drums and guitars and some sweet singing. In the course of the evening managed to work in a totally unplugged song and a tune with just Brandi and ukulele.

Brad Paisley may have been partying over at Van Andel Arena with several thousand but their was no more genuine musical spirit and camaraderie then was going in inside the Intersection.

In the midst of a winter that has had it's share of bleakness and tragic happenings this was what many needed to look forward to and be present in and get away from it all for awhile. Even for a couple of old concertgoers who were among the dozen oldest (in age but not enthusiasm) in attendance, Mary and I did our thing. Mary even made her way through those standing in front of the stage to get closer while I did my Solo dance routine for those around me.

Today is a very gray and rainy Januweary day outside but last nights sailing home on a song and memory has given this Sunday a lift above the clouds for us AARP members;)

"age is no problem, I'm as young as I want to be"

I'm a Coconut -SR Symons

why on earth?

such pitiful noises
crumble and shatter
so many lives running in the streets
a petrified world
so cold to the touch
can't make up it's mind
how to react
to the cracks in the crust
from 1975 Sreno

Post Christmas Post

NO Remiss here for there were MO Happenings after Christmas;

on the 29th of Decemblurr we had the unforgettable but hard to recall CLONE JAM 2009

at Clone Studios somewhere deep in the cold night where "Jammy" Johnny Lewisss, Jimmy "Steel Away" Peeters, Jazzman, Melvi , Delicate MIke D. and others who prefer to remain anonymous made sweet music and sammiches to end the year on a high NOtation and poetic blissness..............shoo wah shooo wahhhh..............

AND NEW Years was spent by Mary and I and Calllie over at the Wiegand Estate. Master Chef Peter, fresh out of his own surgery, cooked steaks and Crab, while we toasted and gamed the night away. Mikey D. showed up too and Margie smiled through it all as we and the under age present (Molly and Co.) stayed up past MidNIght WOW at our age! Happy Happy JOYs Joy to all and to all a great NEW YEAR!

Back in December 2009

2010 is upon us and as we look ahead I am still digesting December and the highs and lows that came with it. Here are some of those:

My scheduled pulling of wisdom teeth became postponed til the New Year as the Dr. felt that pulling even one right now might cause complications (more to follow). Pain medication would kept me company throughout the holiday.

Hokey Christmas was on the 17th and had a great turnout of old friends, musicians and holiday partiers. It was great that Greta made it with her posse including her dad all the way from Cheboygan and the always great dancing styles of Ms. Johnson. Marty and Kelly, the tradition lives ! I walked home in a light snow after 1:oo AM.

We had a festive and filling dinner out at the Konvalinka's on the 18th, a snowy and icy night. Kudos to our hosts for the invite, entertainment and hospitality. Let's do this more often;)

Next, was picking up Ashley coming in from Boston on the 22nd at Detroit Metro. This reunion for parents and daughter is always special; smooth driving and pickup.

On the 23rd I had a fun evening around the corner with JMan drinking the local Bell's Best Brown and discussing the state of the world and where we might be headed.

We usually try and do something special when Ashley is home as a family so this year we wanted to take her to one Kalamazoo's new restaurants, we took her to Zooroona, which specializes in middle eastern fare. It was very nice but we neglected to have our photo taken in our cozy little booth. Food very good and unique atmosphere.

Christmas Eve was next and this traditionally is spent at our house with Mary's family, all of whom were from around town this year. A Highlight was seeing Aunt Frannie blow out the birthday candles for her 89th birthday, which was the 26th. Otherwise, food, drink, a fire, music, a few early gifts and warm vibes were flowing.

Our immediate family is lucky to still be able to spend Christmas morning together as it has been for 25 years. The four of us sharing gifts and each other's company. One of my best gifts this year is seeing Ashley and Callie enjoying each others company, whether playing games or just talking. It does a parent's heart good as they don't often have a chance to do this anymore.

The rest of the day was spent being lazy, eating, games, and another tradition of watching videos from Christmas long ago.

The day after Christmas we headed to Detroit for the annual trek to my extended family visits.
Cousin Erin was in town from San Fran as was Sister Sheryl husband Jim, Sister Suze and niece Lily (all down from N. Mich) and we gathered at my Mom's in Fraser for brunch and my Dad and Bev's in Sterling Hts. for dinner. My step dad Linc was still in the hospital from his recent brain surgery and this made it difficult for us to celebrate but we did appreciate each other and our health even more. The love my mom gets from all this is more important than ever as she tries to find the best situation for Linc. Our visit with him on Sunday gave us a dose of reality that many families are dealing with these days. We try and do the best we can.

I did get in a quick visit with friend Corby who resides in Grosse Pte. We met up and watched some LiDowns at the Red Red Robin. He came over my mom's house for a visit after and we reminisced about old times in the neighborhood.

So all in all after the festivities with I think 19 or so in Sterling Hts. where Mary, Callie, Ashley and I stayed the nights we headed back home on Monday with a detour to get Ashley to her flight at Detroit Metro which just had the bomb scare so all the security was on a heightened status. This drop off is tough enough after a too short visit to say goodbye without many tears.

My Dad and Bev were readying themselves for their trip south which they left for on the 30th.

Mary, Callie and I would head back through the snow to our elder doggie Maddie back home, where Uncle Joe had been watching over her.

I want to say thanks to all for the heartfelt love we have as family and friends. Let us keep it with us as we deal with the challenges ahead in 2010. May it keep our hearts strong and mindful of those things that are most important.

Peace brother and sisters all Peace be with you.