Thanks for all the happy holiday and new year's wishes. I have a growing list of things I want to blog about, but I've been so busy doing all those things that I haven't had time to write about it.
So here are some highlights of some good times.
New Year's Eve
I took the night off, in theory. Dropped by a friend's party. Then dropped by the Monkey Wrench to have a cocktail before zipping over to Headliner's to dance to Johnny Berry. Of course, I ended up singing with his band as well. This led to a someone sending up a drink -- isn't life great when the audience knows what you drink? -- which led to me being hungover on New Year's Day. Typical, of course, but I rarely actually drink on New Year's Eve. I also found a new dance partner who can lead well, which is nice because I think I was wearing Bo out at all those Johnny Berry shows. You're off the hook, Bo.
Anyway, it was annoying to have a headache on New Year's Day because for the past five years (well, i took last year off), I have helped put together the...
Townes Van Zandt Tribute
It started when some of the guys in the kick-ass southern rock band Dallas Alice got the idea to host an event on New Year's Day where local musicians play Townes Van Zandt covers. We did the first one in 2005 (I think), and this year I moved the event to the Monkey Wrench.
Such a beautiful event. I was in business-mode, so sorry if I didn't talk to you. But when you are in charge of making sure 30 singer-songwriters get their instruments tuned up and play their songs at the right time, you don't have time to socialize. I even carried a clipboard as I flitted and floated around the Wrench.
The spirit behind the evening was as gorgeous as the music. Thank you for coming, for sharing, and for listening to the tunes. And for the punctual producer in me, I was tickled that we started at 8:20 on the dot, and ended up only off by ten minutes on the schedule. Rock on, you musicians, for being both professional and unbelievable talented.
The Monkey Wrench
... has been host to several really cool events in the past several months. One of the best musical nights I've experienced happened there spontaneously on Saturday evening. I was having dinner at the Wrench with Charles, Dennie, and Shannon after a photo shoot. We were all about to part ways to our various separate plans for the the night when an old friend of Shannon's walked in the bar: Todd, from his old Louisville band (The Galoots) back in the 90's. They hadn't seen each other in years, and within minutes, we'd all decided to play an impromptu show together at the Monkey Wrench after dinner.
It's amazing what changing your Facebook status can do for an empty room. A few text messages and status changes later, and the room was packed full of people reminiscing about the days of The Galoots.
Honestly, I didn't really feel like I had much business playing with those two because I never even saw their band (hey, i was in high school then). But we sat around playing old bluegrass standards, switching instruments, laughing, singing. I even got to rock out a bit on the mandolin, and play some honky tonk piano. Good times. We may do it again sometime, this time with some advance notice.
Consider marking Friday, February 13 on your calendar now for a big surprise show.
Anyway ... loads more, but I thought I'd share some of the week's/year's more interesting and artistically satisfying moments.
It's only five days in, and it's already been full of satisfying music and beautiful people. Go team.
Current mood: animated Category: Music Ray Rizzo is not only a brilliant musician, but I think he's psychic too. When I heard he would be in town and putting on a hootenanny at the beloved Rudyard Kipling on Boxing Day, I said, "Wow, that sounds fun. I want to play." And then my phone rang, and it was Ray, asking me to play.
I was expecting to play a solo set. Then my BFF, Peter Searcy, showed up to play bass. And we sweet-talked Señor Rizzo into playing drums with us, and BAM! There was a band.
I'm a spoiled artist. The first time I EVER played in a band with drums was only about six year ago, and I was a mere keyboard player in someone else's band. But the drummer: Ray Rizzo. Can you imagine that being your first experience with drums? I knew he was a great player, but I didn't get it at the time just how good he is.
On Saturday when we played at the Rud, he hadn't heard my tunes at all, but he nailed every one. My songs are not exactly user-friendly. I like a tempo change or a time signature surprise or mixing soul-verses with rockabilly-choruses. But Ray didn't miss a beat. He and Peter were locked-down in the moment, a kick-ass impromptu rhythm section.
It's funny (and ultimately a bad idea), but I really love keeping a revolving door of musicians in my "band." I'll probably never have an actual line-up that never changes. I like the thrill of the surprise and the excitement of playing with totally different players. That's probably from my jazz-training, and it's probably not healthy for a folkie-rockie-countrie-singer. Oh well, I like spontaneity. Does this mean I fear commitment? Hmmmmmm ..... maybe I've become a real musician, after all....
Anyway, thanks, Ray and Peter. It was fun playing with you.
Oooh ooh! Almost forgot to tell you about this kick-ass a capella girl group I heard. The Sandpaper Dolls. The music on their myspace page doesn't seem to be the 3-part harmony make-you-cry-and-melt-in-your-seat that I heard from their live show, but I hear they're working on a record. Go out and hear them live if you get a chance. It was absolutely mesmerizing.
And.... the 5th Annual Townes Van Zandt Tribute show is once again on New Year's Day. The Monkey Wrench 1025 Barrett Ave NO COVER (yes, it's free) doors at 8:00 music around 8:30 at least 30 artists performing Townes Van Zandt songs me, tim krekel, ron whitehead, paul k, alanna fugate, scott mertz, mickey clark, kathleen hoye ... should be a good time.
I'll be your frazzled hostess, running around, making sure everyone knows when to play.
brigid
p.s. happy birthday, to my utility player: Steve Cooley.
Current mood: jolly Category: Life Things I have noticed since I turned 30 this year:
Apparently, I have entered a new age bracket to online advertisers. The men who used to appear in that advertising box when I logged into MySpace have aged considerably. I no longer see that cute 20-something indie-rocker who is so obviously laughing at our clever iChat conversation. Instead, I see a button-down shirt guy who probably has dental insurance.
Secondly, I now find dental insurance incredibly attractive.
Thirdly, I went to the dentist last week and discovered that one of my teeth has a dying nerve, as if I had been hit. All signs point to that one day when my 140-pound Great Dane mix hit his extremely large head in my face as we were canoodling.
Lastly, perhaps I should stop canoodling with my dog.
Merry Holidays to you all!
Brigid
Edit: Just for the record, after a few emails I've received, I must state that I have been to the dentist religiously twice a year since my teeth came in. I just have to pay for it myself. But I haven't had a cavity since middle school, so I guess I'm due for some dental work.
Some Chanukah cheer for you in "Dreidel's Day Out"
Current mood: hyper Category: Jobs, Work, Careers My twitter account is now open for all to follow. www.twitter.com/brigidkaelin I kept it private for a while, so I could pretend like I needed my privacy. I really don't.
I wiggled a lot on my sleep last night. It wasn't tossing and turning because I wasn't stressed or upset. It was definitely more childlike wiggling in anticipation for the weekend's events.
It is absurdly cold in Louisville this morning. 1 degree. One degree. Fahrenheit. (Note to self: book Australia next January.) I can't find any winter hats in my house, and I lost my Sherlock Holmes hat when I was out hanging posters around Thanksgiving. (Louisvillians, if you find a Sherlock Holmes hat, it is mine; please return. And yes, Mom, I lost another hat. At least I'm consistent.) This morning, I was resigned to wearing a wide-brimmed baby blue Easter-esque hat that may have prevented some small percentage of heat escaping through my head. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
After warming up my trusty Volvo (why don't i have a remote start?!?!) and being thankful that Swedes understand the need for a seat warmer, I drove directly to Lynn's Paradise Cafe and had breakfast at the counter. Truly, what I wanted this morning was Challah French Toast from the Noshville and a cheery chat with my favorite Counter Queen, but Nashville is 174 miles out of the way. Lynn's sufficed.
I love dining alone. I also love treating myself with fancy breakfast on special days like this one. Really, I want a fancy coffee drink too, but I don't drink caffeine. Even a Chai would leave me with another sleepless night. Tonight, I need my beauty sleep.
I'm just about to head to a rehearsal with Shannon and Danny for A Prairie Home Companion. Then we're all heading to the Palace Theatre where we will join Garrison and the gang for a tech rehearsal for tomorrow's live broadcast.
I'll be tweeting from backstage. Blogging will be more difficult. If you're into Facebook, I"ll be around via my trusty iPhone.
Maybe Garrison will have a winter hat I can borrow.
Current mood: embarrassed Category: Life Wow, when I don't blog for a while, I have too many things to say.
I will sum up the past couple of weeks. The theme has been: escape. I hate winter. It's cold, it's dark, and people are generally less cheerful. I've had SO much business stuff to do -- rehearsing, recording, releasing the Saw CD, planning future tours, going through piles of receipts -- and I haven't felt like socializing. So between battling my email, QuickBooks and DreamWeaver, I've been doing a escape-oriented things to maintain my sanity.
First, I've been playing a lot of piano. Bach, mostly. I love playing jazz, and pop, and rock, and writing my own songs, but sometimes the freedom of arrangements and songwriting just hurts my brain. That is why I love playing Bach. It's like practicing your scales, but much prettier. It's why I always liked math homework: there's a correct answer, and you know when you're wrong. I don't have any math books sitting around, but I've got loads of classical music. Crank that metronome and repeat. My mind just drifts away and stops worrying about the to-do list. It's awesome.
Secondly, I went to the movies a lot. I don't normally go to the movies, but I was again looking for a reason to relax and not think. And the best movie I found for not using a single brain cell? Twilight. It was wonderfully awful.
Which brings me to:
Thirdly, I read all four Twilight books. Four books in five days. Two thousand three hundred and seventy nine pages.
I can't believe I'm admitting this on my blog. I am obviously completely seasonally affected.
They weren't even good. The only vampire book I'd ever read before was Bram Stoker's Dracula. I skipped over the Anne Rice phase completely in high school. But for some reason, I just had to know what was happening with Bella and Edward.
Ugh, I can't wait until spring.
I feel better admitting that though. Anyone else out there fall for it too? Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?
What's wrong with me?
I feel like I should finish The Brothers Karamazov now to make up for my shameful reading list.
Current mood: thankful Category: Music Short blog today, just to say how much I love playing music.
I always get stressed out before a show, and I don't think most people understand how much work goes in to properly promoting and putting on a good one. Will anyone be there? Will the sound guy understand how to EQ my accordion? Will anyone be there? Did the show get listed in the newspaper? (Velocity failed us this time, sadly, but LEO done good, good, good.) Will the opener start on time? Will anyone be there?
And booking a show six days in advance is especially tricky. But Shannon will be in his hometown for Thanksgiving, and he's a big shot now (stupid Major Labels stealing away Louisville's own!). So luckily, a show with the two us big enough news that the local media cares.
He and I decided to do one of those big Thanksgiving Eve shows. (Will anyone be there?)
I've played with tons of people over the years, but Shannon's voice and mad pickin' skillz continue to amaze me.
And because of the beauty of the Louisville music scene, he and I have approximately one billion mutual musical friends. I suspect one million of them show up to sit in tonight. It's gonna be gooooood.
Lookout for surprises, yodels, haikus, accordion solos, deep basses, high tenors, nostalgia, friends, music, magic, smiles, and lots of laughter, all the things for which one should be thankful.
See you there! (You'll be there, won't you?!?) Monkey Wrench 1025 Barret Avenue Louisville, KY 40204 9:00 Douglas Lucas followed by Brigid and Shannon and friends $7 cover. (or walk in with a guitar case and fool the doorman)
Current mood: jolly Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes With all this blog controversy, -- and here I thought I was just posting a funny story about a break-up and my redhead temper being squelched by good-deed-doing -- I realized I haven't written about any adventures lately.
So in the category of Crossing-Off-Lifetime-Goals: I met John Prine on Friday!
I've known his band members for a couple of years now, just through various Nashville escapades and mutual friends. But I had never met the man himself. Most people know that one of my main goals as a musician is to someday play music with John Prine. I don't want to open for him (although, upon thinking about it, I think I DO want to open for him), but really I just want to play accordion or saw or sing with him on his music.
I love playing in other people's bands. And John Prine and Elvis Costello are my two favorite songwriters. It was a lifetime goal to play with them.
In May, I got to play with Elvis at the Palace.
On Friday, I didn't get to play with John Prine. But after the show, I met him backstage and introduced myself. He knew about me (how could he not -- i've told everyone near him that I want to play accordion with him), and he said that the next time he came through Louisville, he'd give me a shot. Whoo hoo!
He also was incredibly kind and seemed like the wise man I figured he must be. He graciously signed autographs for the folks in line, and he signed a ticket stub for my mom just before he left the theatre. My current profile picture is a lovely photo of me with John Prine as well as the amazing Tim Krekel and his amazing sweetie, as well as Dave Jacques, John Prine's bass player.
Adventures!
And more ... I haven't been able to announce this yet, and it's been killing me.
But now I can.
On January 17, you'll be able to hear me perform live on: A Prairie Home Companion, a radio show I've wanted to be on for years.
Even better, we're taping this particular program at the Palace Theatre, the same stage where I got to play with Elvis.
Good things are a'happenin'. Stay positive, be a good person, and ask for what you want.
***
DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING SHOW: The Monkey Wrench BRIGID KAELIN and SHANNON LAWSON and friends 9:00 $7 It's going to be a really fun show. Shannon's in town for the holidays, so come request your favorite Galoots song. Bring your incoming family. Get a babysitter. It's going to be a great night.
Current mood: amused Category: Romance and Relationships Apologies to my readers for removing my last blog. I didn't think I said anything offensive in referring to "the ex," but apparently he reads my blog. Who knew?
I'll just write a country song to re-cap the general idea.
Current mood: relaxed I laugh about how everyone in Louisville seems to know my business (or some weird version of my business) before I do.
But the weirdest thing just happened. I went to my neighborhood microbrewery ... and didn't know anyone there!
First, I watched a movie at a friend's house, then came home, intending on going to bed before midnight. But my roommate is home. She is great, but I felt like being by myself. I've been like that a lot lately actually. (Sorry, gentle roommates, my winter hibernation is coming early, and I'd rather not subject you to my moodiness. I blame the weather. El Niño, perhaps.)
And when I feel like being by myself, then I go out. That probably seems odd to you, but it's something I learned in my years in New York: the art of going out alone.
Usually, though, when I go out, I see someone I knew.
But I just went up to Cumberland Brews, scanned the room to make sure I wasn't unintentionally snubbing anyone (it's a smalllllll town, remember?), and was surprised to not recognize a soul. So I ordered a glass of Pinot Noir (stalkers, take note -- she drinks Pinot when she drinks wine, which is generally only when the pub doesn't have a hard-liquor-license), sat at the bar, and did the New York Times crossword puzzle from the LEO. Well, technically, I didn't complete it. But i worked on it diligently until my glass was empty.
Then I came home.
Weird. Where is everyone on this Saturday night at 12:15 am? How can I go out and be alone when there's no one to wave to?
I am such a bizarre creature.
It was really pleasant though. Cumberland has good Pinot. And it was nice to not have to tell anyone I was leaving. Still, it felt like Bizarro-Cumberland.
Current mood: smitten So you've read my blogs, and you know that I am spontaneous and unpredictable. I always say yes to a free concert ticket or an invitation to dance to Johnny Berry music or a last-minute road trip.
But I am a stickler for an on-time concert start.
I love Louisville, but my one complaint about the music scene here is that bands rarely ever start on-time.
It's a vicious cycle. The bands don't want to play to an empty room, but the room is empty because bands never freakin' start on time.
I should say right now that almost all Production Simple shows start as advertised, or within 15 minutes of said-advertised-time. Thank you, fine friends at PS for allowing we music-lovers to plan our evenings appropriately.
Can you imagine if you could really and truly catch several acts at different clubs all in one night? See _______ at 6:00! Then head across the street for ______ at 7:30! Then head across town for _____ at 9:00! And then call CitiScoot to take you (and your car) to see _____ at 11:00!
I've been obnoxious about starting on-time (and early), and last night's show at Gerstle's was proof that we Louisvillians can do it. There was a great crowd when Danny Flanigan took the stage at 7:59 (thanks, Danny!), and David Mead was on by 10:00. Beautiful.
I had a blast playing last night. It was a different set up. Me on piano, mostly, and Danny Kiely on upright bass, with some Peter Searcy thrown in on the cello. I might try adding some light drums to the mix and make that my alternate set-up.
Props also need to be given to the amazing crowd last night. Gerstle's was a listening room for the most part. The club owners turned off the TV's. Kevin, my favorite grumpy sound man, was all smiles because the music was fan-freakin'-tastic. I sat on the floor during most of David Mead's set (except when i was beckoned for a musical saw solo here and there), and I listened to him sing gorgeous songs off his To-Be-Released record, Almost and Always.
Another cool thing (sorry I'm rambling) about last night's show, was looking around and seeing so many of Louisville's musicians and songwriters in the crowd, mesmerized. So if you missed the show, or you don't know David Mead's music, please go to his page and listen. Or forget that, go straight to your local independent record store and just buy any of his five records (the pop/rock section, most likely). Trust me, and trust a room full of musicians, all listening intently, wishing we could write melodies like that.
And then today -- great Live Lunch by Todd Snider. I sat right up front (though not on the floor this time) and laughed a lot.
Tonight: John Prine. Don't know where my seat is yet. I'm flyin' solo, though, through a streak of good luck, so I'm betting it's front and center.
Current mood: rejuvenated In October 1996, I was living in Greenwich Village, at an NYU dorm. I was doing homework one night (surprise) alone in my dorm room, when I was suddenly distracted by a savage uproar. I heard a few individual screams, but it was mostly the sound you get when you breath heavily into a microphone, trying to imitate a crowd of people screaming. It was in stereo, coming through my window. My window faced an alley, and the shouts and screams of New Yorkers were echoing up the close walls. Someone stuck his head out of the apartment window across from me and screamed bloody murder.
I shut the window, terrified.
Had we been bombed? Was the world ending? What was happening?
Afraid to go outside, I called my mom, in Louisville, Kentucky.
She answered right away, and I told her what had happened.
"You really don't know?"
"No, there's no one around, but people are screaming. I'm not sure what's going on."
She laughed and told me I'd been working too hard before explaining the cause of the mass hysteria: "The Yankees just won the World Series."*
I hung up the phone and went outside.
Never had I seen such mayhem. It sounded like the zombies had attacked. People were running down the streets, screaming, shouting nonsense, climbing lampposts, attempting to run up the sides of buildings, standing on cars, and generally freaking out. I walked over to Broadway and witnessed taxi drivers tossing cigars out their windows at passersby. Strangers were hugging. The screams turned into joyous high-fives and chants. It was a beautiful thing, and I didn't even know it was baseball season.
Tuesday night in the Highlands of Louisville was comparable to October 1996 in New York.
The screams, the high-fives, the random guy-with-guitar walking up and down the street singing Woody Guthrie tunes at midnight, the cars honking and waving flags. The thrill of having voted for someone who actually won. It felt like a community, more than ever.
Yes, Kentucky is a Red State, and embarrassingly enough (to me) we were the first state to be called, which I was alerted to via text message from various friends across the country.** ("With 0% of the vote in, Kentucky goes to McCain." What's that all about anyway? 0%?) But thankfully, that was the only time that John McCain had the lead all night long. And also thankfully, I live in the Highlands, a beautiful oasis of blue in a desert of red. (Like Austin, Texas, I presume.) A place where they don't tell you you can't sing country music if you think recycling is important and you have friends of all races.
Anyway, it feels really good to be excited about doing something positive for the world.
Thank you to the wonderful messages from all over the world. It seems everyone in Europe and Asia was more concerned about our presidential election than most of America. Here's to the USA joining a forward-thinking, global community.
Maybe someday the entire world will be jumping up and down climbing lampposts and high-fiving Cuban-cigar-smokin' taxi drivers.
* I should point out that the Yankees won the World Series 4 out of the 5 years I lived in New York, and they've not won since I moved away. Something to think about.
**By the way, can I tell you how much I love text messaging. I was texting Austin, Boston, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Baltimore, Chicago -- Grant Park even! -- ... all... through... the night. Beautiful! I love immediate contact and information. I could feel the excitement through my wee little phone.
The world. I am staving off a migraine. Unsuccessfully. It's going to have me within minutes, but I needed to write.
My mind has been in knots for months now, it seems, about this election tomorrow. I spent the last month in the UK, where everyone I met is globally conscious. And conscientious. And worried about how America will vote (or not vote) tomorrow.
I don't sing political songs. (Except for the occasional "Flag Decal" cover by John Prine, which is actually extremely political... hmmm...) I try to keep politics out of my songs for the most part because I enjoy the distraction of the stage.
What most of you don't know about this happy-go-lucky, smiley-faced, pippi longstockinged, pollyanna, is that my NYU degree is not in film or music. It is in: Politics. Specifically political philosophy with an emphasis on American political policy and structure. I am secretly obsessed with this stuff. I wrote a huge senior paper on why there is absolutely no reason we should vote --- and yet, how some undefinable factor in the equation tells us that we absolutely must vote.
So this is my little political blog. I'm restraining myself tremendously.
You know, forget it. I'm not holding back.
I'm sick and tired of hearing seemingly smart people say things like, "But his middle name is Hussein!" or "But he's going to be assassinated!" (And now for an appropriate use of annoying internet slang: WTF?!?!?) It's 2008, not 1958. It was bad enough back then, but for now, it's just embarassing. I'm a self-employed small-business owner, and I'm not afraid to vote for Barack Obama.
The rest of the world will be watching us tomorrow. Let's not embarass ourselves again. At least go vote. I know I'm the millionth person you've heard this from. And, honestly, if you're reading my blog, then I'm probably preaching to the choir.
So thank you, smart, motivated, citizen.
And if for some reason things don't go right, I'm staring at the business card of the General Consul of Ireland. I'm gonna get me an EU passport, after all. Everyone over there was concerned about the welfare of the planet, not just a few Christian folks in America.
For now, I'm hoping this migraine is just cumulative stress of electoral angst. Funny, my first migraines started right around November 2000. Maybe eight years of them is enough...
My official endorsement: Obama/Biden. And for Congress: Yarmuth, of course. And let's finally get rid of Mitch McConnell while we're at it?
