A few show notes and thoughts…….we just finished the Christmas Show on the AZ MUSIC CAFÉ this afternoon and I went home whooped.   Yes, a little Christmas sick bug and my brother’s Christmas party the night before may have made a contribution.   But mostly, it was the sheer energy that gets crammed into that studio each Sunday, and particularly THIS one.   After the show’s final minutes, we had about 2 minutes to get out of the studio and make way for the next program and found ourselves deposited into the lobby for the obligatory Saturday Night Live end of show photo shot.   It was like getting washed up on shore by a monster wave. 

The show was like a two hour whirlwind.   Any one of our guests could easily have done an hour or more on their own.   But to concentrate all 5 of them and squeeze them into 2 hours…..is sort of like trying to cram a lightning bolt into a test tube.  (No burlap sack allusions)

The recipe for a potent Christmas brew?  First we have Mary Hoffman’s effervescence in her songwriting and vocal offerings, and the sheer positive flow of eager energy juxtaposed against Darin Mahoney’s absolutely bottomless pit of depth conveyed through the unique fingerings and stylings of his instrumental creations.   Then add Chris Frazer’s sheer reach (he is like a multi armed Doc Ock with his AZ OPEN MIC chores, his Songwriter Challenges, his weekly hosting gig, his own considerable songwriting talents (and then he teaches music to kids?), he is exhausting to just think about.    Add in Chava Cannon’s amazing story(ies) and her gift of lassoing heart tugging emotions and wrapping us up in them, which she does regularly.   And finally the flying fingers of flamenco (a)ficionado Chris Burton Jácome, were barely contained in the final segment as he 12/8 timed his way through Little Drummer Boy and played Jacob’s Ladder with his guitar bass strings in order to simulate the drum.   Man! 

Maybe it was the sugar and eggnog high.   But I don’t think so.   The room was positively electric.   I am ready for a nap.  

Hope you enjoyed the show and if you missed it, do yourself a favor and grab it on the podcast when it comes up midweek.   You will have something to treasure.   You won’t be tired afterwards, you didn’t have to channel and direct all that wonderful talent and energy. 

You just get to enjoy it!

Martin here, blog usurper.   (I am tired of waiting for Erich to craft his latest post.)

I’ve made a discovery about my assimilation/appreciation of music.  Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing all at one and not end up appreciating it.  (I’m sure it applies to stuff other than music, too!)

For example, on Black Friday I went out and braved the traffic to see if I could pick up a wireless network antenna (”needed” it to play some CNC type games with my boy), and ended up at Circuit City, a store that is being closed down.  Consequently, they had everything marked down … including all of their CD’s.

I began greedily picking up CD’s until my wonderful spouse finally began to get impatient.  I ended up with about 15 CD’s.  They were a real bargain (an average of $8 or less).

I find now, that it has been a couple weeks and I haven’t gotten around to listen to many of them (other than a cursory first pass), let alone develop that new music “bond”.  You know the one, when you get a new “album” (as Erich calls them still), and listen to it over and over again.  You get so that you know what order the music is, and are discombobulated when the tracks are played out of order.  At this point in the “relationship” you know all the lyrics by heart.

Well, it’s hard to get there, when you have 15 new CD’s to listen through.   I’ve come to the conclusion that I really shouldn’t buy more than one or two at a time.  I’ve “discovered” CD’s I purchased in lots, that never got a fair shake in the queue, and years later I realized that they were actually pretty good.  In some ways, it was better for my appreciation of the music when I couldn’t afford the occasional splurge, buying multiple new CD’s.

The CD I have started imprinting with is the new Los Lonely Boys: Forgiven.  It is the first CD I have by this band.  I’ve heard snatches of things here and there, including the Salvador cover of Heaven.  Boy is this CD good!  If I didn’t get any other music from my outing, this one was worth the trip.

The band incorporates a lot of things I REALLY like into their music.  Sometimes it’s like listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn, while other tracks almost sound like the Ventures, the Beatles, or John Elefante.   Good stuff.  I have listened to this CD at least 10 times now, but still haven’t got it quite imprinted.  I don’t know all the lyrics to every song, or the track order quite yet.

I’m making a vow not to buy anything else until I spend some time with the others, though.  I am really spoiled.

Every Thanksgiving, my wife Sandi puts on the calendar a Turkey.   A construction paper turkey.   With construction paper feathers.    All month, this Turkey looks at us and occasionally, I look back at it.    I think this was an idea from her sister.   I don’t know.   But like I said, this turkey has cut out feathers attached to it.   Each one is written on by a different family member.   One from her, one from each of her folks and one from her son, her brother, her sister, and even me.  (I got grafted on the bird in 2006).     And on each feather each person made a list of things that they are thankful for.    It went up on our wall about the time the stock market went south.    (See photo attached)

We are hammered every day by the media on how “bad” the economy is.  (If I hear the word “crisis” one more time………I am going to GIVE them one!!)    Fact is its getting tough for many.   We have good friends that are unemployed and fearful for what tomorrow will bring.   We have family members worried about what is going to happen next year with their jobs.   My wife and I are commission only earners who are dependent on a strong housing market and strong business climate’s advertising revenues for our livelihood.   People’s 401K’s are dropping like drunks after a Greek wedding.    And so it goes.

But as I look at the construction paper Turkey on my calendar and I read the blessings, I don’t see “a strong economy” listed.   I don’t see “my savings account” on the list.   And “my humongous 401K retirement fund” is nowhere to be found …..(literally J) 

But I what I do see are friends, family and God repeated over and over again on every feather.   

And interestingly enough, no matter who is President, what the state of the economy is in, or which CEO is surfing in Aruba with his (our) bailout money, these are things that do not change:  God, Family and Friends remain constant.  I am reminded in challenging times especially, just how important and how much a blessing they are to us.  Because of them, I will always have much to be thankful for.   I don’t know how long the present hardships will continue…..my crystal ball is broken, and I can’t read tea leaves.   

But I can read turkey feathers.  

Thank you for being on them.  From our house to yours, please have a very Happy Thanksgiving!