Edgy Political Commentary!

I've posted a heavy video my husband created for our shows. The song is an indictment of war profiteers that have influenced U.S. foreign policy, at the peril of our soldiers and our Bill of Rights. Not really for the faint-of-heart. So, pass if you are feeling sensitive. It has been known to offend some of our audience members. It has been incredibly well-received at most of our shows! 

Dogs of War (Music by Pink Floyd/Video by Rich Harley)

P.S. I hope our president-elect does not give us any material for videos like this! I guess we'll see...

My head is heading in too many directions!

Try as I may...my wonderfully circuitous brain is undermining itself. My brain has a pattern all of its own, which I have embraced in my old age. I am not a linear gal, and I really can accept that. The only danger is when I've gotten myself too busy, then I'm in trouble. My brain stops being creative place to be. Quickly, all the curly-cues become stunted and the flourishes die off. I'm left with little wisps of ideas that disintegrate when I reach for them. It's a sad, sad place to live. Then, I get on my own nerves! I find myself daydreaming about one of my favorite lyrics (from the B-52's)..."Get a job! What for? I need time to think!"...it's from a song called "The Deadbeats Club". It conjures up spending the day in coffeehouses having deep thoughts with your caffinated friends. Man, I miss those days! It's all about orthodonists, doctor appointments, grading papers, Touro assignments and that damned research textbook. I'm worried that (in the words of Gob from Arrested Development)..."I've made a huge mistake!" Sigh. More will be revealed!

Wrapping up the fall season

We closed out the fall season at Vacaville Ulatis Center. It was a well-attended show, but not the sold-out show we had there last year. Sensitive musicians do take that a little personally. But overall, a good show. The theater is a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility...really a pleasure to perform in. The sound was excellent, which makes it a pleasure to sing! We have to rely upon the house sound people when we play these large theaters. Lots of subtle elements go into good sound. There is stage sound and house sound. The house sound needs to be mixed well with good effects so the audience has an enjoyable experience. The stage sound is a bit more complicated. Each musician has a monitor which needs to be mixed to their liking. More guitar, please! Less keyboards! More of this or that voice! Multiply that by seven band members! And with a band full of musician who have lost their hearing...it's a challenge. Strangely, I also had a good number of past or present students in attendance. The show is definitely PG-13, so it's a bit nerve-wracking. I warn their parents that it's not a kids show...so buyer, beware! Now, that it's all wrapped up until a couple of shows in late December, I can do my tasks at hand...report cards, conferences, and class assignments!

Looking forward to...

I am thinking about how we are solidly into autumn...report cards are due soon, and our last show for 6 weeks is this weekend. I am thinking about how in 10 days or so, I will be through my many tasks of the last few months. I am thinking about how I can catch up on various elements of our classes over the break. I am thinking I may just make it after all!

I have taken too long to check back in...at least according to our class criteria. But, alas, the humble adventures of semi-professional musicians continue...

We are in a busy stretch, gig-wise...so we've been away for a few weekends in a row. This last weekend, we played at a private party...which left a lot to be desired, to say the least! So, I'll pass on giving you the boring details of that event. Good news is...we won't be taking any more gigs like that any time soon!

The weekend before we played a magical gig in Big Sur. I can't say I'd been there before...so it was a lovely surprise. We drove down Saturday morning. It was a beautiful, amazing trek down the Pacific Coast Hwy. Sadly, we passed helicopters and emergency vehicles attending to fatal crash of 3 Stanford students. Always a reminder of the short, fragile nature of things. 

We played at the Henry Miller Memorial Library in a road-side grove of redwoods. As you may recall, Big Sur was threatened by fires earlier this summer. The fire line was 10-15 feet from the back of the buildings. Pretty wild. They all worked really hard to save this funky little spot from the fire. Successfully, thank goodness. 

It was an outdoor show, which can be sketchy. The turn out was moderate, by our recent standards, but very enthusiastic. When the sun set, the temperatures dropped and we had to work hard to stay warm on stage. The crowd settled in for the show. Our good friends, Chris and Bev Sanders, came down from Carmel for the show...along with their pal, Gaston, who is famed for being the first one tobring Birkenstocks to America. Seems appropriate!

We were pleased to see the hula hoopers were in attendence. Who knew the fad lives on? We played some of the original 60's psychedelic Floyd, much to the audience's delight. It was another magical night for us. They booked us for next year already!

Sunday, we took the kids up to see Chris and Bev in Carmel. We ate breakfast, toured their art studio, and walked the beautiful beach. A perfect end to a lovely weekend!

Here's one of the better videos posted on YouTube of the band. We were at Little Fox Theater in Redwood City.

Hey, I just thought to add a link to the band website. By the way, I wrote much of this copy, as well.

www.houseoffloyd.com