Sunday, June 08, 2008

Seven Kicks for a Sunday in June

Every Sunday, Jules and Eisha of Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast host 7Imp's 7 Kicks, and invite all readers to do the same. It's a way to take stock of the week and recognize one's blessings. Thinking up seven positive things that happened each week is good for me, because I tend to be a grumbling camel. Fortunately, I can always finesse the list by listing "the first cup of coffee" if I get really stumped for blessings.

Here are my seven kicks for the week:

1) I had a lovely outdoor birthday party gig yesterday. It was chilly and grey, but it didn't rain, and that was a boon to the event. There were 30 children in attendance, so it was more of a "storytelling concert" that I'd do for general admittance audience. Afterward, I let the children come up for a little open-mike session. One little girl told a story, three children sang, "Twinkle Twinkle" and a few just wished the two birthday girls Happy Birthday. I'd had good communication with the mother over the past couple of months, too, so we both had a good idea of what the program would entail. She was a gracious and generous host who ended up inviting my husband and daughter to partake of the festivities (they had been exploring the park while I performed). I told "The Three Dolls" (a story from India that you can find in David Holt's Ready to Tell Tales), Joan Chase Bowden's Why the Tides Ebb and Flow, "Two Goats on a Bridge" from Margaret Read MacDonald's Three Minute Tales, plus a couple of string stories from Anne Pellowski's The Story Vine and a few of my standard songs. Toward the end of "Jenny Jenkins," the dresses began to blow off of the flannel board, and the children helped rescue them. (I had anticipated that the "wind fairies" might be mischievious that day, and therefore presented only one flannel-board song.) Oh, and I can't believe I almost forgot this: one of the girls in the audience played air-guitar during "Jenny Jenkins."

2) Jules of 7Imp just sent me four mix cds. I'm thrilled to be able to listen to so much new music. Contrary to the theory that mix cds cut into the music industries' profits, I end up spending more money after listening to mix cds because I find new musicians to like. Q.E.D.

3) We got a copy of Recess Monkey's new cd, "Tabby Road" a month ahead of schedule because we helped to record it. I'm working on a review, but will wait to post it until closer to the release date. I've got to say, it's their best yet, with a number of songs that are earworms. I've been singing, "S-L-Double E-P Over, it's Double-E-P Over with you/ feelin' kind of groovy with a pizza and a movie, it's a Double-E-P Over with You!"

4) Sam Phillips' new album, Don't Do Anything,came out last week, and I've been listening to it quite a bit. My Sam appreciation is credited to Jules again, who jumped for joy when I told her that "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" was my favorite song on the Alison Krauss/Robert Plant Raising Sand album. The song, penned by Phillips, is on "Don't Do Anything," and it's even better when sung by the original song-writer.

5) Speaking of Sam Phillips, Philip the Pun and I are planning to attend her Borders Books and Music concert on Wednesday evening. Join us if you're so inclined!

6) I just got a note that Dan Zanes' new album, “¡Nueva York!” is on its way. Huzzah! (I have a confession to make: jamming with Dan Zanes and his band is up there on my wish list. I'm not saying that I'd be any good, but I figure that Colin Brooks' drums, John Foti's accordion and Elena Moon Park's violin would cover my short-comings, and besides, in we'd be in someone's living room, not in Carnegie Hall.)

7) That first cup of coffee is quite nice. Thank you, Bede, for making it.

8 comments:

Lone Star Ma said...

Seven kicks is a lovely custom.

Jules at 7-Imp said...

So, out of habit, I left comments about this at our site. Here's what I wrote:

*****

Alkelda, yes, T Bone Burnett, with all due respect, managed to make "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" sound like a dirge on the Plant/Krauss CD. Sam does it right. But, of course; it's her song.

And congrats on the great gig! Woot! (I didn't know Zanes had a new CD either.)

****

I love it when people leave kicks at their own site. And, Lone Star Ma, come join in the fun. (Not trying to drive blog-traffic, I promise. I always feel like I have to say that. Reading others' kicks really and truly is just...nice).

So glad you like the CDs, Alkelda. Let me know which become your favorites.

Jules at 7-Imp said...

P.S. I love your first-cup-of-coffee technique, though I never have trouble finding kicks. This is notable, 'cause I'm also a grumbling camel.

The coffee just tastes good and helps wake me up.

My word verification is "hnogus." I'm gonna name our next pet that. After "Rog G. Biv." I've always wanted to name a pet for that spectrum-of-colors mneumonic (sp?).

But I digress.

Anamaria (bookstogether) said...

Glad the birthday party went so well; it sounds wonderful. I liked reading the rest of your kicks, too. Today is an easy one for me: seeds coming up in the garden, breakfast at the Silver Diner, playing Settlers of Cataan during the hottest part of the day, fiddle music, a trip to the pool, a new book to read (Mysterious Benedict, Perilous Journey), popsicles.

I wish I knew more about music. I do love Dan Zanes, though!

tanita✿davis said...

A grumbling CAMEL!?!? I had to laugh about that for twenty-five minutes.

Saints and Spinners said...

LSM: Please do feel welcome to leave your kicks over on their site (or your own).

Jules: Hey, Hnogus, I do like the Krauss/Plant version, but Sam's is better, and that probably means I'm going to play the song differently when I had JUST gotten it down solidly. Hah!

Anamaria: Yay for seeds! As far as music goes, I rely on Cool Tunes for Kids, Children's Music That Rocks, Zooglobble, and whatever the other bloggers tell me to listen to. My father is also a great resource, and has sent me gobs of cds of the oldies. It's a lovely area to explore, and we really can't talk anymore about how rare it is to find children's music that grownups enjoy too, because there's a lot of it out there.

Unknown said...

Great list! I sure would like to hear you tell stories. We attend storytime at the local library. My daughter loves having books read to her, and I think I do it pretty well, but it's good to get a change of scenery and let someone else do the reading for a while. Still, there's nothing like hearing an "oral" story--one not read directly from the page. My little girl is always asking me to tell her a story, and I have the hardest time coming up with something original and entertaining. I need to read some of the stories you link to and learn them!

--Kelley

Saints and Spinners said...

Kelley-- Thanks for stopping by again! I've got to admit that I'm pretty lousy at making up stories with active plot on the spot, though it gets a bit easier once one has been telling folktales for awhile (because you get certain styles and motifs down). Most of my made-up stories involve little root children going on picnics with elaborate descriptions of what they ate.

Margaret Read MacDonald has The Parent's Guide to Storytelling, which might be helpful, plus there's also Anne Pellowski's drawing and string story books: The Story Vine and The Family Storytelling Handbook.

I too love it when someone else tells stories to my child.;)