Notes On A Napkin
Here comes the holidays again! Are you filled with dread or anticipation? I struggle to be inspired & if I keep the days holy, as they are meant to be, it's much easier and enjoyable.
Friend & PE writer Lauree Carlsen accompanied me to the Airplay Cafe recently to hear the fantastic IncogNico, consisting of our friend & PE staffer Nico Wind, flanked by super guitarists Ray Davis & David Stensen. We were at tables lined up in front, joined by Nico's mom Ann, Lauree's son & grandson & friends. The Airplay Cafe has one of the best sound systems & acoustics I've heard and rightly so! Owner Andy Simon is a musician & audio engineer; he's set up an enclosed sound booth in back & has created a wonderful space for our creative musicians to be heard. This night, Level 2 played after IncogNico & I'm so glad I stayed to hear them! They remind me of the early Beatles; all original & very tight. Watch for more on this group in the future. The Airplay Cafe is an all-age family affair; Andy is joined by his wife Patti Jagger, who works hard managing the lower-Burnside area cafe. Visit soon, the food is delicious, the music incredible & coffee drinks luscious. It's so much more than just a cafe, a truly wonderful experience.
Cascade Blues Association outdid itself at the '08 Muddy Awards; the Melody Ballroom was packed with blues fans & much of the membership was on hand to witness the grateful winners. Curtis Salgado was the biggest victor with four trophies, but sadly was not present to receive his prizes. (Apparently, he was performing in Switzerland.) You can go online at www.cascadeblues.org for complete results. Thank you to whoever turned in my camera that I left in the restroom...you are an angel!
Cousin Mary Ann joined me at The Gotham Tavern one recent Tuesday night for their weekly Scrabble tournament. We are addicts of the popular word game, so we thought we would be able competitors. WRONG! We both lost big time. Of course, we blamed it on poor letter draws. I guess we need to try again to see if that's the case. Although, we certainly enjoyed the chips & artichoke/cheese dip & quesadilla! All Gotham's food is fantastic!
A whole group of us attended the annual US Marines Birthday Party Nov 8 at Lydia's. Musician & former Marine Ron Ruedi put on another wonderful show, with current Marines, veterans of all services, birthday cake & music. I was joined by PE staffers KT, Lauree & her son Marine Willie, and a friend from church Terry, a former Marine who served in Korea. Thank you Ron for your recognition to our troops this year & every year.
On another note, since I am down to 16 pages this month & last, there's a couple of articles online that are not in the print version of PE&D. I felt that they really need to be published because of their importance to our readers, especially the one on MyGigNet.com by musicians Boyd Martin & Dave Kahl. Also check Ardis Hedrick's article on a new Bob Dylan book now available.
Watch for news on all the Christmas & New Year's Eve parties next issue 'Til next time, pray for world peace.....................Bonnie Carter, ed.