Little Things Matter

Overall, in the almost one year Darby and I have been hitting the ground with our music, we cannot complain. We've had so-so nights, bad nights, and nights we wish we would have just stayed home. But, that's the nature of the beast and those are really not the things that stick with me. I am always driven by the quirky things and the kind things I get to experience. I love the stories I hear and after the week I've had, I have been thinking about those people who quietly make it all happen.

On Sunday, I was horrified to open my guitar case to realize my input had fallen inside my guitar and the washer was completely gone. So, I packed her back up and headed over to Guitar Center to see if they could help me out. I needed it back by Wednesday and I was in quite a panic. Luckily, both Eric and Allen (The Antagonizers, Blood Red River) were working. Within minutes, I had my guitar all doctored up and a new drum key in my pocket. I used to have a phobia of music stores because of the geekier than thou rip off artists I have experienced. Through a new acoustic, a constant need for picks, straps, cords and strings, and sometimes just needing a laugh, Allen and Eric have always greeted me with respect and the funniest banter you could ever imagine! They've never tried to sell me on something I don't need and they have always encouraged me. Thanks, gentlemen!

Tuesday saw me meeting up with Darby and Kim to have some dinner before heading to see Shana Scudder and Sequoya play. From the day Kim and I met, she has always looked out for me and kicked my ass onto the stage. She threw the most wonderful Rockin' in The Park bash, listens to my endless supply of musical annoyances, and then she gives the best advice. On top of that, she takes the best photos of us and keeps me snacking more healthily on homegrown cucumbers. All this while doing Subdivision 67!






Last night, we played with Twilighter @ Fuse. I'm not saying that other venues we've played have not been good to us, we've been very lucky. But, Fuse went above and beyond. We were shocked to hear that we got free drinks and a free meal! And we're not talking PBR and some greasy fries. We dined on Kobe burgers, tofu taquitos, and panco crusted talapia. The crowd and Twilighter were amazing to us. I came home with a lot less merch. and money in my pocket. There was the incident involving a thrown drink barely missing me which made our new catchphrase, "She was about 2 seconds from getting her ass beat." pop out of my mouth, but it was such a good experience everyone laughed it off. I think the most impressive thing was the bartender, Mark. When I tried to cheap out and order PBR, he insisted I upgrade. I realized that I didn't have any personal cash to tip him, so I bought a pack of cigarettes. When I went to sign my credit card slip, he told me not to leave a tip. I did anyway and then watched him take the money and drop it in the band's tip jar. It really warmed the heart.

On the way out of Chapel Hill, I realized I had done the unthinkable. I left my guitar behind! I've always secretly been so horrified of that moment I thought it would never happen. Luckily, we weren't futher away and we turned around. Upon getting back to Fuse, I found it untouched and where I left it.

I want to write more about some of those bands I've mentioned in this blog. They have all helped me a lot too. But, this week has already worn me out. I'll get to them in due time. In the meantime, I have a date with my couch!

Reuse Before Recycle & Facebook

Growing up with my Grandma Esther made it impossible for me to grow up and not be creative. I can remember being a child and watching her create quilts from old clothes. In her day, doing these things was a necessity. She raised 9 children on a WV coalmining budget. She used to involve me in all sorts of artistic activities and to this day, her strong will to survive, to garden and her creative reuse teachings have stuck with me. She always encouraged me to express myself and, if necessary, to fight for my life and stand by what I believe in.

I suppose, if I have one cause to endorse (other than my music,) it would be reusing things. We have enough stuff on earth! My house is full of spice containers turned into pen holders, coffee cans turned into planters, junkmail turned into stickers, old books turned into canvas and envelopes...etc. It's such an easy thing to do.

Upon moving to Durham, I was thrilled to find The Scrap Exchange! http://www.scrapexchange.org/ For a girl like me, it's the perfect retail therapy. They share the same philosophy and I find just about anything I need to spruce up my strange artwork there without breaking my bank or my committment to this one thing I believe in. So, upon seeing their open call for reuse artists, I jumped at the chance to submit some of my work. I have been very blessed here in Durham to have the chance to not only share my music, but also my artwork. The reception is tonight from 6-9PM. Come out and join in!

Now for something not so pleasant, Facebook. A friend (who still thinks I'm into astrology) called me to inform me that my birthdate is called The Day of The Enigma. She thought it was funny because she's known me for years and claims she still doesn't know anything about me. Other than saying what I think, I guess I am really private. So, last night, in an effort to get my music on more sites, I tried joining Facebook. Within the first 5 minutes, it felt so invasive and creepy, I deleted it. If you got an invite to be my "friend." Sorry. That is just NOT for me. Myspace is bad enough!

xo, Teresa

Cicada Omega

Music is a constant rollercoaster ride. After a couple of days of being on the upswing of it, today leaves me feeling a bit down. So, in an effort to perk myself up, I want to talk about something positive. Cicada Omega. We drove down to Swannanoa, NC to play an artist's collective with them. From the first moment I met them, it was hugs all around and as Dan said, it was like we had known each other for years. To say that it was fun and full of debauchery, is an understatement. In fact, I think I may still be recovering. Everyone at Ghost Town was a truly unique soul who made us feel right at home. I was welcomed with great conversation, food, and free drinks. I truly believe some of those cats will go on to do some interesting things with themselves. Cicada Omega played a blistering, freeformish set which had everyone up, moving, participating and letting their hair down.

I did my usual, TIME TO GO & disappeared into the night to head back home to get my house ready for guests and to try to get a little rest before heading to The Cave to play with them again. Thanks to the previous week's mini-festival featuring the same, same, same local acts, The Cave turned out to be very low-key, but they played another perfect set and my friends and the barstaff were most impressed with them. I brought them back here and we spent a couple of hours talking about life, music and they left me feeling most inspired.

Sometimes when you live in an active musical bubble, you forget that there is a big world out there. It's no secret that, for the most part, I am not too keen on the local political scenes. I feel as though we are ignored and when we aren't being ignored, I am constantly having to fight for everything from time slot to dates to any ounce of being taken seriously. If not for my real friends and close family keeping me together some of the BS (mostly what the local writers choose to write about and promote on their badly designed stuff-to-do sites) would have seen me crumbling like a cookie. And lately, I have been considering throwing in the towel and moving back into the woods to approach music differently. But, being around the Cicada Omega folks reminded me that I'm as valid as the next person with a guitar and there are other options out there for me. Even if I do have to get on a plane to be appreciated.

The four of them MEAN what they do from their hearts, there is no pretentious crap with them and it shows in their music. If they are coming to a town near you, I highly recommend them. You won't be sorry. They are the real deal!

Check out the Quick Like a Bunny link for local thoughts on them!

The Possibilities Are Endless!!!

For the past couple of weeks, Darby and I have been playing for fun with our friend Kim. It has been a most refreshing experience playing for the sake of it and trying new things. Last week, I discovered that I could actually throw down some bass licks and kick out a beat on the drums. I considered it beginner's luck. Last night, I decided to give it a go again. I've never really had much desire to play drums. In fact, I had always considered them quite intimidating. But, I have say, I impressed myself. Lord only knows how I was able to do it, but I took to it like a duck in water. Perhaps it was all those years behind the piano teaching my legs and arms to act separately. I was even able to sing while playing them. This made me most curious, so when I came home raving about how much I enjoyed it, my husband suggested I try playing my guitar, playing the kick drum and singing my songs. Except for those couple of oddly timed songs, it worked! I mean, it really, really worked. It worked so well, I'm gonna start doing some of our tunes that way. Look out world. I just found yet another way to take The Virgo 9 out there!