Tag Archives: music

Pre Posers Post

Posted on July 11, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

I was going to wait till I got home to write about The Posers, our favorite local band.  Then I thought of how tired I might be and then I will be six (I really feel I have lost count) posts behind. This way, I don’t make things any worse, and if I do make another post later, I come out ahead.  I won’t get our hopes up about that, though (yeah, right, like anybody HOPES to read more than one Mohawk Valley Girl post in a day!).

Where was I?  Ah, yes, waiting with some impatience to go to The Brass Tack in Frankfort,  NY to hear an awesome band.  To make things even better, we are meeting our friends Phyllis, Jim and Kelly. I LOVE getting together with friends!

I have never been to the Brass Tack but have long wanted to.  It is a very popular spot, so I expect to be quite delighted. The lady that took my reservations was very friendly, so that bodes well.  I hope to do another post about the dinner.

I further hope to make a post about the band.  They play all this great music from the ’80’s and always seem to have such a fun time doing it.  We usually dance our butts off (and I have a lot of butt to dance off!).

So perhaps this has been a dull post about how I am soon to have a wonderful time.  Sorry about that.  I’ll go for a more exciting post later.

 

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Jazz is the Answer!

Posted on March 13, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

Music is magic.  I’ve known it for years.  Let me tell you how I was just reminded about it today.

I spent the day at work muddling through.  I don’t know if it was a kind of a migraine or spring allergies kicking, but I felt light-headed and nauseous all day.  Sorry to complain; just giving you the picture.  I thought I would have to take a Blogger’s Sick Day and wondered if I would make it to rehearsal for Morning’s at Seven, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre.

Eventually I got some ginger ale out of the machine, which helped the nausea.  I tried to feel thankful that it was light-headedness and not pain.  Counting one’s blessings can go a long way.  I came home and laid down for a while with my heated face mask, then had some coffee and food.

While all this was going on, I knew I had to make a blog post. Of course I did not write one while at work, muddling. Pondering what I could write, I checked my email and Facebook notifications.  I tried to forget how light-headed I was still feeling.  This was difficult, because it is not easy to hold a thought in such a light head (cue jokes about how that must often be the case for me).

As I sat here in front of a blank screen with increasing feelings of panic (I have to leave for rehearsal in less than an hour), Steven said he was going upstairs to lie down (fine wife I am; I didn’t even ask what was wrong).  I asked him to turn off the television or put it on one of the music channels.

“1945,” I suggested, picking the one I have memorized, because it is a year.  Suddenly, jazz was bouncing out of the television, and my fingers were on the keys and ready to type.

It has always been this way with me.  I remember sitting at my parents’ house, when I lived there.  I had Mom’s portable typewriter set up on the coffee table, paper rolled in, novel notes nearby, and I felt blank.  I put on a record album.  It was the soundtrack of StarWars, as I recall (it was the 1970’s).  It turns out, instrumental music is a writing trigger for me.

It is not my only trigger.  Sometimes I can write quite handily on breaks and before starting work with various factory sounds around me.  The ambient noise of a diner or bar works fine.  Sometimes the relative quiet of the library is nice.

Now I am over 400 words and I have about a half hour till I’d better leave.  So I guess this is my Tired Tuesday post.  Not a long whine about not being able to write, but a short story about how I managed to write… something.  Something good?  Well, we don’t ask for miracles on Tired Tuesday.

 

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Post Posers Post

Posted on January 26, 2019 by mohawkvalleygirl

This post was supposed to be titled “Pre Posers Post” and was supposed to be written before we went to the Mohawk American Legion to hear one of our favorite bands.  However, my post-work nap took longer than anticipated, and I was too flustered to make a proper post before our friend Kim picked us up to go to the Legion.

Now, unfortunately, I am a little tired and tipsy to make a really good post.  Still, one must persevere.  We had a marvelous time at the Legion.  We drank, we danced. Kim took a few pictures.

A band shot.

That is scarcely a problem, however, since it is Lame Post Friday.  As regular readers know, however many foolish posts I may have made during the week, I rarely forgo Lame Post Friday.  It is a thing withe me.

Maybe a little less good of a shot.

So here is my Friday Lame Post:  We went to the Mohawk American Legion and heard our favorite band, The Posers, featuring one of our favorite people, Rick DeJohn, on base.  We danced our butts off.

 

Full disclosure: this photo looked better on Kim’s phone than it looks now.

It was a wonderful Friday.  I can only hope for an equally enjoyable Saturday. In the meantime, I highly recommend The Posers as a good band to listen to.  Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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Facing the Music

Posted on May 11, 2018 by mohawkvalleygirl

A musical weekend awaits me.  Tomorrow, Steven and I will drive into Utica, NY (not a far drive) to the Stanley Theatre to see the band America (you don’t have to italicize band names, do you? I should know these things).  I have not been to the Stanley in over 20 years (yikes!  I just now figured that out).  It was beautiful then, and I believe they have made improvements since.

Just to give you an idea.

The event is a fundraiser for the Herkimer County Historical Society, one of my favorite organizations.

Saturday our friend Tracy is coming to visit, and we are going to see a folk group, Jam Crackers in Holland Patent.  We have seen them before; they are wonderful.  Tracy may get here earlier in the day, so we can get in a Mohawk Valley adventure or two as well.

Tracy’s visit is one reason I have been so distracted from my blogging duties this week:  we have been frantically cleaning the house.  Tracy nicely said that as long as she had a path to get through she was fine, but, well, we had to excavate the path anyways.  I utilized my old favorite cleaning protocol: the stuff-and-cram method.  We’ll worry about organization at a later date.

So this is my Non-Sequitur Thursday post for the week.  Or I guess we could call it a Preview of Coming Attractions.  Discuss among yourselves.

 

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Oh, That Band!

Posted on August 17, 2017 by mohawkvalleygirl

When I was running the Boilermaker 15K in July, I LOVED the band that was playing outside the Utica Zoo.  They were bluesy and danceable.  I dance-ran by them, a move which I am sure looks perfectly ridiculous but is fun nevertheless.  I still had not gotten around to looking up who the band was.  In my defense, I’ve been busy.

Fast forward to Chicks Along the Canal, part of Little Falls Canal Fest, last Saturday, Aug. 12.  While the cast of The Tempest (remember, that play I’m in?) waited to perform, the best band was playing!  They were bluesy!  They were danceable!  I went over to the tent and danced.

“Bands like it when you dance to their music,” I told my fellow cast members.  Another listener was dancing, a gentleman wearing an ARMY cap.  He waved at me, and  went over and dance with him.

It was while I was dancing that the band began to sound familiar.  Ooh!  Was it the awesome band from the Boilermaker?  I thought maybe!

After their set, I saw the lead singer chatting with someone, so I approached and asked if they had been in front of the Zoo during the Boilermaker.  They had!

“I LOVE you guys!”  I said.  “What is the name of your band?”

“The Cathie Timian Band,” was the answer.  She gave me a card.  When I got home, I looked up their website: http://www.cathietimian.com/.  I also Liked the Cathie Timian Facebook page.  I hope to hear them play again soon.  You bet I’ll write a blog post about it.

 

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Even My Blog Post Needs a Hand

Posted on December 5, 2016 by mohawkvalleygirl

Did you ever notice that in every Rankin/Bass special there is one really cool Encouragement song?  I have many times noticed it.  Almost every December throughout junior high and high school, after I watched Santa Claus is Coming to Town, for weeks I wondered how I could “Put One Foot in Front of the Other.”   Really, the best part about these specials is the music.  Right now I’m watching one of the more lame efforts, ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas, and I’m thinking, “It’s so true!  ‘Even a Miracle Needs a Hand’!”

Yes, today is Wrist to Forehead Sunday.  It is drawing closer and closer to my bedtime and I have not made a blog post yet.  In my defense… OK, there is no defense.  I was trying to do some chores earlier (got a little laundry and the dishes done at least), then Steven and I met up with a fellow to talk about a murder mystery we hope to participate in at the Overlook Mansion in Little Falls, NY.  I will be happy to write more about that, when more definite information is forthcoming.  What can I say?  It is really hard to get everything done in a day!

So I think it is really good that we came home and started to watch some of these Rankin/Bass Christmas specials we have on video (yes, the two we watched thus far are on VHS; we fortunately still have a device that plays video).  I need the encouragement song today.  I shall put one foot in front of the other, as Kris Kringle encouraged the Winter Warlock to do.  ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas just ended, and Steven is about to put in Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, so I can be assured that “There’s Always Tomorrow for Dreams to Come True.”

 

 

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I Am a Dancing Fool

Posted on June 11, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I may have mentioned in passing that Steven and I danced the night away at the Silverado Inn last Saturday.  We’re still talking about what a fun night we had.

We had made our plans to go a week or two before,when I saw an article in the Utica O-D about a band called Mersey Side 5, which has been together for 50 years.  Impressive, but what really caught my attention was that we know two of the members.  Rick DeJohn, on bass, has been our sound and light guy at Ilion Little Theatre for some time now.   He is a great musician, an all-around awesome person and our very good friend.  Rick Short, guitar and vocals, is of course leader of the Rick Short Band, a hard-rocking group we enjoy very much.

After our stressful week last week, we were not sure if we would be up for going out, with the result that we did not organize a bunch of friends to go with us.  I ended up feeling very bad about that, but I really did not want to say, “Hey, let’s go!” then be too sad and tired to enjoy it.

We arrived early and sat in a booth.  Steven got us beers while I greeted a friend from work.  I had not been at the Silverado on a Saturday night in years.  I have, however, enjoyed numerous fundraisers there on a Sunday, most notably the HALO Hoedown in September.  I noticed a lot of older people in the crowd, and by “older” of course I mean my age (middle).

Soon the music started and things got really fun.  We danced to almost every song, as did a lot of people.  It was a nice bunch, too.  When things got crowded on the dance floor, nobody got annoyed at being bumped into.  As it said in the article, the band played classic rock, including music by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Animals and more.  It was one good dance tune after another!  We loved it.

We would have stayed and danced as long as the band played, but Steven had to work the next day.  As it was, we didn’t get to bed till after midnight.  It did not matter.  Such a fun time is worth feeling a little tired the next day.  I hope we get a chance to hear Mersey Side 5 again soon.

 

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A Happy Hour Indeed

Posted on May 21, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Last Friday I asked Steven to take me to Happy Hour at the Belly Up Pub.

“I want to sit at the bar and pretend we’re in our 20s and 30s,” I said. When were first started dating, I was in my 20s and Steven was in his 30s. That was a while ago.

We were happy to find seats at the end of the bar, my favorite spot. We had to wait a few minutes for the Bonus Happy Hour to start at five. Happy Hour at the Belly Up Pub usually runs from 6 till 8, but for May they had a bonus hour from 5 to 6. I felt like a cheapskate waiting for a half price drink, but sometimes you just have to save a buck (don’t worry; we tipped the bartender on the full amount).

Live music was provided by Louis Baldanza, who plays a pretty mean guitar. He sang some bad ass songs from the 70s. I felt a little bad, because he kept asking for requests and I couldn’t think of a thing. We enjoyed his sound and made sure we put something in his Tip Jar.

Everything was half price, so we ordered a couple of hot dogs and some french fries. They offer a selection of appetizers: chicken wings, jalapeno poppers, eggplant fries, to name a few. This was our first time getting hot dogs, and they were quite good.

Drawings for giveaways are held every 15 minutes. I won a Belly Up coozy and a coin for a half price drink.

“So if we come early next time, we won’t have to wait,” I said.

Steven noticed that shot glasses were also half price. He collects shot glasses, although neither of us do shots, so he asked to see one. Before he could ask the price, the bartender did another drawing.

“We usually give away a shot glass at six,” she told us. “You won.” How awesome was that!

We had a really nice time, although I did not actually pretend I was in my 20s. Who wants to go back in time anyways? Life is good right now.

The Belly Up Pub is located at 122 West Albany St., Herkimer, NY. For more information, visit their website at www.bellyuppub.com. You can also Like them on Facebook.

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Twisted Challenge

Posted on March 26, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

Alternate title: Not Wiped Out Yet

The other day on Facebook my sister issued the Wipe Out Challenge. You play the song “Wipe Out” and dance the twist. During the drum solos you go side to side or twerk. I forget how many days you are supposed to keep this up.

I will say right up front that I have never twerked in my life and I do not intend to start (although I did just flash on that Disney song about “Hi ho! Hi ho! It’s off twerk we go!”) (I always suspected that was the kind of ho they meant) (but I digress). However, I am a past master of twisting. I won a contest at it once. And I used to twist on the pads between machines at Curves.

“Wipe Out” is not one of the songs we own in our rather large CD collection (oh don’t start on me about I-pods or whatever they are, I am doing just fine with my CDs, thank you). Steven found it on YouTube. It was only two minutes and forty seconds. No matter, I was declining the challenge.

I changed my mind later on. I was waiting for my popcorn to pop (on the stove with oil, as God intended). I started singing the “Wipe Out” song and dancing. “Di da-da DAH di-da-da di da-da DAH di-da-da…” I kept an eye on the clock and continued for about three minutes. Tabby came out and danced with me for part of the time.

The next day after work I sought out a particular Roomful of Blues CD which contained a song I often dance the twist to. Ah, two minutes and forty seconds. Perfect. I got to twisting. I had previously taken Tabby for a twenty minute walk (perhaps you read my blog post about it). I know that thirty minutes of exercise are recommended, so I thought to twist for ten minutes. It took me three songs to do it. I’ve known for a long time that many songs are good to twist to.

Tuesday (today) I knew I would be challenged to find a time to twist. Steven was picking me up at work and we were driving to Rome. It was a cold morning. Steven let the car warm up before taking me to work. While it warmed, I started singing and twisting. Once again Tabby danced with me. I made up words to the “Wipe Out” tune: “Well it’s a cutie little schnoodle, it’s a cutie little schnoodle…” Three minutes is not too long to dance and sing about your dog.

So that makes three days. Will I continue to meet the challenge? Hard to say. I am thinking of it more as the Twister Challenge than the Wipe Out Challenge. In any case, I needed a blog post and this was better than my usual Tired Tuesday. If only I’m not too tired to type it in.

And, as you see, I was not. Rock on!

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I’m Not a Basket Case

Posted on January 14, 2014 by mohawkvalleygirl

For this week’s Middle-aged Musings Monday, I would like to dissect a ditty I learned in elementary school. I still sing it on occasion, because it has kind of a catchy tune. Luckily for you, dear reader, this is not an audio blog. Without my awful singing voice, then, here is the first part:

There was an old woman tossed up in a basket,
Fifteen times as high as the moon.
And where she was going, I couldn’t but ask it,
For in her hand she carried a broom.

Excuse me, what? Of course, I’m no expert on astronomy, but considering how small the moon looks from here, how in the world is this guy seeing this old woman, never mind the basket and the broom (I say “this guy,” because there was a picture of a guy next to this song in my fourth grade music book) (although it might not have been fourth grade; I just thought the sentence would sound better if I was specific) (but I digress).

Who tossed her, the Incredible Hulk?

OK, let’s assume the guy has the Hubble Space Telescope, how does he manage to carry on a conversation with her, which he does, because the song continues:

“Old Woman, Old Woman, Old Woman,” quoth I,
“Oh whither, or whither so high?”
“To swee-eep the co-obwebs out of the sky-y-y!”

I guess that was how people talked back then, “quoth I.” In my younger days, it would have been, “So I sez to her…” These days, it might be, “So I’m like, ‘What up, Lady?’ and she’s all, ‘Sweeping the cobwebs, dude.'”

Do people still call other people “dude”? It was “man” in the ’60s and ’70s, “dude” in the ’80s and ’90s, and then I completely lost touch. I did mention that these were middle-aged musings, didn’t I?

Come to think of it, these days, he could have texted her. This probably would include “lol” and “fml,” but I really don’t know a lot about texting.

It just goes to show, though, how I took everything at face value when I was a little kid. You taught me a song about a lady in a basket, and I sang it. It isn’t till YEARS later that I finally say, “Waaait a minute!”

On further reflection, that basket may have been sixteen times as high as the moon.

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