Doing the Doo at Boo-Nanny

Wendi's Word Nest at Boo-Nanny

After a couple of whirlwind months of bringing Poetry Alive! to schools in various states I caught a ride with the Screaming Js caravan to the Doo-Nanny in Seale, AL. We arrived at 6am Friday and while the sleepers slept I covered J.P.’s big green van with magnetic poetry. There is something cleansing about having a few hours of silence to yourself with nothing but birdsong for inspiration as you pull random words from a bag and try to make sense of them.

Screaming Jake's Church of the Dead

I saved one small box for Screaming Jake’s church of the dead which was raised quickly once the sleeper’s awoke. I didn’t take pictures of the poetry on the church, so that will have to remain a memory in the thoughts of those who had a chance to explore it for that moment in time.

After all the magnets were placed, J.P. & I put the finishing touches on the backstage “Green Room” which gave me the perfect place to hide out while practicing or watch the world from above while typing. Then it was our turn to go exploring.

J.P. in the "Green Room"

That night we ventured downtown for the Possum Trot auction & a delicious boil of shrimp, sausage, corn & potatoes. I heard the whole life story of some locals enchanted by the glimmer of bubbles & regretted not having a single dollar on me to bid on the amazing art going at bargain prices. We danced to Screaming Jake’s juke joint piano playing until the sweat streamed off our faces and then loaded up to howl to the moon from the stage with whatever song bubbled up. The best thing about that night was reaching the point when we were all playing…no longer performing.

When you perform for a living, the stress of the work often can take the fun out of it. Especially when folks assume that because it looks like you’re having fun that you’re willing to entertain them for free. They miss the part where you’ve spent six hours balancing artistic egos in a car and another six setting up the stage & equipment & magic that makes it all look and sound so fun knowing that when it’s all done and you’re exhausted it will be time to take it all down and move on to the next job.

Friday night was a night for the artists to play and after a sound night’s sleep we woke slowly to the drizzly grey day of the Doo or Boo-Nanny since it was also Halloween. We mostly kept to the caves we built for ourselves as the locals came in to view the Doo. I sold a few poems off the wall and gave away more while taking some time to stare at the sky and listen to others do the work. Finally when the rain let up Jenny Greer & the Screaming Js took the stage for the lighting of the Doo-Nanny to an impromptu rendition of Burning Ring of Fire. That was the spark that set the music in motion with non-stop boogie until at 1:30am. As if in a daze, we finally abandoned the lights of the stage realizing it was cold enough that we should gather close by the bonfires for ghost stories, tall tales & more sing-alongs led by the ever shining Jenny.

The full moon lit the village and made mystery of the mist rising off the lake in the wee hours as we each found a spot to burrow against the chill before dawn. The next day bloomed bright and beautiful and I finally found time to explore Butch Anthony’s Museum of Wonder. That alone is worth a visit to Seale, AL any time of the year. After a little time to myself for practice we packed up & hit the road again.

Finally, I now have a few days to spend at home & want nothing more than to continue to sing, dance, play, & make art. Do the Doo.

DooNanny Poem from the Underwood

Crossing Bridges

Bridge crossing out of New England

I drove 2,258 miles for Poetry Alive! last week crossing more bridges than I could count only to arrive back in North Carolina to bridge the gap between my old home and my new home. Yet I’m not one to burn bridges and still find myself torn between the community of Tryon and Asheville. For that matter I am constantly trying to bridge the gap between the culture of Western Washington where I was raised and North Carolina where I have had a home for 10 years now. The more bridges I cross the more I realize how similar we all are, but there are rivers, valleys, and mountains between the culture of communities where people find solace. What a boring world this would be if everywhere you went was exactly alike! None of the bridges we crossed were one way. The exchange of information and ideas from people of each culture flows both ways. The more time I spend on the road the more I feel like a bridge where this exchange takes place and home becomes a place in my heart unattached to any physical location.

Food for thought…

Like Aesop’s fabled raven
dropping stones to raise the water
media piles words under the surface
raising the level of consciousness.

Oh happy fools who plug ears
resisting the weight of worry
reserving senses for heaven’s rain
more precious than stoney accusations.

Has America’s thirst for news
grown so insatiable and needy
it will gorge on half formed thoughts
rather than filter the feed for truths?

Poetypist

The Underwood

I’ve decided to turn off the computer for a bit and go back to typing. I got my hands on an Underwood this weekend fell in love. To read most of these you’ll have to find me in the real world, or you could always order an original for yourself through the email link to the right. I do take requests. The live performance component of the poem composition is still in rehearsal, but will be coming to sidewalks and festivals soon.

Here’s a photo of a sample from the first batch:

Ode by Wendi Loomis

To the dance

Drum kick drives the foot to the floor
Hip sweep at cymbal crash
while the bass runs up the spine.

Guitar solo follows the rib cage
Hammond rolls the curves
until keys shimmy the shoulders to fingertips.

Head weaves in the harmonies
eyes close to block out distractions
while the ears open wide in wonder.

Sunday morning reverie

Cleansing rain washes away the week
as I rise from sleep
reconnecting, reflecting, & resurrecting
a dream.

Sunshine clears the clouds
that blur my vision.
Cardinal, finches, & wrens
sing in my heart.

Grace has taught my soul
I have more to give than withhold
release, rise, & rejoice
with love.

In the Night

“We’ve got some t-shirts for sale
CD’s too
take us home with you.”
Loud wave of bassdrumsguitar
pounds out the babble
of misplaced dreams.

“The band needs a beer.”
Just to know if you are hear
listening in the quiet moments
between three minute power pulses.
Don’t worry ’bout sound check
everything is turned up to eleven
to cover the noise
of misplaced conversation.

Did you mean to make a pass
I missed it in the wash
talk to the girl behind me
instead
I’m still listening to the voices
across the bar
searching for a dream.

“Thank you for coming.”
We’re not always what we seem
resting between the scenes.
Curtain tomorrow at seven
unless it’s a matinee at three.

Starshine

In the silence of the night
Vibrations bounce
from other space

Words woven in smokey bars
Music resonating off trees
Dancers beating the boards of dance halls
send joyful rhythms through the dark

If you listen close
not with your ears
but your heart
you can feel the electric hum

Whisper your wishes
into the wind in time
let the distant stars answer
& join their song

Spread Joy up to the Maximum!

Last week I drove to Memphis and back by myself. I’ve made long drives before so I was prepared with charged cell phone, healthy snacks and a whole pile of CDs to listen to for the journey. There is something completely liberating about flying free. The two weeks of workshops in Memphis were a lot of fun and I took a bit of time to actually get to know the “real” Memphis, not just the Beale Street tourist section. The history of music and civil rights in that city run deep, but today there are shadows around it’s former glory. Whole streets of businesses and houses are boarded up and empty while the next block over is alive and thriving.

I returned to my home with a new pile of tunes from the CDs lodged in my head that include artists like Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley, Dr. John, the Drifters, and Professor Longhair. This particular song seems to be on constant “repeat” in my brain. I had a recording of Johnny Mercer singing it, but Aretha is fun too…

What a handy thing to have in your head when you come home to a pre-foreclosure notice in the mailbox and a large two trunked red oak tree across your driveway! I’ll admit, the sight made me shed a few tears, but a few calls to the right friends had me on top of the situation quickly. This week began the Mountain Clearance Giveaway. I’m unloading the burden of stuff that has weighed me down for far too long and it’s truly liberating. Rather than making a mountain out of a molehill, I’m taking apart the mountain. One of the things I enjoy doing best is helping people find what they need. So…I’m inviting folks to bring a car full of joy by the house this week and take something you can use away with you. We all benefit that way.

Once I’m free of the baggage I don’t need, I look forward to spreading joy in my own quirky way to as many corners of the world as possible.

Music in the moment

A month ago I thought I’d be in Sacramento, CA this weekend for my second trip to the Jazz Jubilee. Part of me is there dancing to the merry music of the Firecrackers as well as the other amazing artists like Allan Vache, Bria Skonberg, and John Sheridan that I encountered live for the first time out there.

Instead I’m in Asheville, which is a good thing too. I caught the tropical sounds of Kon Tiki after work at the The Wedge Brewery down on the tracks by the New French Broad river on Wednesday when the sun finally decided to shine on all the greenery and flowers from the rain. I left there with the CD With Benny in Mind so that I can listen to Allan Vache this weekend on this side of the continent.

The evening then continued with live music dancing to the Screaming J’s. I’m always amazed at how Jason Krekel & Jake Hollifield maintain a consistently rocking fun time as band members slip in and out to hit the road with other projects. It’s always surprising and always new. This week there were a couple of particularly avant garde medley transitions that proved that they are not just another rock and roll band.

Last night I was Moogified at the 75th Birthday Bash to celebrate the life of Bob Moog and raise funds for the Moogseum in Asheville. Drummer David put together a stellar line up of local musicians to record live tracks while patrons wandered through the exhibits. Molly & Jenny were like gems playing with vocals. The jam between Jay Sanders, Jonathan Scales, Andy Pond, and Mike Rhodes was sonic joy. Chris Stack was kind enough to walk me through the intricacies of the difference between the various Moogerfoogers that I would love to hook up to my clarinet and make crazy fun sound. The keyboard lounge was a treat to wander through and experiment with all the options the knobs and buttons provide. The only thing missing for me was the touch sensitive keyboard Chris developed with Moog, but apparently I’m not the only music geek who couldn’t afford to buy a crazy toy like that and the production was so limited they didn’t have one to share.

But wait, there’s more. After all that pitch bending, oscillating wonder I treated my ears & feet to the sweet sounds of acoustic gypsy jazz with the Space Heaters in the cozy little BoBo Gallery. I arrived just in time to catch a couple of my favorite leaders on the dance floor and visit with a few more players who were enjoying a night off to listen while someone else did the work. Whew!

Now it’s time to organize travel for the Poetry Alive! adventure next week and then I’ll get my down & dirty blues rock fix with Abe Reid & the Spikedrivers tonight. It may not be the musical feast I had planned, but I’m certainly not starving this weekend. Happy Memorial Day weekend to you and may you find the music that soothes your soul is brought to you live.