Here's some good news for those of you who live in the lower mainland of BC. Aspen Switzer
and Thistledowne are about to go on tour and will be playing in Kaslo, Salmon Arm, Penticton, Vancouver, Victoria, Lasqueti Island, Chemainus, and eventually in Nelson.
Aspen recently released her second CD, Humble But Bearing No Apology, and on this tour she's accompanied by Jesse Lee on guitar and bass
and Jessa Koerber on keyboards and mandolin.
Jessa and Jesse also sing back up, and when the three of them sing harmony, look out!
Here are a couple more pictures of them at a house concert last year:
As you can see, they are serious musicians.
Here's the schedule, as cribbed from Aspen's site where you can click on links to maps and find out about getting your tickets in advance.
Thursday, February 5 at 8pm with Thistledowne
The Old Firehall, 2115 Queen Rossland, BC
Saturday, February 7 at 8pm with Thistledowne
the Langham Theatre 447 A Avenue Kaslo, B.C.
Sunday, February 8 at 7pm with Thistledowne
SAGA Gallery, 70 Hudson Ave NE, Salmon Arm, BC
Monday, February 9 at 7pm with Thistledowne
Penticton Art Gallery, 199 Marina Way, Penticton, BC
Tuesday, February 10 at 8pm with Thistledowne
Minstrel Cafe & Bar 4638 Lakeshore Road Kelowna, BC
Friday, February 13 at 8pm with Thistledowne
Vancouver House concert - call Hayley (778)898-5243
Apt 404 - 1188 Quebec St.
Saturday, February 14 at 8pm with Thistledowne
Vancouver House concert - call Ange (604) 629-8569
Monday, February 16 at 8pm with Thistledowne
Wired Monk, 2610 West 4th avenue, Vancouver
Map
Wednesday, February 18 at 8pm with Thistledowne
The Sunset Room, 1810B Store Street Victoria BC
Advance Tickets
Friday, February 20 at 8pm with Thistledowne
Lasqueti Island House concert
Saturday, February 21 at 8pm with Thistledowne
The Dancing Bean, 9752 Willow St., Chemainus, BC
Saturday, February 28 at 7:30pm with Thistledowne
Selkirk Nurses - Guatemala Project Fund raiser
Nelson United Church, Nelson, BC
If you get a chance, listen-up!
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I don't much like January, as months go.
Some good things happened, though. Found out the Castlegar Library has two seasons of Black Books, the first episode of which prompted me to make Ted a "Little Book of Calm" for his birthday one year. I didn't even know there was a second season—and I see via Google there's even a third! Good old YouTube has the first episode here.
And as this is supposed to be a poetry-related blog, here's one of mine that is due to appear any second now in Cascade: Journal of the Washington Poets Associaton.
It's about my boy, Jesse Lee, Thistledowne member and all-around good guy.
MY BOY'S A MINSTREL
Beside the road a benevolent elephant,
burl-encrusted, beaming, invites me in
and I lean to its pocked and marvelous mantle,
close my eyes and there’s my boy.
Above my head, a cradle-cat of branches
my boy would climb if he was here.
This is a place a cat would floose,
roll in an ecstasy of Gods-eager wort.
Geese squinch-squelch on spring-sodden ground,
fither-feather water in a synchronized float.
My boy’s a minstrel, my boy’s a dancer,
he sees sounds as I see words.
Stick-stalks surge from last year’s sedum,
pine cones pearl in a tree-root cave.
My boy’s a rocker, my boy’s a roller
dream-catcher moments in a preen-green gale.
Green feather lichen, merry weather mornings,
garden-hugger buddha in his gray spring coat,
my boy’s a lover, my boy’s a rover.
Wait long enough and the alder turns green.
Finally, in the words of some famous bard, If winter's here, can spring be far behind? Let's hope not.
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