MP3 files - Live EP?

Hello, friends - - I cut up the recording, so it was mostly just the music, & I think it makes a nice little "Live EP". I think we sound great.
You can download them as mp3 files here.
-James

Our KUSF show!

Will from Kalamazoo, Michigan recorded our appearance on M. Theo's KUSF show Classics Without Walls and had it posted on his web space within minutes of our completing the show.

He writes:

Hello all,

I stayed up too late listening to you all sing on KUSF tonight (till
after 2 am Michigan time!)

I recorded the show and you can listen to it at the following URL:

http://www.entish.org/sh/KUSF_Sacred_Harp_2008.m4a

There are a couple of minutes of non SH music at the start, and a bit
of static in the middle, but you might be glad to hear what it sounded
like.

Good job on the commentaries, by the way.

Thanks, Will!

I thought it went well too; thanks again to David for arranging it.

What are you bringing to the potluck?

The Golden Gate Singing is upon us (this Saturday!), so it's time to start cooking!

I mean that literally, of course. We live in the Bay Area, a place rich in amazing food. I mean, there are already strawberries at the farmer's market! So how are we going to impress our guests, foodwise?

Some thoughts and suggestions:

-Main dishes are always needed! Salads and side dishes are always welcome, but every once in a while a potluck happens that is nearly all salad. Bring a main dish! We want everyone to be well fed.

-Delicious desserts are key.

-Casseroles are traditional and always go over well.

-We tend to be heavy on the fats and starches and less well represented in terms of meats and vegetables. Bay Area singers tend to lean toward vegetarian food, which is fine and reflects our local culture. But I challenge you to think beyond the potato gratin. (Not that a potato gratin would go unwelcomed!)

-The more food the better.

* * * * *

A call for ingredient awareness:

We tend to think of foods as containing the obvious. Like Fig Newtons, we would suspect, are made up of equal parts fig and Sir Isaac Newton.

But thanks to the corporatization of food production, this is rarely the case. "Foods" contain ingredients that are only technically edible. Things are processed together that you never thought possible. You look on the label of a packet of cookies and it says things like "may contain traces of prawn powder." And first you are shocked that cookies could go with prawns, and second you are shocked that prawns come in powder form. (Unless you know from Asian food, of course!)

Most of the time this isn't a big problem (well, actually it's a giant systemic problem that we can afford to ignore in the short term).

But some of us have -- shall I whisper it? -- food allergies. Because if you are allergic to prawns you can't go eating cookies with wild abandon anymore. Woe!

When I mention food allergies and cross-contamination, a lot of people treat me like I am trying to suck all the joy out of life. Trust me, I am not. In fact, being aware of ingredients helps prolong my life. And nobody is telling you not to cook with whatever you want or eat whatever you want. But it can't hurt you to be aware of what's in your food. Because... do you want prawn powder in your cookies?

For instance, bread presents a big problem for me because it's often processed with nuts. So any time I eat out, I find myself asking the waiter if that delicious bread is nut-free. I usually get a "you are crazy" look from the waiter along with a "well, I imagine so."

Imagine away, waiter-dude, and see where it gets you. For instance, I would imagine that cake flour was totally vegan. But as you see, that is my imagination.



Now, many vegans wouldn't bother with the risk of eating a trace of dairy, because that teeny tiny trace will not send them to the ER. Not so for those with serious food allergies! Ignoring that stuff is not an option -- even if you survive the reaction, every reaction you have makes the allergy worse and makes it more likely that you'll
croak next time. Not good.

Once again, I'm not asking anyone to change their cooking habits; I'm just trying to increase awareness of just how widespread the common allergens are. (As an informal experiment, you can check out the chocolate selection at your local grocery and try to find some that is genuinely nut-free.)

Know what's in your food! It's good for everyone.

Shapenote on KUSF's Classics Without Walls

Several local singers will be appearing live on Monday, April 21 on KUSF's Classics Without Walls, hosted by Mark Theodoropoulos. We'll be talking and singing. The program runs from 10 to 11 p.m., so tune in -- or better yet, come along. Contact David for more details.

Golden Gate job update, once more

Here's the job list, now up to date! We still need a few people for registration...

• Arranging: Betty


• Secretary: Linda and Cindy


• Finance committee: Mark and Inder


• Chaplain: Jim


• Resolutions


• Set-up
  
  
  
  • Supervising (if you are not sure what to do, ask her!): Susan
  
  
  • Cindy
  
  
  • Inder
  
  
  • Betty
  
  
  • Lara
  
  
  • Terry M.
  
  
  
  


• Clean-up
  
  
  
  • Supervising: Susan
  
  
  • Betty
  
  
  • Gretchen
  
  
  • Peter
  
  
  • Lara
  
  
  
  


• Registration: Rebecca and ...
  
  
  
  • 8:30-9:30 Philip
  
  
  • 9:30-10:30 James
  
  
  • 10:30-11:45 ??
  
  
  • 11:45-12:45 Peter
  
  
  • 12:45-2:00 ??
  
  
  • 2:00-3:00 Mark
  
  
  
  


• Hospitality: Carolyn


• Public Relations: Chris, Hal, David


• Refreshments: Terry B.


• Supplies: Carolyn and Cindy


• Green committee: Carolyn


• Social: Philip and Inder


• Food: Shelby and Jill


• Location: Carolyn


• Betty will make name tags and bring pins

May we all go home a-praising / and rejoicing in Thy love

Well, I couldn't make it to the party, so here's my unfinished business - and it's even singing related. Linda explicitly requested a report from the Western Mass convention. Be careful what you ask for! I'll try to be concise and keep the gushing to a minimum. If you didn't know already, WMSHC is my favorite holiday. It's like some kind of ultimate Christmas/family reunion montage of all my friends together, new babies, too much food, too many trips to the airport. Followed by that time of year when we compulsively check for pictures online and start counting the days until the next convention (340).

Uh, there's some singing in there too. Some of the best singing around. After an unprecedented year away, I'd started to chalk my yearning for Northampton singing up to nostalgia, but then I walked into the chapel on Tuesday night and it was better than I remembered. (As much as I love California, there's nothing like a little New England fervor.)

Thanks to the officers and everyone who made the weekend what it was, particularly those responsible for the seamless arranging.

Let us turn to photos, all shamelessly stolen from those more talented than I.

God bless Sheldon Finlay and his unmatched singing photography. This year's convention was so well attended (412 registered, it was standing room only on Saturday) that many people led in pairs or groups, which was a lot of fun and made for excellent photo ops. Such as this one, featuring my very best friends, who've just set their wedding date! (In the interest of not embarrassing Katie further, I will point out that contrary to popular belief, Richard is not about to kiss her in the middle of the square. He is merely leaning over to remark, "Oh, I don't hate this song!")



And this one of the Wojcik family.



The children's lesson, led by Jenna and Kelsey. (courtesy of Kevin, another Sacred Harp photographer extraordinaire)



Leyland del Re leads. (also courtesy of Kevin)



Look, you know this guy! (courtesy of Mary Whitehouse)



In conclusion, come sing with us next year! In fact, the WMSHC board is extremely generous in providing travel grants.

And perhaps Mark can provide us with something more resembling an objective report? Much obliged.

Only Marginally Related to UCB Sacred Harp

I'm hosting an Unfinished Business party at my house this Saturday, starting at 3:30. Bring your portable unfinished chores/crafts/projects and get something accomplished while we eat, drink, and make merry. There's no tedious task that can't be improved by good food and good friends. And if your unfinished business includes burning Sacred Harp CDs, organizing digital pictures of singings large and small, and/or composing blog posts for this site, then this post just might be singing-related after all.

Leave a comment if you'd like to come and I'll get back to you.