There's A Song That We Sing When We Take To The Highway, & It Has To Do With Whiskey And Our Babies

Location: The Open Road Toward Jeff L.'s (Honda Odyssey)
Date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Time: 2:42 pm

We're listening to A. J. Jacob's The Year of Living Biblically while passing the damp yellow medians of the NY/MA border. We are crossing the partially frozen Hudson River as I type. A couple days ago when traveling to Northampton we were on the turnpike from Stockridge to Boston. I wondered what the Brookshires were. I saw some sign for them (or it?) as we drove, I'm fairly certain. It actually made me feel, I don't know. It's hard to describe. I found it neat and soothing to experience something James Taylor wrote and sang about. Terrain might have been covered in snow, I can't recall. It's gotten warmer as we've traveled.

Last evening we played the Elington Library after hours. The room sound was great, only surpassed by the audience and the other bands. Sarah Ayton from Gwelf, Canada opened the show. She has an awesome voice with entertaining, interesting songs. Technology failed her last night so she was unable to perform some looping. The beginning line of the loop sounded enticing so it was very much a letdown.

Klessa invented breakfast for us, which is a new one. Pictured: Silver Double Stuff Pancakes

She played us a song co-written by her 13-year-old sister. Back in Columbus, Richard Wehrenwolf did something similar. As part of his college education Richard conducted poetry units at local elementary schools with 8-year-olds. He made some of those poems into songs. On both occasions the songs have been really different in a great way. Last night's song was a quickly-made, one-off thing but Richards songs were really well thought out. There was relatable, easily understood poignancy to the songs. I was impressed.

After-brunch outdoor activities.

Klessa closed the night. They have great voices, rhythm, and intrumentation. They played a new song with the possible title, "Ribbunz". It had a real moving rocky beat. The percussion chosen suits their music well. The roster includes clarinet, guitar, accordian, snare and floor tom, keyboard, bass clarinet, glockenspiel and perhaps more.

Illustration by Matt of Klessa, and maybe Sarah of Sarah Ayton, as well.

In the morning we had a bounty of vegan breakfast goods. Before my very eyes they invented Silver Double Stuff Pancakes. They dipped double stuffed Oreos in banana & sprinkles pancake batter and then fried those up. At some point they even went as far as to slice those into bite-sized pieces and throw those into banana blueberry pancakes. Some thought too decadent. I thought they were right there on the line. They were creamy and sweet and fruity and too good. Make 'em if you can cause you should. Damn your heart and love your palette.

The hopscotch gang.

Money shows off his mad hoppin' skills.

We sat around the living room with plates in hand and Polka Dot Dot Dot and Jordan O Jordan on the phonograph. Hair was braided. Record packaging was discussed. The outdoors were realized but not before a savory mock quiche. It's pseudonym was Mush Pie. Challets, walnuts, cornstarch, and mushrooms (and donkey ears, says Peri), on a tender crust made for tasty. We eventually got to some mad hopscotch while Lew repacked the car. Since it's only four of us in a minivan we're afforded the chance to just throw all our stuff in the back and roll. That means we often have to root through the whole vehicle to find stuff. Not now though, thanks to Squeeg. Thanks, Squeeg. On the road again. Where to? Boston, simply.

Yours Shiny & Brand New,
Addison