Michelle Malone at The Evening Muse

It takes alot to get me out on a weeknight. I'm like that old dog that wants to sit by the fire or watch TV. But when Michelle Malone http://michellemalone.com comes to town Sue and I head out to see her. And she never fails to deliver a scorching brand of rock and roll, slide guitar and a couple of slow soulful things for old guys like me.

With the solid backing of Jason Rogers on bass and Katy Herron on drums, the beat is driving and intensifies Ms. Malones already savage sound. The music they deliver, ranging from the sultry "Mississippi" to a ballad such as "Cypress Inn" draws on so many roots. Southern rock, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughn all come to mind- and then through in some very original vocals and guitar styling- and you have an accurate picture of their sound.
Seeing them in a venue like The Evening Muse http://www.theeveningmuse.com/ located in the NoDa District of Charlotte(North Davidson Street)also gives you the chance to see and hear really good, independent music up close and personal. The Muse holds maybe 100 people, giving you a feeling of being part of something special. And you are.

Sue and I have been following Michelle Malone for about 3 years since the night we drove 100 miles to see Will Kimbrough http://www.myspace.com/willkimbroughmusic at "Gottrocks" in South Carolina. We have seen her every time since. And the music keeps getting better and better. Thanks Michelle for a wonderful evening!

Occupied Japenese Stuff

I'm a sucker for anything Made In Occupied Japan. When I was a kid anything stamped Made In Occupied Japan meant cheap. But over the years it has become apparent that some of this stuff was really delightful to look at and display. These two little pieces are good examples of some of the cheaper, earlier Occupied Japenese things that were common in my house.

The fact that they came from so far away and were made by our former enemies always gave me pause to think as I looked at the items and pictured small Japenese people laboring, lovingly over their craft. In my mind they were happy to be free of the war and all the terror it had wrought. General MacArthur, for all his faults, really knew how to "wage peace" as well as war.

This beautiful plate was part of a complete tea set for 6. It is of much better quality than the other stuff and is very collectible.It is one of the earliest things I remember from my childhood. I used to have the entire set but some years back I foolishly sold the tea pot and cups and saucers. All that I have now are the 6 plates, which I treasure. They stand in the China Closet in the Piano Room-where we keep my Mom's old piano.

Time marches on and things change rapidly in todays world. That's what makes these old things so comforting. I have been looking at these plates my whole life. And knowing that my children will be enjoying them after I'm gone gives me a sense of continuity. Not bad for something as simple as a plate.

Dewey the Small Town Library Cat by Vicki Myron

Okay,I confess,I am reviewing this at the suggestion of Garden Lust Journal(http://mendogardens.blogspot.com/) and I was,to say the least, skeptical. I am allergic to these guys- they actually intefere with my breathing. So, as I said, I was skeptical.

But this is a great book! Not just an animal story- but the story of a remarkable town. A town that burns down in 1931 because a kid was careless with a sparkler- but no one will say who he is- electing instead to go forward with rebuilding, renewing.The farm crisis of the late 1970's devastates the town economically and they are in kind of a rut when into their lives walks Dewey, the Small Town Library Cat. No hat like Dr. Suess' "Cat In The Hat"- but with a bag of emotional tricks that would make Felix the Cat envious.

This little fellow has been tossed into a library return bin on a cold (-15F degrees) night in Spencer,Iowa. The author saves him and he becomes the official mascot of the library, winning over everyone- even people like me with allergies to these guys are rooting for him. I know I was.

The author keeps you engaged by interweaving her own life with that of the cat and the history of the town. You really like these people. They are imaginative and resilient, always bouncing back. The antics of this little guy and his attempt at independence by running away will have you laughing.

On the other hand, his recognition of the needs of others gives him an almost human dimension. He befreinds the local elementary school Special Ed class but attaches himself to the most needy of the children- and the results are tangible- the girl, confined to a wheel chair- glows.

Through the authors own struggles as a single mother while battling breast cancer and a double mascetomy the bond between the two is forged. The relationship with her own daughter is a direct result of Dewey- through his presence they found a bridge.

It later becomes apparent that Dewey is ill and things are not going to end well. And they don't. But through it all the author cares for Dewey until the very emotional ending, as the town first mourns his loss, and then learns to rejoice in the legacy he has left behind.

It is a tear jerker in parts towards the end, but the tears are ones of grief as well as joy. It is hard to say this, but I am better off for having read this book.

Skizzenbuch- Sketchbook

The first time I saw this sketch was in Germany in the late 1970's and I fell in love with it. But being "in transit" so to speak there was no room for pieces of art in my portmandeau. So I settled on the sketch book- indeed that is the title of the book- "Skizzebbuch" or Sketchbook in German.

Apparently at some point the book was taking up too much room as well, and so I ripped the page out which is reproduced here. The reason this sketch means so much to me is simple enough to understand in retrospect.

I was very lonely traveling as I did, and this sketch represented to me, my own awdwardness and inability to sucessfully survive on my own. And the beautiful woman helping the elephant learn to walk was my ideal of finding someone who would help me through life's awkward steps, for which I was ill prepared.

If anyone knows the name of the artist,or even the sketch itself,I would be grateful. I have been unable to google him or the book. Also- let me know what this sketch means to you. I really want to know...

Tokens

They're tiny and seemingly meaningless- but in their day these little babies were the gateway to the rest of the world beyond my own neighborhood. They have always held a fascination for me. The first time I saw one was on my father's dresser with his change. I remember that I didn't need one until I was over 6. I still recall the slogan- "Little enough to ride for free- little enough to ride your knee."

As a coin ccollectorI used to shun these little guys- but I always made sure to save one or two whenever the NYC tokens were changed. I have given them away, one by one, over the years, to friends and my kids. My wife even has one of the older little ones as a necklace. In 1967 I went by "D" train into Manhattan and shopped at Macy's on 34th Street for Christmas using one of these same tokens.

The best part of holding one of these in your hands is the unknown, untold story that each could tell. Look at the Honolulu token for instance. I see a sailor on liberty in pre World War II Hawaii. The trolley probably took him from the docks to the bar district or maybe he even had a girlfriend. Where was this token on the morning of December 7th, 1941? Oh, how I wish these guys could talk!

The Baltimore and the South Carolina tokens are from the days of segregation and were once held in the hands of white, blue collar workers as well as the African American passengers, who, after handing over the fare had to "move to the rear of the bus." How odd that they could share the tokens but not the seats...

The Miami token recalls a time when people from New York went down to Florida for the winter. While there they used the streetcars and rode alongside the Cuban maids and hotel workers. I have a picture of my mother's family in Miami in the 1940's and can't help wonder if she; or even my great granddad Max; used one of these on the way to Neiman Marcus to shop. Maybe even this one!

The delicate designs, the flourishes at the edges and the delightful cutouts in the centers give these tokens all the grace of real coins. They are hallmarks to the past.

You can find these little beauties in almost any coin shop- usually in a box marked "Special" and selling for less than a buck. I like to turn them over in my hand and read the inscriptions and spin stories in my head about them, where they were and who used them. Not bad for less than a buck.

Linthead by Wilt Browning

I moved to North Carolina 11 years ago. I had never seen a "Mill Town" before. I had been to some coal towns in the Appalachians when I was a kid with my parents. They took us to see a company coal town in 1964 around the time Lyndon Johnson was cranking out his "War Against Poverty." We went home greatly appreciative of all that we had.

Time, though, has a way of erasing and replacing the bad memories with Nostalgia.

I have seen many of the former mill towns here in North Carolina, most notably Mooresville, which was a bustling place through the early 1960's. It was a mill town, a railroad town and a farming community. All of that changed when Lake Norman was built and the Interstate came through several miles to the West about 45 years ago.

But I have walked the streets of, and worked in Mooresville for a good portion of my time here and always wondered what it was like in its' prime. "Linthead" gives me some answers.

In less than 200 pages Mr. Browning has painted a wonderful, sepia tinged potrait of the mill town of Easley, South Carolina in the 1940's and 50's. His was the last generation of true "lintheads". Lintheads were the people who worked in the mills. The carpenters, loom hands and spinners all came home each day covered in the white lint of the mill.

This was a time of Company Stores, scrip instead of cash, hog boiling time and baseball. It was also the generation that would witness the demise all these things as they were replaced by Unions,cash,chain stores and the general breaking down of the old order.

This is an unusual book written by a man who escaped working in the mills (he became a sports writer) but is clearly proud of the simple way of life which he once knew.I think that is the charm of this book- we all want to go home again- but can't. The way is filled with memories, some good and some bad. The past ways are harder to live with as we age. We have all become a bit softer, yet we want to go back to the struggles of our earlier years.

We can't and so Nostalgia is the next best thing.

Movie Review- 10 Items Or Less

I never do movies, so this one must have got to me. If you're tired of your TV/DVD Collection then you might want to check this one out.

Short synopsis: Morgan Freeman plays an aging actor who no longer commands the big roles- so he has agreed to scout out the location of a low budget independent film that he has been offered a part in. It's in L.A. and at a Spanish Grocery. There he meets Scarlet,who is from Spain(played wonderfully by Paz Vega)the checkout girl at the 10 Items Or Less register.

Initially skeptical of him as he checks the place out, he slowly draws on her insecurities and tries to build her up. After he becomes stranded at the store on the eve of the Jewish Holidays she agrees to give him a ride but has to stop for a job interview first. This is her first attempt, at 25, to get a real office type job. He preps her for the interview by going to Target, doing an impromtu interview with her in the car and just getting to know themselves through one another. A warm and uplifting film and well worth the time to watch.

In the end you realize that it is only you that holds you back. You can do what you want. You just need to try. It's okay if you fail. It's never okay not to try again.


(PS Look out for a fantastic cameo by Danny Devito and Rhea Perlman)