Chef Quits
Chewy hired Nicholas Palmer as the chef for the banquet (excellent references, good resume), but Chef Palmer walked out in a huff, when he saw Chewy's proposed menu.
Chewy had selected a main dish that included an abundance of edamame, white beans, green beans, yellow corn, rice, and popcorn kernels. Yes, I believe that final ingredient was the coup de grâce; or cup of grass, as we say around here. (If you are curious, the popcorn kernels are prepared by soaking them overnight, boiling them for fifteen minutes, then leaving them to simmer for 45 minutes. Reportedly, they are quite tasty; for those of blessed with a firm beak.) As a bread, Chewy selected Wheat Thins. For dessert Chewy chose a combination of finely chopped Virginia ham with a thick rice gravy.
Chewy was completely convinced his menu selection would have provided an coup de theatre experience of delectation and delight, but we will never know.
Before he left, Chef Palmer was kind enough to give us the name of an associate, Kate Armstrong, and, fortunately, we did manage to obtain the services of Chef Armstrong. However, she agreed to help us out at the last minute on the condition she could develop her own menu. Naturally, I had no problem with that.
Since you all have just completed a delightful meal, I am sure you will join me in applauding both the Chef and all the servers.
The Award
But we did not come here to talk about food. We are here to talk about music. More specifically we are here to celebrate the work of an absolutely amazing musician and performer named Namoli Brennet.
Photo credit: Kathleen Drier
In fact, we are here to honor Namoli Brennet's musical achievements by presenting her the 2008 Chewy Choice Award Music Achievement.
But first, let me tell you a little about the award itself.
Chewy Choice Awards are given to independent musicians with an impressive body of musical achievement. In selecting an award winner, we look for an individual with the following qualities:
- Great musical talent.
- Great musical achievement.
- Great ambition for future achievement in music.
- Commitment to Indie music.
We also aim to give the award, when (a) the award might be able to help boost an individual's career at an important juncture, and (b) the award might help bring attention to a body of work that might otherwise be largely ignored by the general public.
In 2007 the award winner was Patrik Tanner.
In 2006 the award winner was Lorna Bracewell.
Lorna Bracewell and Patrik Tanner are here at the front table tonight. Will you join me in giving them a round of applause?
If you don't mind, I would like to a couple seconds to make a few comments about Lorna. First, because she was the first Chewy Choice Award recipient, and we did not have the opportunity to gather virtually in her honor. Secondly, I would like to respond to some critics.
Initially, the Chewy Choice Award was called a ``lifetime'' achievement award. This caused some confusion, when we bestowed the first award on a young woman in her early twenties. Some people may have asked, ``How can someone earn a lifetime achievement award at such an early age?'' You can click on this link, and discover the answer. (The link jumps to Lorna's abridged resume.)
To eliminate the confusion, the award is no longer referred to as a "lifetime" achievement award. An alternative award name was considered, "Chewy Choice: A midlife-crisis management & music achievement award"; but, alas, it had too many words to fit on the poster.
Honoree
PHOENIX PART II
Now let us turn our attention to our honoree, Namoli Brennet. You are probably thinking, ``It is about time.''
``Home''
If you were, you are quite correct. Some may remember, I originally planned on doing a two part series about going to Phoenix and seeing one of Namoli's concerts. The first part in that series was published on 12 DEC 2007. In effect, this virtual presentation dinner is the second part in that series, so it is indeed about time that I get back to the subject of Namoli Brennet! (The first part of the series discusses Namoli's song ``Home''. Now, with Namoli's permission, a player has been added to that write up, so you now can listen to ``Home''. The link is here.)
Namoli Brennet's concert in Phoenix was a joy. It was a CD release concert. Namoli had just released her sixth album, Singer Shine Your Light. The concert was attended by a loyal group of Namoli fans. It would have been SRO, except the proprietor of the Cafe went out of a ``chair run'', and in minutes about dozen folks were seated. (The three songs featured in this write up are from Singer Shine Your Light. In my opinion, this album contains must play music.)
California
It may seem odd that I attended a Namoli Brennet concert in Phoenix, Arizona about a week after she had performed in my neck of the woods in California.
Well, I won't steer you astray, I have some driving issues.
- I cannot drive from Point A to Point B.
- In heavy traffic I get panic attacks.
- I never use my turn indicator, because I don't want to lose the advantage of surprise.*
*© 1973 Tim Null
I would have had to drive myself to Namoli's concert in California, but I had a truckload of kinfolk to drive me me to Namoli's concert in Phoenix.
So I showed up at the concert with Mrs. Muddle and Unnamed Daughter. Soon there was brother and his wife. Then Sister Two, shortly followed by Uncle's daughter and husband. We filled up one of the back corners.
Namoli Brennet concerts are a mixture of stories and song. Unnamed daughter quickly became a fan of Namoli's stories. They reminded her of her youth, when she would go to Tom Paxton and Arlo Guthrie concerts ― both superb storytellers.
If you ever have the chance to see Namoli in perform live, take
advantage of the opportunity. Namoli's concerts are an unforgettable
experience both for her music, and for her stories. That is why Tim's Befuddled Universe published Namoli's blog on coffee recently, so you could experience Namoli's storytelling first hand.
``California''
When Namoli started to introduce her song ``California'', she asked, ``Was anyone in San Jose last week, when they had the earthquake?'' (I think it was a rhetorical question.)
Unnamed Daughter
Unnamed Daughter came to life!!! ``Yes,'' she piped out, ``I was at Target.''
At this point, there are two things you need to know about unnamed daughter.
- She does crochet.
- She organizes crochet groups.
Why is crochet important? Well, like any serious crocheter, unnamed daughter carries a project bag with her wherever she goes. That way she always has a crochet project handy. Then she can just snatch her current crochet project out of the project bag, and commence industriously working with the greatest possible vigor, whenever her hands might otherwise be idle (for example, when she's waiting for a stop light).
And what's the relevance of crochet groups? (First, a caveat. I have never been to a crochet group meeting, so I admit this is all speculation on my part. On the other hand, when my little family lived in North Carolina, we had a chicken coop filled with hens, so I am pretty certain I got this one right.) Unnamed daughter organizes crochet groups, and I have gained one clear impression from being a distant observer. Crochet groups must be a little like live radio in that ``dead'' air must be a very definite ``no, no''. From the moment the first crocheter arrives to the moment the last crocheter leaves, someone must be talking. The talking need not be about any particular subject. The only rule is that there can never ever be a moment of silence; not even for the length of time it takes to inhale.
However, every crochet group does occasionally run out of discussion topics, if ever so briefly. When this happens it is up the responsibility of the group leader to jump in and fill with chatter until someone in the group can come up with a new discussion topic. Like a pro sports announcer, unnamed daughter has become quite adept at filling dead air with chatter. Recently, while I was eating lunch, I timed her at a smart 24 minutes and 43 seconds.
Namoli to the Rescue
Now where were we? Oh, we are back in Phoenix at Namoli Brennet's concert, and Namoli asks, ``Was anyone in San Jose last week, when they had the earthquake?''
First, unnamed daughter was naturally working on a crochet project Namoli's concert. Second, unnamed daughter became so engrossed by Namoli's stories, unnamed daughter momentarily lost herself in the perception she was at a crochet meeting. (Is this what religious rapture is all about?)
So Namoli asked an innocent question (I mean, how often will you get San Jose folks attending a Phoenix concert?), and now Namoli had some crazy lady at the back of the room giving a second-by-second report about what happened at one of local Targets during the San Jose earthquake.
I looked at Namoli, as she stood on the stage. She looked totally focused like a contestant at a spelling bee.
When unnamed daughter mentioned that emergency brochures always say to stand in a door frame during an earthquake, Namoli immediately interjected, ``Too bad you weren't at Home Depot. They have a whole door frame section. Then everyone in the store could have stood in their own door frame.''
The line got such a large and sustained laugh, it allowed Namoli to regain control of the situation. She continued the introduction of her song ``California''. As I recall, she didn't ask anymore rhetorical questions. (Click on the player above to listen ``California'' (lyrics).)
My purpose in telling this story was show how cool, calm, and friendly Namoli Brennet is, while she is performing. I was not trying to embarrass unnamed daughter. In fact, this is probably a good time to remind people that unnamed daughter is just a character in a blog. My real daughter has a name. She is also the sweetest person under the sun, and, if I recall correctly, she was in the lady's room, when the above events occurred.
``Sugarplum Dreams''
Namoli Brennet is like Jesus in that (a) the start of her official biography begins when she is an adult, and (b) she only has one childhood story. However, beyond those two things, I am not claiming any other similarities, even though there is a rumor going around that she was once sited driving across Lake Michigan in her blue Volvo. (It could have been an optical delusion.)
The story from Namoli's childhood comes from Namoli's song ``Sugarplum Dreams''. ``Sugarplum Dreams'' tells the story when Namoli received her first guitar one Christmas morning. ``Sugarplum Dreams'' was selected as one of our Songs for Winter Holidays in 2006. (Listen here.)
``Rough Enough''
For some reason Namoli Brennet's ``Rough Enough'' song reminds me of my Aunt Gertrude.
Now you will have to jump back in time for this story. This story takes place before my Dad was born, and he was born around 1910. So we have trains, but it's still horse and wagon, no autos.
So in our story it is about 1910 and we are in Miami, County, Kansas, which is just southwest of Kansas City, Kansas. The story begins when my grandmother Clara received $1,000 in inheritance. (My Great Grandfather David Dodge Cory was born wealthy, but he was disowned. However, that is a story for another time.)
After my Grandmother Clara received the $1,000 inheritance, she and my Grandfather Thomas Levi decide to move the family to Oklahoma. (Nulls are dreamers. The promised land is always over the next hill.)
A snag in the plan quickly develops. My Aunt Gertrude refuses to move to Oklahoma, because she loved a boy named Floyd. Now Aunt Gertrude and Floyd were only fourteen at the time, but it was true love.
Somehow my Aunt Gertrude convinced my grandparents that her love for Floyd was love everlasting. I imagine she convinced Grandmother Clara, then Grandmother Clara convinced Grandfather Thomas Levi.
Legend has it that Aunt Gertrude stayed behind in Kansas with family friends, then she married Floyd, when she ``came of age''. (I assume she ``came of age'' when she turned sixteen.)
Now I never met Aunt Gertrude, Grandmother Clara, or Grandfather Thomas Levi, because they all died before I was born. Fortunately, I did have the opportunity to meet Uncle Floyd before he died, and I can say this about Uncle Floyd, he was rough enough.
Uncle Floyd could have been a character in a movie or TV show.
And Aunt Gertrude was right, it was love everlasting.
You can listen to Namoli Brennet's song ``Rough Enough'' in the player above (lyrics).
``The Crying Wheel''
In so many, many ways this is a song of our times and a song for our times. There are so many crying wheels in this world of ours. So many of them are of our own making. On the global scene, two quickly come to mind, Iraq and global warming. Would either of these problems exist, if humans did not inhabit the Earth?
Often times there are crying wheels in our personal lives as well. We all have had moments when we have had a tension-filled relationship with another person such as an officemate, relative, club member, neighbor, spouse, etc. Sometimes a simple conversation can resolve these problems. Other times the problems linger, and the tension rises and falls as if it was controlled by the tides and the moon.
It occurs to me that the concept of a ``crying wheel'' may be lost on a modern audience.
The concept of a ``crying wheel'' refers to a wheel on wagon made entirely (or mainly) of wood. In addition, the wheels and axles were also made entirely (or mainly) of wood. If a wheel was in desperate need of grease, it would begin to squeak very, very loudly; hence the term ``crying wheel''.
I identify Namoli Brennet with the Null family in that Namoli is constantly driving around the country in her blue Volvo. This reminds me of how it took my branch of the Nulls about thirty years to travel by wagon from Western Pennsylvania to Kansas.
From time to time they would stop and set up house, but eventually they heard the rumble of Namoli's blue Volvo, and they moved on.
Because the Nulls spent so much time traveling by wagon, I imagine the Nulls were quite knowledgeable, when it came to the subject of crying wheels. Of course, I am talking about Thomas Levi Null who I mentioned above, and the many kinfolk that traveled along the way over those years.
On the other hand, David Dodge Cory, Grandmother Clara's father, most likely took a train from New York to Kansas, so his trip West was more likely to have been closer to thirty hours, rather than thirty years.
David Dodge Cory was born wealthy, and may not have known the sound of crying wagon wheels first hand, but his relationship with his father, Uzal Cory, was a huge ``crying wheel'' in his life. Legend has it that an arranged marriage was the ``final straw'' that caused my Great Grandfather David to leave his comfortable life and head West to Kansas. He ended up meeting my Great Grandmother, Laura Darner.
My great grandmother's story is no less fascinating.
Legend has it that Laura Darner was just a baby, when her father died. She always said she was from Ohio, but she may have been born just over the river in Kentucky. (Perhaps Laura's mother went to stay with kinfolk, when the time came.)
Not long after Laura's birth, Laura's mother was a widow with a passel of children she could not feed.
Laura's mother decided to remarry, but the only available husband, a Mr. Libby, wanted to join a wagon train going west to Illinois. Life is hard. Laura's mother remarried, and baby Laura was on her way West to Illinois.
Legend has it that Laura's step-father, Mr. Libby, was a ``crying wheel'' in Laura's life.
Legend has it, that when Laura came of age, she joined up with two brothers, and headed out for Miami County, Kansas.
Laura went to Kansas to start her life over. When she got to Kansas, she met a man looking for a fresh start.
Laura Darner and David Dodge Cory started over. They started over together. They left their ``crying wheels'' behind.
He was college educated and polished like finely crafted furniture. She was rough and tough like burlap. They raised two daughters, Susan and Clara (salt and sugar). By all reports it was a happy family.
There are genealogical records prepared by an honorable and certified genealogist, which show that my Great Grandfather David Dodge Cory married Laura Darner in New York. These records further state they lived in New York, and they raised their children in New York.
There are genealogical records prepared by an honorable and certified genealogist,
which show that my Great Grandmother Laura Darner Libby married David Dodge in Illinois. They further show they lived in Illinois, and they
raised their children in Illinois.
They say history belongs to those who write it. My Great Grandparents lived their married life in Kansas, and they are buried in Kansas. Because of the genealogical record, will history say they lived and died in Illinois? Or will history say they lived and died in New York?
If history belongs to those who write it, what will the historians say about things like what is currently happening in Iraq? Will the historical accounts be as inaccurate as my great grandparent's genealogical records? Perhaps we need to find out the facts for ourselves. Perhaps we should take more care in learning who's who, what's what, and, perhaps particularly, who and what are buried where.
I have digressed a very, very long way from Namoli's song, haven't I? But perhaps not. You might wish to read the lyrics to ``Crying Wheel'' and decide for yourself.
Let me just say in closing, I love the song, so I hope you give it a listen by clicking on the player above (lyrics).
When you finish, I highly recommend you check out all the songs on Namoli Brennet's album Singer Shine Your Light.
CLOSING
Well, that's it folks. Now enjoy the entertainment. Then have a safe trip home.
Namoli Brennet links:
website
Myspace
YouTube
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