I was so surprised back in April when I got an email from the board at SERFA (South East Regional Folk Alliance) that I was one of 16 people chosen for a formal showcase out of hundreds of applicants. This is a big deal. I admit that I thought they might have made a mistake, so I didn’t reply for 24 hours, thinking they would contact me to let me know they accidentally sent the message to the wrong person, but,no, I actually WAS chosen. What an honor this is. In my mind, it has always been the seasoned touring artists who garner this type of recognition. The artists who performed at my house concert series were the people who played those stages. Over the years I learned a lot from them: what the audience likes, the stories, the music, how to present themselves. It must have rubbed off on me as in the videos I submitted for the showcase, I was confident and at ease, and was chosen for the official because of that. I also will admit that this performance (and all of them at SERFA) were the first IN PERSON, LIVE SHOWS I have played since 2020. I was apprehensive, but excited. Now, I’m ready to hit the road and come out of my Covid hibernation. I love performing and want to. I’m not touring (far), and hope to find places in North Carolina, not too far from home (there are reasons for this) where I can play and sing. Suggestions are welcome…I’d love to hear from you – so that you can hear me.
There is a certain amount of excitement in producing a new record/album, collection of songs – whatever we call it these days. After working hard and writing for two years, recording, editing, recording again, editing again, listening, adding other instrumentation and harmonies, it is beautiful to watch and hear it come to life. A few more edits, a few more instruments, a few more re-recordings and I hope it will go off to a producer for mixing, perhaps this spring. Recording with Chris Rosser for “At the End of the Day” and “If I Catch My Dream”, adding music provided by studio musicians, I was enamoured by the sound. However, my last release, “Turning Over Stones”, needed nothing more than my own creations, and I’m thinking the same for Number ELEVEN. (No title yet). I add piano, mandolin, harp and even spoons to the main tracks of guitar and banjo, so the sound is really full. Whatever ends up on the recording, it will be good and just enough. I’m excited!
Since I’m not in the ‘job market’, I don’t update my resume. I don’t even think about it! However, I was invited to be a guest on a podcast by Hugh Willard of Durham. He hosts a weekly show entitled “Aging Well: Finding Beauty in the Gray” where he has conversations with seniors who have contributed to their communities and those who are keeping active at a time when many of their contemporaries are slowing down. I think I fit into both categories! It was an honor to be asked to partake in this and be among his growing list of esteemed guests. The conversation was not only fun, but his questions (as well as his introduction of me) caused me to realize just how much I have done through my years of teaching, hosting a house concert series, my involvement in the music community statewide, contributions of my own music and ny life outside of music. It’s hard to see our accomplishments while we are living them and I am greatly appreciative of the opportunity to appear on the podcast, but to reflect on my own life. If you (reader) have not updated your resume recently, please do so, and appreciate all you have done for yourself and all of those around you! BTW — here’s a link to the show
I have learned SO MUCH in the last couple of years about how to play virtually. What gear to use, what good lighting can do, how to adjust volume and eq, digital reverb, etc. These are things that USED to be left up to the sound and lighting technician. Most musicians would probably agree that it has been quite a juggling act to take care of all the technical goings on in producing a show as well as tell stories and play music. Lately, I’ve been streaming a few songs once a week on Facebook and it has been very rewarding to see friends and make new friends just by sharing 20 or so minutes of our time togehter on the platform. I am so appreciative of those who stop by to listen and make comments. Who knows what is next for me to learn? Youtube, streaming software, and then how to drive again to LIVE shows in the near future, I hope!
Two years, a pandemic, a political election, new president and a LOT of new music. With all that has been going on and spare time from not touring, a new album will be coming in the fall of 2021. “Turning Over Stones” will feature mostly me on guitars, banjo, mandolin, harp and piano. Songs about what has transpired over the last year in our country, songs of soul-searching answers about what is important, really important, to life, songs about how we are influenced by those around us, and how to find our own independence. I hope you will like them, and stay tuned!
It’s been nearly a year since Covid 19 rocked the world and turned things upside down. So many people have ben sick, so many have died, so many have lost their jobs and homes. I feel fortunate that I still have good health and so does all of my family. I’ve lost a great deal of income, but mostly I’ve lost a lot of opportunities. The good side to being ‘shut in’ is having time to write a LOT of new material. Gosh knows! There is so much to write about these days! Another good thing about doing nearly everything virtually now is that I have become the touring musician I have always wanted to be! Playing shows and open mics all over the world and meeting wonderful musicians from different locations and nations is a wonderful opportunity. So, still trying to look at the glass half full rather than empty, when we are able to safely convene in public, I am looking forward to keeping these new friends and contacts and meeting them in real life.
Wow! It seemed to happen so quickly, but I suppose it didn’t. We saw it coming and still, many of us weren’t prepared. Fortunately, Bill (hubby) and son (Will) insisted that we stock up on supplies long before the rush. Still, I was not prepared to give up being with family, teaching lessons, being with students, giving up gigs, participating in song swaps and sing alongs. Hooray for technology! I have never considered myself a tech nerd, as a matter of fact, quite far from it. However, thanks to Zoom, I’ve been able to keep lessons going, keep in touch with family, even conduct long meetings, participating in online concerts. Even sharing songs on Facebook and Instagram keep us in touch with each other. Yes, life is very different and will be for some time to come, but music is one thing that keeps us tied together. As a matter of fact, it may be even more precious now than ever.
Working with Love Wins has opened a new world to me, and opened my eyes to the needs of many in our community. Yes, shelter for those living with homelessness is one, but food for many people who cannot afford nutritious meals. Many of the songs I’ve written lately deal with people living with needs that I take for granted. Food is one. I am donating the money from physical sales of “If I Catch My Dream” to the Inter Faith Food Shuttle which provides food to ~ 59,000 people each month in Wake and six surrounding counties. https://www.foodshuttle.org/ These are the elderly and school children living in poverty. I am grateful that I can do this, and grateful to all who purchase a physical copy of this album. Hopefully, my small donation will help these people catch their dream.
Love Wins….I love the sound of that, because love DOES win! BUT, Love Wins in Raleigh is a day shelter for people living with homelessness. It is a non-profit organization that is sustained by donations. They provide food, clothing and peer counseling from 9 AM to 1 PM Monday-Friday. I became aware of this place when I was writing “At the End of the Day”, a song about homelessness. Some friends of mine do a lot with Love Wins and I began joining them every Tuesday morning at McDonald’s where we buy biscuits (LOTS of them–between 70 and 90) and take them to Love Wins and hand them out to the people of the community there. I have learned a lot from this act of love. We all need someone who cares. I was thrilled to raise $1250 at the CD release concert/benefit October 25th, 2019 for Love Wins. All those who came to the show came because they care.
I have always dreamed of creating a certain sound for my music. In this new album (my 9th) I feel like I have done just that. Maybe I’ve caught my dream! I cannot wait to share it with you!
What kind of name is this? I love singing and playing music with others and FOR others. The Mosskateers is a quartet that gets together to sing at nursing homes and other events for a good cause. Tom Atkinson on guitar and vocals, Fred Breidt on upright bass, Maura Breidt sings and yodels, sometimes adding percussion, and I sing mostly harmony and play guitars, banjo and mandolin. We not only have a good time, but listeners do too. So, about the name, “Mosskateers”? We couldn’t settle on a name for the group. Moss, the big eared border collie, patiently sits through our rehearsals and then is rewarded with ball tosses and scratches behind those big ears. I wanted to spell it “Mosskat-ears” but it got voted down. That’s alright…it’s the music that counts and we love singing and sharing the fun with you!
I’ve been working hard, writing and editing, and now recording my ninth album. Much of my new music is an observation of today’s social and political issues. There will be some strong statements on this new CD. There will be some fun songs as well, some covers and traditional music, as always. I hope you will as ready to hear it as I am to share it with you. Its title, “If I Catch My Dream”!
After three days of preparation we had very little of the storm to hit Raleigh, thank goodness.
It’s hard to believe that I’ve written enough songs to create another album. It’s been less than a year! A harp solo, guitar solo, three banjo songs, guitar songs, yes with partial capos in weird tunings, and piano songs. I’m excited to be working out arrangements and recording again. Stay tuned!
Well, I really am now stretching myself! I attended the Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. I actually made plane reservations and flew there! First time solo trip like this. It was exciting to be there with 3,000 folk music artists, DJs, venue operators, record label reps from all over the world. It was wonderful having the opportunity to perform for these people in small showcases that often lasted until four o’clock in the morning!
The conference began on February 14th, Valentine’s Day. Bill called me to let me know about the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. It was there in Kansas City that I began my song, “Tell Us When”, asking legislators when and who is going to instigate changes in our present gun laws so that we “Never see this moment in any place or time again.”
I took the song to the Enloe High School Audio/Visual department who were anxious to record it and create a video. I’ve sent it to my representatives in the NC House and to my reps in DC. Sadly, I’ve only gotten one response and it was from Thom Tillis.
My brother Alex never played his piano anymore. He asked if I would purchase it from him. I didn’t need a piano. I had a synthesizer, an Alesis, that I used, but it was inconvenient to get to, kept covered with a blanket and had to be hooked up to a speaker. Alex’s was a nice digital Yamaha spinet Clavinova, a piece of furniture that I had to make space for in my already crowded music room. He brought it to me on Christmas Eve when the family gathered here for dinner. It has a beautiful tone, and lots of them. Any tone I desire, but I like the piano voicing. On Christmas Day I sat at it, so easily, and wrote a song. I’d forgotten how much I love the piano, an instrument I began learning at age five. I gave it up when I learned strings (guitar, banjo, mandolin and harp.) It’s like being in love all over again. There are now three songs written for piano. I can’t wait to share them with you.
“At the End of the Day” was released in October to more than 500 folk DJs around the world. Kari Estrin promoted it for two months and it made #16 and #15 on the Folk Music Charts in November and December. This is good! I attend the North East Regional Folk Alliance in Stamford, Connecticut in November and met many of the DJs who played my music and got to thank them personally.
New album is called “At the End of the Day”, the title cut. Here I dig deep and ask myself what I would do if I were to become homeless, and what is it that all people need, homeless or not. We all need someone to care about us. I was humbled that many people contributed to an Indiegogo Campaign I created to help promote the CD, but at the same time, donate much of the money collected to help hurricane victims in Puerto Rico as they had (and still have) truly need people who care.
I’ve been hard at work recording and editing a new CD, my eighth. It will be produced by Chris Rosser of Hollow Reed Studio in Asheville and Kari Estrin who has been coaching me for nearly a year in making my songs clearer to the listener. Chris has produced hundreds of albums for other artists and is a musician himself. I love his music and know that we will create a wonderful sound for my new music. Chris has performed many times as a solo artist and with his band, Free Planet Radio, at my house concert series. I’ve been promoting others for so long and now I’m learning how to promote my own music with Kari’s help. I’m excited about this new CD!
For many people at Christmastime, baking with one’s family is a highlighted tradition. The kitchen is where nourishing meals are prepared. There is always chatter while ingredients are measured, the sauces stirred, the oven checked. People gather around and the love and warmth of family fills the room. Long after the meal is consumed and the table is cleared, there is still something about the kitchen that is inviting. For some families, this will be missed this year as their children are in the hospital, some battling for their lives. Kitchens have been replaced by hospital wards. Friendly conversations among family members are superseded by conversations with doctors. Their lives have been totally disrupted. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have a child in the hospital at this time of year. On the 21st of December, just a few short days before one of the biggest holidays in the USA, ten of my friends gathered in the kitchen of the Ronald MacDonald House in Durham, home to 55 families while their children are treated for illnesses and diseases. Our ages ranging from 9-67, we measured ingredients, rolled dough, cut cookies from molds just like the ones I used when baking with my mother 60 years ago. We wore Santa hats and aprons. We painted and decorated the cookies (I’ve never seen such unusual decorated Christmas cookies—created by 10 different creative minds, 20 hands!) and cleaned the kitchen while chattering among ourselves, the RMH staff and some of the guests there. Often humming or singing carols, we busied ourselves. Each of us chipped in, worked and did what needed to be done, often not needing to ask, but merely observe. Some learned how to make cookies from scratch, or use molds for the first time. The TV and video production class from Enloe High School filmed the entire process, complete with laughter and stories. They interviewed members of the baking team, asking what this experience meant to them. I hope the younger members of our group realized that they were making more than cookies. We baked more than 100 cookies, we baked together. There was a tremendous sense of pride after our 3 hour marathon baking extravaganza. We brought our traditions of baking with our families to RMD to bake for their families, and I truly hope that this is the beginning of a new tradition.
Continue the story here
I cannot thank the Merry Christmas Cutter Team enough: Aedan, Aida, Elizabeth, James, Jenna, Liam, Rebecca, Sarah and Sharron. We did it! We did it well! We did it together!
Matthew was an unwelcome visitor to Raleigh. I don’t think anyone expected the impact it would have to our state, bringing flooding inland with cresting rivers one week (and more) after the storm struck. Here in Raleigh we only had 6 or more inches of rain. Some areas east of us had 15 inches of rain. Fortunately, we didn’t have the high winds that were expected else there would have been much more damage. There was just enough to fell trees and take down power lines, interrupting internet connections for much of our city for days, and for some unfortunate families, for a week. If there was anything good about this storm it might be that it struck us on a Saturday when many people had the option to be at home.
Sometime mid-afternoon I looked outside my kitchen window towards the street. I noticed earlier in the day that the lamppost light was on even during the day as it was so dark. But this time I couldn’t see the light as something was obscuring the post…..how could a large bush suddenly plant itself in front of the lamppost? Oh, it wasn’t a bush; it was a huge limb from our maple tree. I went to investigate and was saddened to see that another huge limb from the crown had fallen to the ground. This was the 3rd time we’ve lost a limb, but this was the largest. It was about 1/3 of the huge red maple which has garnered great attention since it was first planted in 1932. Nancy Ferguson was an avid gardener. It was the first thing she and her husband John put in the ground when they first moved to Little Lake Hill, the name they gave to the house and grounds. She named the tree “Sport”. Read more about Sport
Now that Sport is 84 years old and losing her limbs, I fear that she might be losing her struggle to stay healthy and alive. We ponder what to do: take her on down, or enjoy the few years she might have left in her, leaving the remaining 2 large portions of her crown to keep her the queen of Raleigh for as long as we can let her reign.
There is a good possibility that the City of Raleigh will knock on our door one day and tell us they will take Sport (and all the other trees in front of our house) to build a sidewalk on our side of the street. We know it’s coming. We’ve seen it in the city’s plans. Of course, when that truck comes to take Sport down, you know where I’ll be.
Addendum, October 27
When returning from an errand I saw a HUGE truck blocking my driveway in front of the house. The city had sent a truck to retrieve the limbs and tree parts placed at the roadside. Sport’s remains were in our yard, but the driver of the truck scooped it up, complete with the bright orange strap and ropes. I was horrified! I asked the driver to put it back in the yard and he did. The following week our friend Leon McMahon came with his chainsaw to cut the huge limb into sections that he could use to turn wooden bowls and platters. He is creating some beautiful pieces that will always be here to remind us of this beautiful tree. Sport is saved once again!
I was given the first name of Elizabeth when I was born. My parents and everyone called me “Betsy” for short. My middle name was “Dalna” for my grandmother on my dad’s side. If they used that for my first name they would have nicknamed me “Dollie”. I can’t tell you how glad I am that they chose Elizabeth! When I was in college I felt “Betsy” sounded too childish for such a mature person as I was at the time. I dropped the “sy” off my name and became just “Bet”. I spelled it with two t’s for a number of years after getting married, then wavered back and forth from one to two t’s. Until…….
I met Isabella Cannon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_Cannon) who became the first female mayor of a large city in the US. She was 72 years old at the time in 1977. She lived across the street from where I had a very large veggie garden. She would visit with me as I plucked the fruits of my labor. We discussed politics, world and neighborhood, and personal subjects such as family, nutrition and exercise. She was known as the ‘little old lady in tennis shoes’ during her campaign. I admired everything about Isabella.
One day she asked me how do I really spell my name. I told her I wasn’t sure as it had not been set in stone. She then told me that when she was born in Scotland in 1904 that her sole name was Isabella. Her mother asked her older sister to give the middle name, which was “Bett” with two t’s. So, from then on, I became “Bett” with two t’s.
Isabella died at the age of 97, writing a book of her memoirs and giving commencement speeches at colleges and universities in the area. She had slowed down a little, but was still going strong. If I have just a teaspoon of her energy when I’m 79 (and if I live to be 97), I know that I will get my strength by taking her middle name.