Tuesday Tunes -- Sofar So Good

Last weekend, I had a wonderful opportunity to hear some local and not-so-local bands perform in an intimate setting: the living room of my favorite type of Denton houses, located just moments from my own home.

I sat in a room filled with music lovers and watched and listened (and yes, tweeted and photographed -- may as well admit it now, since I'm caught on tape doing just that in one of the videos!) and couldn't help but feel blessed and fortunate that this exists.

"This," in case you're wondering, is Sofar. AKA Songs From a Room. From their Facebook page:

Mission



Songs From A Room offers artists and music fans the unique opportunity to perform and experience intimate gigs in packed living rooms regularly. The movement is now going global with shows happening in New York, Paris and many other cities worldwide.


Company Overview


Songs From a Room began in March 2009 in the living room of singer songwriter and co-founder Passion Ate Dave. It is an innovative concept, dedicated to bringing the best of new music to an unplugged, intimate, unusual space or venue. Mix in a crowd of dedicated music lovers, other artists, and industry professionals, and you have an evening which promises electric performances and new networks.

One of the best parts about this is that, once you're invited, you just get an address.  That's it.  You don't find out who is playing until you arrive at the venue:
 

I was allowed to bring a guest with me, so I called up a fellow music junkie, Brittany.  I had to choose someone who would truly love the experience of not knowing the artists until we arrived and, since I knew Britt would roll with the punches AND had been to a Sofar show before, she was the perfect date!

We found great seats over on the fireplace hearth and anxiously awaited the music. Now, I'm not a Music Blogger. I just blog sometimes about music that I love.  You won't find (m)any quotable quotes here, or flowery superlatives, but you can find those over at GoodBammSho (plus much better photos).

First up was Tom Bertram, wearing fabulous purple socks, from all the way across the pond.  Fresh off some US tour dates, he drove to our Little D from Birmingham to play the show.  Have to admit, I wanted to hear more from him, musically!  Really enjoyed his two songs, and he was a wonderful MC for the rest of the afternoon.  I may or may not have leaned over to Britt at one point and said "Good Lord, how cute is he? If only I were single and about 7 years younger..." Ah, well...

Next up was a trio from Austin called Haun's Mill.  I knew just by looking at their clothing and their musical set-up (a toy piano? an accordion? TWO accordions?? A BANJO?!) that I was going to enjoy them, and I was correct.  Also? Their children were adorable in their teeny tiny band shirts. I really loved their quirky sound, and I hope to catch them again soon.

Now, apparently, Ryan Thomas Becker is kind of a big deal here in Denton.  Brittany flipped her lid when she saw them on the white board.  She was right to.  This group was incredible.  RTB's voice just ripped my guts apart (in a good way, I promise), and this band, to me, epitomizes what I think Denton music really is.  I could have easily listened to them for another hour. 

The crowd at this show was awesome.  A myriad different ages and types, everyone was respectful and supportive of every act in attendance. There was even a sweet pup who was definitely not lacking for love and affection as she wandered the room, obviously enjoying the music.  The audience was encouraged to tweet, take photos, etc. and, minus a few obnoxious shutter sounds (the electronic kind -- you know you can turn that off, right?) it wasn't distracting at all.

Backwater Opera finished out the afternoon.  Brittany and I moved to a spot on the floor to watch them, since the upright bass was starting to block our view from the hearth.  This group is another that, in my opinion, is another perfect example of the Denton music scene.  Blending chamber music and bluegrass (they call it "chambergrass," which I think is amazing), and drawing influences from Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movies and stinky, 6-month old tuna melts (ew), they were incredibly compelling.  I haven't done my research on this group, but I'm willing to bet a cup of Jupiter House's finest coffee that one or more of these members are products of UNT's world-renowned College of Music. I couldn't get enough of that violin!

In conclusion, spending an afternoon with the Sofar DFW crew was a perfect Saturday in my own little home town.  I hope they come back to Denton very soon but, in the meantime, you can be sure that I'll be trying to get on more invite lists for their Dallas and Fort Worth shows!  Visit their web site. Get on the mailing list...but before you do any of that, do yourself a favor and visit these artists' web sites and check out their music.  You'll be glad you did.

I (Heart) Denton

As I mentioned in yesterday's Life Well Lived post, I had the pleasure of spending a very lovely Thursday evening on the square in my hometown of Denton, Texas last week for Twilight Tunes.  I had plans to meet up with Rachel and Brittany and some other friends, but I got there a bit early. I wasn't the only one who wanted to enjoy a beautiful, mild evening with some great music provided by the Andrew Tinker band....

As I sat by myself up near the band (if you look closely, you can see me in the above photo...black shirt, jeans, army green hat...), I started thinking about how lucky I am to live in such a great little city, full of so many artistic outlets and talented people.

All around me, people of all ages were sitting in camping chairs or on blankets or just on the grassy lawn of the courthouse square, grooving and nodding to the incredible music.  Children were running around, hoping to get as close as possible to the band before an observant parent came up and grabbed them.  People brought picnic dinners, bottles of wine and plastic cups, or take-out boxes from the locally owned restaurants within walking distance.

This was my first experience hearing Andrew Tinker and his band and oh. my. goodness.  I've since purchased their album, "It Takes the World," but even as much as I enjoy the CD and have listened to it almost nonstop for the past few days, it's nothing compared to experiencing these musicians LIVE.

I was genuinely impressed.  When you live in an artistically thriving area such as the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex and in a small town with a nationally-renowned music program, everyone and their mother plays an instrument...is in a band...has a gig...you get the idea.  It can be easy to get a bit jaded and wary when someone says "Oh you should come check out my band."  But every once in a while, I find myself truly blown away by the talent that I'm surrounded with on a daily basis in this area.

The Andrew Tinker band did just that.  Once my friends arrived, obviously my attention was turned to catching up, chatting, and enjoying the music as ambient sound...but for those 30 minutes or so that I was alone, I was able to focus completely on the music being performed in front of me.

It was just a wonderful evening with amazing friends and some kick-ass music.  It was refreshing.  Lately, I've felt an ache in my heart for the bustling cities of Boston and New York, and I've been feeling very homesick for the northeast. 

But that night, I was reminded just how lucky and blessed I am to live in a city like Denton, Texas. At the risk of sounding cheesy and dramatic...it was just a magical evening.  I went to bed so very happy and fulfilled that night. 

Denton?  I heart you. So very much.

*please note that all photos in this post, minus the one directly above this disclaimer, were taken by my friend Jim Wall.*

Guh.

Yes, that's how articulate I'm feeling right now: guh.

I'm EXHAUSTED! Suddenly it's almost 8pm? Where has the day gone? Oh yeah...woke up early, FiOS people came out (one of whom was a total dreamboat, btw...my mom and I were lovin' that), went to Home Depot twice, fought with the showerhead for about a half an hour, cleaned the refrigerator for what just might be the first time in 20 years, etc. etc. etc...

But we're here!!!! As of last night, we are officially inhabitants of the Operahaus. I do have more pictures, I just don't have the energy to upload them right now. And Operaboy is telling me that we have to go grocery shopping tonight (no! noooooooooo!!!!!!).

Tomorrow on the docket? Baby shower for a dear friend from High School (what, we're having BABIES now?? Geez) and continuing the unpacking process.

I hope the 2nd day of 2009 was fun for everyone...I'm gonna go crash on the couch until Operaboy peels me off to go shopping...

One Man's Trash...

...is another person's family memories.

I have the best husband in the world. You may or may not have already known this. But he truly just made me cry a little at work. Let me give you a little backstory.

My Papa was a bit of a scavenger.

I cannot tell you how many times we were given televisions, lawn mowers, VCRs, radios, etc (you name it we got it) from my Papa that he "just found on the side of the road," or "found in a dumpster." He'd find something that someone else was careless enough to throw away, and he'd take it home, fix it up, and give it a new home. A LOT of this crap he kept for himself (as was evident when we were cleaning up the newly christened Operahaus after he passed away), but he also gave them to anyone who might need it.

"We were thinking about going to Home Depot today to buy a new lawnmower."
"What for? I got 3 of 'em out back!"

He also taught me the habit of always glancing down when walking outside, because you never know when you might find some money. Because of this habit, I found 26 lonely dollars on a deserted street in Boston one night.

So, last night, Operaboy and I were bickering a little on our way to go pick up some Dickens costumes for a caroling gig we have tonight (nothing says the holidays more than high tension levels and stress), and we were in a fairly nice suburb of a tiny little town near where we live.

I happened to notice that there was a large box on the curb next door to the house we were stopping by, and the sign on the box said "FREE TREE!" Of course, my curiosity got the best of me, and I walked over in the cold mist and fog to get a closer look. In the box was what appeared to be a perfectly good 7 foot, prelit Christmas tree.

Operaboy rolled his eyes at me and said I could take it as long as it was MY deal...I could be the one who wrestled with it. So he cleaned out the backseat for me and I loaded the thing up.

We took it by the Operahaus and I tried to start setting it up, happily thinking that it would be perfect for our Family Christmas Gathering on Sunday night (we had already planned to decorate a tree, but we were going to use a tiny little 4ft Charlie Brown number from my dad).

Unfortunately, there was no stand. The tree was far too heavy to support it's on weight so, crestfallen, I dismantled it and put it in the garage to throw out later.

Just now, Operaboy sent me a pix message on my phone:


He had gone to Walmart after he dropped me off at work and found a Christmas tree stand, then he went to the house and wrestled with the thing for two hours until he made it fit!

Of course he complained about how we're NEVER EVER GETTING A FAKE TREE EVER AND THIS IS WHY WE GET REAL ONES, but I could tell he was immensely proud of himself and happy to have done something that made me so happy.

How apropos. I think Papa would be proud. :)

A Floor to Walk On

I know, it's been a long while since I posted about the progress on the Operahaus. We've gotten a LOT of work done, though, so rather than tell you about it, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves (well, with a few captions by yours truly).

Here she is, Home Sweet Home! The OperaHaus from across the street.

The bright red we painted the Piano Room (where the magic happens, in a musician's household). This is actually a little brighter than the actual color, so I tried again...

Even though it's dark, you can get a better idea of the actual color here.

Yes, that was the wall of mirrors! Now textured and mostly painted!

A closeup of the texturing on the living room walls.

Yes, that is me, pre-makeup, and cutting in around the trim in the kitchen. Damn Dad, stole my camera and started snapping away.

The color of the carpet that is going into the 2 bedrooms (aka the rooms we weren't able to get the stains out of even with professional carpet cleaning).

The master bedroom, painted "Spanish Moss." I was very hesitant about this color, but in the end...

...it ended up looking perfect next to our bedding!

Mom seems VERY excited to put down the wood floor! (Either that or she's about to clobber her husband with that hammer...)

Ooh, Mahogany Laminate flooring, how I love thee...

The kitchen, looking COMPLETELY different with paint and flooring down.

Our new and improved living room! Please forgive the lack of baseboards...we won't be able to splurge on those until January.

The other view of the living room!

Needless to say, we are getting VERY close to being able to move in! The shower is still going to be a problem, seeing as how the tile isn't really REAL tile, and no one has taken a shower in that bathroom in 46 years...we're going to have to figure something out before we can bite the bullet and afford to renovate it.

It's so exciting to watch this house transform! Operaboy and I cannot wait to move in and be in our own little corner of the world together again. :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Tonight is the 20th Annual Holiday Lighting on the Square in my hometown. Operaboy and I will be singing with the Bach Society at one of the participating locations. Luckily we're only singing for 2 hours of the 4-hour event, so there will be at least an hour and a half of walking around, drinking wassail, and shopping to be done in my favorite part of town.

I love that it's FINALLY cold enough in Texas to make this a festive event!! I haven't really felt the holiday spirit yet just because, until we're finally settled in the Operahaus, we feel a bit like a man and a woman without a country. I think tonight will help.

The square in downtown is truly my favorite part about this erstwhile small college town. I even had my bridal portraits done there because I feel like it's such a part of who I am. Case in point:

And if it's that pretty in the day time, one can only imagine how gorgeous it will look when covered with thousands of lights, and surrounded by lit lampposts adorned with holly and garland.

I'm looking very forward to singing beloved carols, walking around in the crisp winter air hand in hand with my husband, seeing friends, and kicking off this holiday season with a real bang, courtesy of Brave Combo.

Hope to see you there!! Come by the Bayless-Selby house from 6-8 to hear our dulcet tones, then enjoy the rest of the festival!

The Wall of Mirrors is down!

And no, that's not a metaphor. Here are some pics of work we did at the OperaHaus this weekend:

The Wall of Mirrors. This has been a staple of the house for as long as I can remember. That's me in the front doorway. Hi!

Operaboy and my mom working on the mirrors (which were all very stubborn).

Me in the doorway again. Working hard, can you tell?

Stepmom going in and scraping all the black crap off so we could sand, texture & paint eventually.

About to take off the LAST MIRROR! This was an historic moment, let me tell you.

Pretty, huh? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Look at what we found under the (nasty) carpet! Brown linoleum! Yay!

Operaboy being shown the proper way to roll up old carpet. Yeah you can tell he's excited.

As you can see even by this little glimpse into one room of the house, we have a lot of work to do. But, you can also see that we have lots of help! I'm excited to take all of you loyal readers (both of you) along this journey with us. Yay for home repairs!!