Big Wide Grin

Last night we attended a house concert at our friend Ann Block's house. If you have never been to a house concert, you have really been missing out. A house concert is just what it sounds like, unless you are thinking about houses playing and singing, that is. When you go to a house concert, you hear a concert in some one's living room. It is almost always unplugged and you are seated a few feet from the performer(s). Donations are requested and in most cases, all proceeds go to the performer.



I usually know who I am going to see, but last night's performers were new to me. Known as Big Wide Grin, Elaine Dempsey, L.E. (Lawrence) Lambert and Karl Werne have been a musical team for ten years and it shows. They are best known for their harmonies but I was Karl's guitar playing that really got the crowd going. With his long hair and bare feet, he looks like a throw back to the 70's. That is not a bad thing. Lawrence can light up any room with his glowing smile and soft vocals and Elaine brings her own special energy to the show.



They performed a mix of covers and originals, all of which were very accessible and easy to get into. Two sets just flew by. Check them out if you get a chance. The calendar page of their website will let you know when they are in your area.

To read more about house concerts, you may go to houseconcerts.com. Who knows, maybe you will get the fever and start hosting concerts in your living room.

Music list: Part One

"Why isn't she famous?" she asked.
"She is," he answered.

I overheard this conversation at a house concert I attended a few weeks ago. The subject of the conversation was Beth Wood a singer/songwriter from Arlington, TX who makes her living doing what she loves. You have most likely never heard her music on commercial radio. You hear Beth and others like her on public and community radio stations, in coffee houses, at festivals and in peoples living rooms. And yes, they are famous in certain circles. Some of them do go on to "the big time". Michelle Shocked comes to mind. I first heard her around a camp fire at a festival. Most of them travel the country and the world going from gig to gig. Some are financially successful while others eek out a living. Some of them play music full time while others have 'day jobs'. They are all passionate about their music and the passion shines through. Here are some of my favorites. Most of them have their own websites and their music may be available on I-tunes.


Stephen Taylor- While my favorite of his songs has to be 500 Miles, I never tire of his voice, his guitar sound, or his lyrics.


Lowry Olafson - My favorite song, Blanket in the Cold. His voice and his melody lines are incredible. I listen to him a lot.

David Lamotte - Hard to pick a favorite song but I like Flying and Corners an awful lot. The first song I remember hearing him sing was Bicycle Man. I have watched him go from a good writer and performer to a great one over the past few years.

Tom Kimmel - I like See Myself in You and Poetic Justice. These are both co-writes so that brings me to

Tom Prasado-Rao - Ella's Angel and Reishi's Garden among others

and

Buddy Mondlock - The Kid and Amsterdam


Chuck Brodsky - Again, it's hard to pick favorites. You might have heard We Are Each Other's Angels somewhere. It has been recorded by a lot of other people. Al's Ashes and Me (you had to know Al to really get this one). That brings me to the late

Al Grierson - Al was a real jewel and I miss him all the time. Things That Never Added Up to Me and Resurrection may be his best work.

Caroline Aiken - She was nominated for a Grammy last year and has played with Bonnie Raitt. If there is best guitar player on the planet, she may be it. My favorite song of hers is Left Wet. No one else would have thought of this song. You have to hear it to believe it.

Annie Gallup- Annie's style of writing, delivery and guitar is unique to her. I have no one to whom I can compare her. Flood and Max are two of my favs.

Jack Williams - He stays on the road more than anyone I have ever heard of, so if you like him, he should not be hard to go a out and hear if you are patient. He is one of the few players that I can put in the same category as Caroline Aiken. In fact, they have been known do shows together. I love all of his stuff and cannot pick a favorite but In a Texas Sky will crack you up even if you did not know Al. I am not sure that Jack and Chuck are allowed to room together any more at any music conferences.

Steve Fisher- His voice energizes me. His lyrics engage me. He doesn't get out and perform very often and I really miss that. He is writing and recording again so we really have something to look forward to. I love Past Comes to Call, That's My Toy, and Cheap Hotel, but it is hard to really say they are my favorites since I am so touched by all of his work and he has been a huge influence in my life.


That's a baker's dozen plus Beth and Michelle. They are in no particular order except that I did put my 'favoritest' favorite first. Hope you find something that moves you. I welcome your comments and suggestions of good listening material.

Abraham - Hicks

The Abraham-Hicks books have had such a profound effect on me that I did not want to put them in a list of other books. We have Ask and It Is Given and The Law of Attraction as well as several dvds. If you like Seth , you will love Abraham. Abraham is the name that refers to a collective group consciousness that is channeled through Ester Hicks the way Seth was channeled through Jane Roberts. Seth just blew my mind. When I first heard about him, I thought that it was just too weird and I was a little bit afraid of the whole concept. When the person I trust more than anyone else in the world asked me to read Seth, I decided to give it a try. After the first few pages, I knew that every bit of the information Seth gave was absolutely true. It did not matter to me where it came from. Even if Jane was hallucinating, she was getting some great information. Abraham offers practical ways to use the information. It has made a big difference in my life in a very short time. I hope you find it helpful as well.

Book List: Part One

Long ago, I was in a terrible relationship and had no idea how to get my self out of it. I knew that I would get out some day. I knew that I wanted to be single for a while. I also knew that, at some point, I wanted to be in a really great relationship.

In the meantime, I figured out that I had gotten myself into where I was and that I was the only one who could get me out. I also decided two things: that I was going to be happy no matter what, and that when the opportunity for that great relationship came along, I was going to be ready for it. This meant that I had to learn enough about my self to see what it was that had gotten me into not only the crappy relationship I was now in, but also, the one before it which was just as rotten.

I was not sure how to go about this. There were no self help seminars or classes in the small west Texas town in which I lived. I had been attending a big music festival for several years and had a lot of friends who really seemed to have it together. I had long conversations with them about life and how it is lived on different levels, but I only saw them once a year. We did talk a lot about books. A lot of traveling musicians listen to books on tape and they were always comparing notes and making recommendations to each other. Books became my teachers, therapists, healers and friends. I am always delighted to find one that really speaks to me, that really stretches my mind and presents new ideas. The ones I resonate with the most are the ones that tell me things that I feel I knew all along, but did not realize that I knew until I saw the information in print.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Thomas Moore is one of my favorite authors and I have read most of his books. I think it is best to read the first three in the order in which they are listed.

Care of the Soul
Soul Mates
The Reincarnation of Every Day Life
Note***If you are really into these books, get a copy of James Hillman's The Soul's Code and keep it near by while you are reading Soul Mates.)

Education of the Heart....a companion piece to the above series containing many of the sources and readings for them.

The Soul Of Sex
Dark Nights of the Soul
The Soul's Religion


James Hillman, another Jungigan scholar and author.:
The Soul's Code
A Blue Fire

A note about these two authors: I have had several people tell me that they just can't get into them. This may be because they are both college professors and write like it at times. They can seem a little bit dry unless you are really into what they are saying and don't mind really stretching your vocabulary. It is more likely that they just are not speaking in a voice that resonates with you or you with it. That is okay. There are plenty of other voices out there. I haven't gotten into Mary Ann Williamson. I like what she is saying but so far, her voice just doesn't speak to me.

Rainer Marie Rilke':
Letters to a Young Poet


Julia Cameron:
The Artist's Way

Gail Sheehey:
Passages ( the original, not the 'new' one)


Jane Roberts/Seth
Note: These books are 'channeled'. Even if you are not comfortable with that concept, read them anyway. They contain beautiful, useful information.:
The Seth Material
Seth Speaks
The Nature of Personal Reality

John Perkins:
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Psychonavigation
Shape Shifting
The World as You Dream It

Neal Donald Walsh:
Conversations with God, all three books
What God Wants


Larry Dossey:
Be Careful What You Pray for, You Just Might Get It

Lenedra J. Carrol:
The Architecture of All Abundance (one of my current favorites,; I'm not sure that it is still in print but you can find in on Amazon even if it isn't )

Don Miguel Ruiz:
The 4 Agreements

Paramahansa Yogananda:
Autobiography of a Yogi

Howard S. Levy/Akira Ishihara:
The Tao of Sex

The Complete Kama Sutra (Yes, I read it cover to cover when I wasn't getting any .)

I will list more books as time goes on. I am looking forward to receiving your suggestions.