July Playlist: Sister Gloria

How many uniform violations do I see? Makes it perfect for the stage! 

With the combination of tribute band shows and the purchase of my junior guitar at a garage sale, my brain got to thinking about what ifs, namely what kind of alternate universe band would I be in? 

Let’s create one quick for a late July playlist! 

In grade school, I sang hymns loudly and enthusiastically. But not well. The solution was to have me stand in front of the congregation and read. What if I got something to say, gravel intact, like Neil Young? 

Enter alt-ego singer/guitarist Sister Gloria. Armed with my grandma’s acoustic, and hiding behind this persona, my set would be made up of great, intimate songs all within my limited range.

Setlist! 

Ain’t Even Done With the Night - you've got your hands on my back pocket and Otis singin' on the radio.

Harvest Moon - because Neil sang from the heart honestly and there’s a unique beauty to that.

Lawdy Ms. Claudy - because this song inspired this post.

Beyond the 7th Sky - has to be spiritual.

Dominique - if I’m going to use the grade school principal who yanked me out of the choir and in front of a congregation so I could mispronounce Theologians, I’d better include the single by the only nun in popular music to hit the Hot 100.

Kumbaya - I already know how to play it. 

Love Me Tender - I know this one too, it's like lesson three in my old guitar book.

I Can't Help Falling in Love With You - I can play this one too, and it's at a slow pace, so I can handle it. 

Long, Long, Long - George Harrison says it’s about God, or Pattie, maybe both. It’s a deep track and every open mic night performer has to feature a Beatle track, I think it’s the law. 

What is Life - because we are listening to The Beatles Channel and just as I’m thinking “one more?” George answered. I love you, Mr. Harrison. 

That would cover a 20-minute set. Tip your waitress, my card is at the door. I’m available for private parties and weddings. 

Stage uniform? A spot-on copy of my classic Catholic school uniform would be entirely too traumatizing. I definitely would break the dress code for this. White button-down shirt dress, plaid tie belt in blue for St. Stan's, leave the gray and green Lumen Christi alone. I imagine I'd wear a pair of Tieks or go barefoot because the one thing I hated most in the world in addition to the scratchy gray or green sweaters was the gray or green wool knee socks.  

The fun thing about this exercise is I had been wondering what my goals are in learning to play guitar. Maybe a fictional open mic night set with my alt ego is the thing. 

Coming up, The Wonder Girls and Lady Madonnas!

Why Art Matters: the Tribute Band

Rawk.

We’ve been seeing a lot of tribute shows lately, last night was the Four Horseman, a Metallica tribute band.

I used to be kind of snobby about the tribute band concept. They were attractions best left for the older crowd to pretend if they squinted really hard, they were seeing the real-life thing.

Well, hello to my fifties. 

My attitude changed seeing Classic Albums Live perform Queen’s Night at the Opera. They were fantastic.

Eager to get my Faux Queen on, we went to see a tribute band that came highly regarded. They irritated me - two guys were decked out as replica Brian May and Freddie Mercury. Did I get a hot fake John Deacon?

I did not.

For me, make it about the music, not about posing. We saw Thunderhead, the Rush tribute band the day it was announced Neil Peart died. No attempts were made to look like Geddy or Alex, the music is what mattered.

I’m back on the bandwagon.

We’ve seen Brit Floyd and Let There Be Rock, an AC/DC tribute band.  The Metallica band (I have the beautifully soft Deaky shouting “Metallica!” in my head right now) were peak fanboys in their unabashed enthusiasm in representing their favorite band on the road and doing the music justice. 

There are a ton of tribute bands performing at the Coast Guard Festival this week. I don’t know if it’s the new trend or if I’m now the audience for this genre. We will see if we head out for a show this week.

There's a Story There - Ironman Acoustic Jam

$5? You bet it went home with me. Tuned it up over lunch.

I love seeking out a bargain or a wonderfully weird find at garage sales, rummage sales, thrift stores, and the like. It's a way to keep things out the landfills and repurpose to give them new life. 

Imagine my joy in finding an acoustic guitar for $5 today. The head-scratcher? It's an officially licensed product promoting the movie Ironman 3. 

I'm not a superhero comic movie fan, so I don't know the logical tie-in. It's Disney, so there probably doesn't need to be a logical tie-in, just slap the marketing on it and put it up for sale. 

But that's not how these posts are supposed to work. So what's the story...?

A mild-mannered middle-aged woman buys a toy at a garage sale. When she hits the right chord, she obtains superpowers:

C: car/SUV becomes a super vehicle

G: gains superpower strength

D: can dodge most weapon strikes

A: accurate weapon aim

E: ears become super sensitive

B: can play Beatles songs pitch perfect

F: fly

The challenge there is the fat pads of my fingers make hitting chords crazy impossible without hitting surrounding strings. Superhero goals! 

Why Art Matters: Bellagio

Few things are as nakedly ambitious as a Las Vegas themed hotel. Few do it as beautifully as the Bellagio. Of all our trips and stays, this was easily my favorite of all the hotels. We went there the end of June to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. 

View of the conservatory from the spa. 

Orchids. 

Chihuly ceiling in the front lobby. 

Dressed for our anniversary dinner in my "let's get married again!" attire. Alas, no trip to a seedy chapel presided over by an Elvis impersonator. 

Koi pond.

Sculpture outside the Cirque de Soleil O Theatre.

Mosaic tile in the conservatory.

Dinner at the Mayfair Supper Club. 

Burlesque singer at MSC. 

Chandeliers too. 

Calla lilies. 

Fountains.

Fabric roses covered the pillars to the entrance of the supper club. 

Did we renew our vows in Vegas? Kind of. With a floral zebra as our witness, we pledged that we would marry each other once again. 

Cheers to 25 years! Free booze in the sports book. 

And a red rose gift to celebrate. 

LHOTR: Finding the Books in the Wild

 Welp, it’s the one that started it all, again.

While dropping off a few books at a little free library in Evart, I found a copy of On the Banks of Plum Creek. And like my girl Laura stealing her doll back from a frozen puddle, I rescued this to claim it for the cottage.

And now I’m obsessed with finding the rest of the series, either in little free libraries or thrifting, so I have a set up there. The place is named for the books after all.

So how did I get here?

My obsession started when I was 7 or 8, borrowing OTBOPC from the Orange Street library. My sisters and I would walk there together, and sometimes the other neighborhood kids joined us since it was only about a mile away. Armed with our library cards, Burger King Kids Club coupons, and maybe a dollar, we’d make a day of it, reading comics, finding books, and looking at whatever collections they had. When we checked out, we’d either go across the street to the hardware store that had candy and stickers or across Michigan Avenue to feast on free burgers and fries. 

Personal perspectives on what I loved about Laura, then and now, are different than other LauraFans. It didn’t start with the show, it started with a line from this book where she stated her whole skin was thirsty to get in the water. I thought that line perfect, as a girl that loved how mud felt and had a tendency to fall out of trees. 

That summer, I worked through the series and continued to read them all, annually. Was it all about her strong moral fiber? Nah. Here’s the random list of why Laura ruled:

She was a turn-of-the-century fashionista who had an after-school job so she could buy hats and dresses.

The girl loved to eat. 

Scored the town hottie.

Had a posse of BFFs in Minnie, Mary Power, and Ida. 

And we've all had our own personal Nellie Oleson to deal with. 

Citrus obsession.

Loved to write even when she didn't have an audience *crickets*.

Determined as hell and even wrote an essay about it called Ambition.

Looked after her sisters but was not above wanting to smack ‘em. 

Hated being good but did it anyway.

Liked to jam - sure, it was Pa playing the fiddle, but I can visualize teenage Laura in '22 jamming to Billie Eilish.

Generous. Who gives away all her pretty crafts just so the family can have Christmas presents?

But yeah, my girl was into Christmas presents. And furs. And health and beauty aids.  

Knew how to make a feast out of scraps.

Most of all, her engaging storytelling has made me a lifelong reader and scholar of all things Laura.