How To Unicycle
September 27, 2005
We are having a blast!!!
posted by Sara Hickman at 03:22 pm
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Tambourines and Polkas
September 25, 2005
I listened to mixes of the songs for the new album on the drive up, over and over. I’m making sure I go over every song with a fine tooth comb before I send it all off to mastering. I’m also trying to figure out an order for the songs; beginnings and endings have
a life of their own, and especially when buttressed up against another song. Placement can make or break a song, sometimes.
The afternoon was hot; I ended up playing on a giant, outdoor stage. A kids show, which was really fun, and then Elizabeth Wills performed. Such a perfect voice! I loved her voice. Parts Melissa Ethridge meets Joni Mitchell meets Avril Lavigne meets cowgirl
and mermaid. She was playing a robust Taylor, but her voice is what makes her special. And, she’s super nice, too! We talked about playing together in Aspen sometime soon (she’s moving to Colorado.)
Then I played an adult show; and the sun was down by then. The church was pale moon white against the black-blue of the sky; very reminiscent of Notre Dame. Up next was Brave Combo, and OH! How I love that Carl. I had learned “Bumblebee” off “Let’s Kiss”, so I hopped up on stage to sing with the boys (and, now, one woman! Yes, Bubba has left the band and Ann Marie is the new bassist! She fits right in, pointy Dutch shoes and black hat with red flames atop her long, black hair). Then I ended up getting to play tambourine all night….What a blast!
Stayed at the Worthington, a hotel of many memories for me. I love the Worthington. I miss Caravan of Dreams. It’s still hard to believe it is gone.
Woke up and had a splendid breakfast downstairs with Miss Delia. We talked about husbands and children and schooling and art and parents and parenting. I had eggs benedict; she had a colossal french toast with fruit! We both delighted in a spot of English Breakfast with cream.
Back upstairs, packed up, got down to the car and headed back towards Austin. Home again, home again.
Made a homemade coconut cream pie and now I”m starting on a chocolate creme pie. We had macaroni and cheese with CHILI and peas for dinner! It was end of the week, hadn’t had time to hop to the grocery store.
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:07 pm
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Vows
September 24, 2005
posted by Sara Hickman at 08:58 am
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Austin City Limits Festival
Because we had the pre-printed parking pass, we were allowed to by-pass road blocks and traffic. The morning was already hot.
We got to Parking Lot B and pulled up to the Artist’s Help Tent. While waiting for a shuttle to take us/equipment to the Kiddie Stage, we struck up a conversation with the merch man from a band called Slightly Stoopid. He gave us their acoustic cd; I haven’t heard it yet, but I have a feeling it is going to be LOUD. He was wearing a white tee-shirt with what looked like the McDonald’s swoopy M logo, but upon closer inspection, I had to laugh. Inside the tangerine M was the word “marijuana” and underneath, “Billions and Billions Stoned”.
I immediately changed my perception of the music. I bet it is going to be LOUD and SWIRLY.
The shuttle came and two nice guys hauled all our stuff away, so Teresa and I walked over to the children’s tent. The grounds of the ACL Festival are so enormous, and still, when the crowds aren’t abounding….just staff, construction and volunteers walking around on acres and acres of green grass, the sun watching over all the trees, and the trees curious about the giant stages
placed just so. It’s quiet, and clean, and I get swept up in all the hard work of organizing these events…cables running behind the tents, fences to seperate back stage areas from the ticket holders; trucks full of ice, beer, food; artisans setting up their wares;
the millions of construction pipes and supports for the main stages, and lights and sound equipment, and huge screens to show the audience members what is happening on stage. Port-a-potties lined up, sometimes a hundred in a row! And the mobile homes where there is medical staff, accounting staff, merch staff, artists lounges, management staff….It’s unbelievable. A modern city of convenient music that only appears for three days, then WHOOSH! It disappears until next year.
The kids stage is about 25 feet by 20 feet, with a fat P.A. system. The entire area is covered by a white tent, and there is one, living young oak tree that sits directly behind the sound board. Does three days of live music and the energy of people effect this tree? Does it enjoy being under a tent and out of the rays of Austin’s summer sunshine? Does it mind being alone, which it normally would be? Does this little tree think, “Woo-hoo! It’s almost time for the kids to return?” I know you think I’m silly, but it is a living plant. It must respond, to some degree, to all the variables suddenly thrown its way….
After meeting Lacey and Rachel, two of the nicest crew you could ever hope to meet, we are scuttled over to the Artist’s Check In area and given meal tickets (which we never use; more on this later). I already have my artists’ wrist pass; I’m ready to go.
Around 3 o’clock, the boys arrive: Brad with his heavy bag of symbols and his coolie-o girlfriend, Charlie; Steve with his nephew, Stevie. Lance, iolana, the boys, Charlie and Teresa all hop into the van. I rev it up, and away we go.
Now the traffic is a wee bit more intense, but, again, our pass helps us veer off into the closed off area of the park, and we head down a path behind the Austin Nature Center, where we can see in from behind. They rescue animals there: they have a raccoon and a coyote and some hawks. And you can learn all about pond life and rocks and general nature oriented info about Austin’s wildlife. I like to feed the carp when we go. Their big lips suck up the fish food as soon as it hits the water. They are Mick Jagger fish!!!
We park. It is getting dusty. We grab two shuttles and head over to the kids area. We aren’t scheduled to play until 6, so iolana gets busy getting her face painted, making sand art, playing games and winning prizes, talking to the H.E.B. Buddy ( a guy inside a giant foam suit of a paper grocery bag with groceries sticking out of his head…very cute!) Lance is sporting his black cowboy hat we got when we went to the Virgin Islands several years back…he looks GOOD! I’m talking to the occassional friend, and then plop down in the dirt and wait for Lucas Miller to start. I look back, and Lance has found a spot in the bleachers, so io and I pop up with him.
Lucas Miller is a zoologist that became a children’s entertainer. He is very smart and talented and sweet and it was fun to finally hear him perform live. I sang on his new album; great album! Anyway, Lucas sings to tracks, and I always find that a curious thing. I’ve only tried that once, at a Valentine show in Dallas. It was awkward, so I haven’t tried it again.
His tracks sound full and meaty, and he’s very comfortable working with them. It’s fun to watch other performers and study their “tricks of the trade”; I always learn something. I liked it when he worked with puppets. He turned a tadpole into a frog!
Then there was the Palm Elementary School Choir; rock on! They were full of spunk, had a rockin’ band. We only heard a little of them because we were out walking around with the 100,000 other people by then (oy!). We heard a wee bit of Lucinda Williams and walked past the Gospel Tent, where a reggae band was revving it up and the crowd was chanting along…we lifted io up on our shoulders so she could see the band across the sea of people. We bought a Fresca. We read the names of all the local (and not local) eateries….The wash of music and people talking and movement and dust and hot sun mixed with sweat and the aromas of food and beer and the colors of clothing and skin is overwhelming. I’m not much of a festival goer. It’s just too much for me because my brain is exploding with ideas and reactions to every shift in the crowd, so I prefer the morning, back when it was still and I could keep my brain that way.
We get back to our stage, and it is time to start prepping the stage. The drums from the last group are being hauled off; a volunteer starts grabbing Brad’s drums. Another one grabs my guitar, the bass, the amp. I hop on the stage in my green skirt with glitter beads and plug into the D.I. Steve and Brad are talking to the monitor folks, I’m concentrating on the mains. Lance comes over and says my guitar needs more bass. I fiddle with the controls (I’m still learning my panel), and he signals from the bleachers when the balance is better. Barry, our sound man, is a sweetheart, and finally, everything seems pretty fine on stage, and we aren’t supposed to start for about 10 more minutes, but hey! We’re on stage! And there are suddenly children EVERYWHERE!!!
I’ve brought these miniature beach balls, and our dear friend, Kathy Carr, has patiently sat and removed each ball from each plastic bag and she and her family have blown them all up and now there is a ball war between the stage and the kids. As fast as kids are throwing them at me, I’m kicking them back out. Then, they figure out if they throw the balls AT MY GUITAR, it makes a sound! Now I’m being slammed with balls, left and right! There are balls all over the stage and I have to make an announcement that the balls need to stay off the stage so we don’t trip over them. That was dumb! Now the ballfire has doubled! Oh, well!
Onward!
I decide to hit the Hokey Pokey until it is time to start the show, so I jam away, kids hokeying, balls flying. Then, I look to my left to start the show, and Steve has left his bass. Where is he, I joke. Is he taking a pee? I ask. Yes, yes he is. So, I decide to make up a waltz: The P Waltz. So, I’m singing a silly song I’m making up about needing to go pee and enjoying myself trememdously. He still isn’t back. I consider making up a song about the bladder, when in he saunters. Whew!
So, we jam! We tear into RADIATION MAN, followed by IOLANA (complete with a dad trying to hold the cards and crying child).
Next, we play RED WAGON, and I introduce my new song, TURN IT OFF (which has interactive parts for parents AND children!) and then I sit down on a chair in front of the stage, pulling the mic stand and mic off stage with me, and the kids gather round and we sing I WISH YOU WELL, and I look out into the faces and see iolana’s kindegarten teacher, who has tears, and I get choked up and can hardly sing. And all the faces are so beautiful, and everyone is singing, and it just makes my heart burst with love.
I truly love everyone at that moment.
Afterwards, my throat is busted up; too much dust, heat and stress, but I keep chatting away with friends, new and old; signing beach balls, even signed a NAKED calendar….my first time to see the photograph printed. Kong, my dear, dear friend, has surprised me by showing up and I get to chat with him afterwards; he is tour mananger on tour with the Decemberists, and their show was cancelled in Houston, so he got to come early for ACL (they play on Sunday) and drop in to say “hello” to me….and I saw Winker, although we didn’t get to say anything (he always disappears, and then I’m left wondering if he isn’t really a ghost!) and I saw Stephen Maynard, a man I adore, and his new flame, Barbara (just lovely!)…and Carolyn from my church, who I haven’t seen in many a year, and her new fellow, Greg; and I thank the crew, and everyone is breaking down, kids still running around, equipment being packed up, faces still being painted…
I end up being taken back over to Artist’s Check- in to get paid after waiting for about twenty minutes; Rachel is very nice and
escorts me over. She asks me to wait in the artists food court, so I swing over to see if I can put a plate together for io; but since I don’ t have my meal ticket with me, they won’t serve me. I show my artist bracelet, no go. So, I sit outside the tent, feeling a bit glum, finally Rachel returns.
Getting paid at ACL Fest is humourous, to me. You have to knock to enter (they keep the door locked), and then there are ALWAYS two police officers sitting in the waiting area. BIG police officers. And, finally, someone slides out from behind a closed door and whispers (I’m not kidding), “Are you Sara? Or Sara’s represenative?” And I say, “Yes,” with my croaky throat, and she has me sign a form and count the money (they pay in cash or check), and then it is over. And you leave. And the door is locked behind you.
I get dropped off from one more shuttle, only this time they drop me off at the wrong stage, so I have to walk about 1/4 of a mile back to the children’s stage to meet Lance and io, but by now I have huge blisters on my feet from my flip-flops, so I throw them in the trash and walk back barefoot in the dust…which wouldn’t have been so bad expect there were sticker-burrs every five or six feet, and so I’m hopping around, “ouch ouch!” and picking sticker burrs out of my dirt-encrusted feet, sweating and just wanting to see my family and get home and bathe my poor feet.
I make it back, Lance, io and Teresa are sitting in a sand pit, relaxing, and I hobble over to them, my poor throat on fire, my feet deluged with stings and blisters, and I feel like I’m crossing the Sierra Desert to reach them. My long skirt makes me feel like I’m Laura Ingalls with raw feet.
We are popped into a van and driven to our van, and we all squeeze in (cuz now the van is full of equipment AND people) and we make it home and I make spaghetti and meatballs and garlic toast and peas and corn and we sit down to a hot meal and , afterwards, we read books to iolana and she is off to bed and i tenderly wash my poor feet and lance takes a shower and we settle onto the sofa and watch some “curb your enthusiasm” and catch an update on the hurricane and go to bed.
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:20 am
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20 of 21
September 22, 2005
I’ve really grown in this capacity, as a producer, and it thrills me like nothing else to have a vision, pull together the right musicians and engineers and make art. Finessing a recording, pulling out what makes a song special, finding the right sound or EQ or compression or balance…I love it. I love sitting in the studio’s control room and explaining what is in my head…bringing the nuances to life. Painting textures and landscapes with sound.
I would really enjoy producing other people, especially other singer/songwriters. However, it is a huge job, a detail oriented job. It has all the elements of being a director, a psychologist, an explorer…and a choreographer of dates and times. Sadly, however, the amount of time an experienced producer puts into a project is way beyond the local budget. If I was still a single woman, I’d do projects without a care, but with a family and limited time on my hands, this dream will probably have to wait for a later year.
posted by Sara Hickman at 05:05 pm
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Unbelievable
September 20, 2005
Cars drove by!!
SUNDAY….Lance and I got up. Showered. Lance said funny things! Made me bust my gut laughing! Got in the car!!! Drove on!
On towards Austin!! Stopped for breakfast at Chubby’s! I had the breakfast special, he had the breakfast special with french toast! I had tea with LOADS of yummy cream!! We read the paper!! We hopped in the car and continued on, driving just over the speed limit. Made it home. Lance took a nap. I was gathering items and acting low-key because I had told him I was throwing him a dinner party at Mickey’s house for our anniversary. I left the house to go to Mickey’s, but I wasn’t prepping for a dinner party… I was getting ready for … A WEDDING!!!
That’s right…I have been planning a renewal of our vows at our church for months now….and Lily was the ringbearer! iolana was the flower girl! Matching cream, antique lace dresses with leopard print flats!!! Lance’s dad rolled down the aisle in his wheelchair! Lance’s mom, sister and best friend (Todd) standing at the front of the chapel with our minister, Kathleen!!!!
And I am behind Lance’s dad in my original wedding dress….IT STILL FITS!!! Except, for some reason, my breasts seemed bigger…?Teresa brought flowers, flower petals, and picked up the cakes I had pre-ordered weeks ago…chocolate groom’s cake with BEVO on top (Lance and his dad love UT) and a small italian creme cake with a sunflower on top complete with our original broom and gride. I mean groom and bride. After the wedding, we retired downstairs to eat cake and clink glasses (our original champage glasses…now full of bubbling apple cider!) and take pictures and giggle and ooh and aah and relax.
IT was LOVELINESS. Utter joy!!! I love my family!! I love the shows!! I love making music!! I love my new guitar!!! I love Takamine!!! I love dolphins!!! I love this computer!!! I love being MARRIED!!! I love my kids and my parents and my front yard and God and snacks and all the people who are helping on this recording which is ALSO GOING FABULOUS and I promise to write more about the songs and ins and outs of making a record….
Sorry I missed PIRATE DAY!! Daggnabit!!!
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:11 am
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Working My Tushie Off
September 15, 2005
Which leads me to several quick realizations:
This a.m., I realized all my life I have been compared to someone else. My sister, my friends, other female musicians. This sounds like a late realization (and, perhaps, a complaint), but it snuck up on me. Like that. Out of no where. I realized that because of all those comparisons, I, too, have compared others (not intending to be cruel, much like I know others weren’t intending to rob me of who I am, either)…but I can think of many times where I have, over the years, said, “You know, you remind me of….(stick celebrity or friend’s name here)”….
One of the greatest things we teach in the parenting classes of RCB is NOT TO COMPARE. It lessens the person.
I think what has me thinking about this is that Lance and I have tried very consistently NOT to compare our children with one another or others. I heard a great, sad example of why not comparing is a must… in a children’s clothing store the other day when I overheard a mom say to her four year old,
“Stop acting like a baby! Do you see your sister? She’s acting like an angel, and she’s younger than you! Why can’t you act like her? You’re too big to be acting like a baby!”
Oh, gosh, I was putting a dress back up on a rack and my eyes just got weepy. The four year old became very sullen, and, after a moment, started acting out. You can guess why.
So, this is why I continue to work hard. I want this record to be a continuation of my life’s journey, of who I am, and to speak about what I want to speak about in my life. It’s selfish to be a musician, or an artist, because it is all about sharing what’s important to this soul. However, on the other hand, I take being a musician/artist very seriously, and I always, always try to do my best because it is who I am, and sometimes, what I have to say brings people together, and that is what God has asked of me…I have no doubt about that…to use my music and art to bring people together. Whether it is one person reading my blog, or a group of thirty listening at a show, or thousands in a theatre, the size and number is not what is driving me….it is God that is driving me.
As Robin’s dad said, “Paradise.” I want to bring people closer to the paradise inside them; I want my journey to help them be themselves, too.
Next thing:
I love gyros. Man, they are so tasty.
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:37 am
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Turn It Off
September 12, 2005
OK….That’s where I was this weekend, figuratively and literally….I went to Oklahoma City, OK for a weekend of making music.
Friday, I landed in OKC and was picked up at the airport by a very frisky, perky human being named Sherry. I had arrived to sing at a Christian Camp for disabled kids the following night. We got in the car and the first thing I said was, “I notice you’re Disciples of Christ…just to let you know, I’m a Methodist…” and she laughed and said, “Oh, girl, we’re even more liberal than you are!”
It’s very confusing to have so many different kinds of Christians in the world. Some Christians get very pissed off.
Some Christians are praying for souls, including mine. Some Christians love me the way I am, mistakes and all, and some are all and more and so I try to just be what I am and allow God to move me in mysterious ways. I try to be a conduit for a moment of love, a moment of connecting. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand the enormity of it all. Saturday afternoon I was studying the bible,
looking up passages that had to do with making decisions and confusion. The bible is a never ending source of interest to me.
I was thinking how much J.K. Rowling’s books and the bible have in common: death, fear, blood, family, betrayal, lies, adventure, travel, kingdoms falling into ruin, kings being challenged, main characters who want to do the right thing, main characters who stray and become lost in a tangle of denial or desire, giants, wine, lots and lots of water, sea creatures, darkness, light, resurrected beings, snakes, crazy people, caves, even unicorns. Yes, the bible mentions unicorns, did you know that? At least that’s what I seem to remember. I’ll have to look, but I believe they are mentioned in Genesis, or around the time of Noah. (I know that Shel Silverstein also mentions the unicorn in his song about the ark, but that’s an entirely different conversation.)
I stayed in Guthrie, the nation’s largest historical district. None of the buildings built were over four stories tall. I stayed in what used to be an 1800’s bank, later turned into a hotel in the early 1900’s. All red brick and white mortar. I walked into Room 304, right up the stairs, and thought there was a mistake…my room was enormous, with two four poster beds and windows that reached from ceiling to floor. (The hotel also houses a theatre (“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” was the current production) and a coffee shop called “Freedom of Espresso”. I bought a macadamia chocolate cookie. Whoo! It was tasty.)
My friend, and yours, Robin Macy came over from Kansas for a visit, since I had Friday to play around. We drove outside town to sit and chat with her parents in paradise. We sat in the evening air, under an arbor of green leafy vines and tiny white flowers, sipping water (me) and wine (her dad) and coffee (her mom) and nothing (Robin.) We chatted about life and love and the 100 year old farm I was enjoying. The farmland was all red, red dirt, although down the road there was some milo growing, and the grounds of the farmyard had a variety of flowers and growing plants.
If you haven’t witnessed the dirt in Oklahoma fields, you can’t imagine the shade. It is poignant; it is compelling. I wanted to walk over and roll around in it. It was so LUSH. It is the red of a blush from a first kiss. It is the red of a pouty baby’s mouth. It is red dust, settled over centuries into a silty clay that turns trucks into giant lipstick tubes.
The Macys still own 160 acres of farmland. I can’t even picture how much land that is….just on and on, that’s what 160 acres sounds like to me. Sounds like I need a horse to get to the other side…
The night was so still. A hummingbird came and lighted on a branch, momentarily. I had never seen one sit down before. The sprinkler was sh-sh-sh-shing the wide open sky and happy grass as we ambled on, time a tickin’ lazily, laughing, sharing views on religion and marriage and open heart surgery and hernia operations. I went inside the centenial house and thought about all the people who had walked across the worn, wooden floors. I imagined ice cold lemonade and babies being born with out the aid of a doctor; of a coyote howling at night, the stars not being held back by city lights. I thought of people making love and growing old and moving on and missing the land. I fell in love with Robin’s family pictures; one even had Will Rogers in it with her grandfather. More so, I fell in love with the history of a family, the heartache and the adventures and the will to survive and count blessings. It made my heart ache for my little family…and then, just as quickly, joy filled the same heart for all the history we are creating here, in the house of many colors, in Austin, Texas, and I wanted to come home and kiss my daughters’ faces. I wanted them to be there with me, too. I wanted to see Lance’s two-colored eyes, calm and clear, taking it all in, his fingers wrapped around mine as we swang on the wooden swing. Another time…I will bring them here, I know.
So, Robin spent the night with me at the bank/hotel. We stayed up late (late for us: 10:30 pm!!!). We traded songs on the guitar; that Robin! She ‘s such an explosive blue grass player on her old Martin. I had to ask her to tone it down just so I could hear the words of her beautiful songs. Her curls are still piled on top of her head and her presence lights up whatever room she enters.
People can’t help but notice her….in all my life, I don’t know of anyone like her. She looks unique, she is unique, she never falters from cracking me up with her bounce and joie de vivre. She has got to be some math teacher in the class room!!!
She sang a song for her mother; she sang songs about teachers. It was an A+ evening….
We slept well, and I even kept my eyes closed until 6:15 am. The window shades were broad, wooden shutters, so the light was nudging me as soon as it could creep in. I got up and did some stretching. I could see Robin across the room looking just like a tiny robin nestled in a giant bed, her little head and mass of hair poking out from under the picadilly throw.
We walked the square, saw some antiques, ate breakfast at a great diner called Katie’s. The seventeen year old waitress kept saying, “Girls, what can I getcha?” or “Girls, more coffee?” Ha ha. We were loving that! Girls! As if!!!
Then, Robin took me around town, and I heard about her great-grandmother’s home over on such-and-such street, and we drove by that very house, and the ones where her mom and dad grew up, and the strange Masonic temple and another home that had been in the family that is now a B & B…..
After Robin had to go, I hung out at the hotel, showered and practiced some on my new Takamine….I am so pleased with my new baby! Did I tell you? I called up Takamine and asked them about my endorsement from a thousand years ago, and it was still good, and so, after 10 years of the same guitars, I am on the path to new guitars, and it is very exciting and almost too much. I have one here with me, and I am on the road to acquiring three more….things have changed so much since my last guitars! Next blog: all about my journey with the Takamines, from pawn shops to sitting in a show room. Maybe I’ll also throw in the story about the pink pick and the man behind the glass…we’ll see.
So, anyhoo, Sherry came to pick me up and take me out to the camp site….We got there about 4:30ish, and the first praise band was getting ready to play. That’s right, I was performing after three praise bands!!! This was a first for me, and I wanted to see what the bands were like. The first one was a trio that was well-intended; they were giving it all they had and giving thanks to the Lord. They were completely devoid of ego and just giving their all.
The second band totally rocked!!! The lead guitarist, an incredibly awesome guy, was a huge fan of the Talking Heads and
the CBGB scene in NYC; he was even sporting a CBGB shirt. I told him he reminded me of Eno; he thought it was cool I knew who Eno is! Ha ha. I almost told him, “I’ve opened for Fripp…” but decided that would be bragging so kept it to myself.
So, I loved the second band. Their lead singer was a young woman, maybe 23, whose name was Eva, and she jumped around in a neon green shirt with black sunglasses and I was up, hopping around in the dry dirt mosh pit all alone….I was sweating and having the best time; I was so sure someone, some of the kids, would hop up and dance with me….Nope! The bass player had a shirt on that read LLAMA PATROL and that just made me laugh out loud. The drummer was back of stage, banging away,
and Eva was just pointing and singing and thanking God in her music. It was very cool! I’d never heard the Sex Pistols meet
Stephen Curtis Chapman!
Then the praise band from First Christian Church got up…whoa! Maybe 15 people, including the musicians? Lots and lots of people. The cool thing about praise bands is that they can have sheet music on stage, like jazzers sometimes do. This band was having a GREAT time; by then, I had walked around and talked with many folks, including a young man, oh, about 25 who
was mentally challenged, comes to the camp every year…we had ridden around on a golf cart, and he kept yelling, “Honk the HORN!!!!” but the horn didn’t work, so I just kept yelling out, “HONK….HOOOONNNNNNNKKKK!” And I met several of the kids in wheelchairs with MS or other heartbreaking, dibilitating problems. Talking and hugging, playing bocci ball with several of the counselors kids; buying rubber bracelets from James, a ten year old boy with a heart of gold and a green dirt bike (he started it up for me…nice and LOUD!!!)
By the time I went on, the sun wasn’t so hot and the shade of the trees was my friend. Nice stage and sound….a man named Frank behind the board and Bruce helping on the monitors. My new guitar is a monster and so, even though I asked a few times for more voice in the monitor, the monster wasn’t leaving me any room! I am going to have to work on strengthening my voice to keep up with the new baby. Man. It has a tube pre-amp IN THE GUITAR, coil pick-ups under the bridge AND a pick-up for my fingerpicking directly below the strings. It’s a terrific set up, but gosh, all new to me!
So, I played kids songs and adult songs and by the end, all the kids were up on stage with me, and then I stayed around and talked with so many terrific people and finally back to the hotel, chatting all the way in the car with two jubilant brothers, Cooper and Conner. Lots of Star Wars and talk about horses. I was exhausted when I hit the hay.
Next morning, up at 6:15 to get ready: I was playing at two church services AND doing a children’s show in-between. I’ll just say this: wow. I wish you could have been there.
After services, we all went out to lunch…I haven’t mentioned Chris, the minister, or his sweet wife, Beth, or their two amazing children, Paxton and William. (Paxton played Vivaldi on the violin for me: Vivaldi that he taught himself by picking out the notes, one by one, and stringing together a flawless, ten year old performance for me….) William has the longest eyelashes on a five year old you can imagine. Like a camel, they are so long.
Lunch was great….I sat with a bevy of kids and drew requests: pictures of hammerhead sharks, fairies and a chihuahua (my first chihuahua I’ve ever drawn, that I can remember.) I tasted my first sugar grapes. I had some fresh pineapple. I ate
homemade macaroni and cheese and drank lots of water. We talked and talked until I thought I would fall out of my chair.
Mostly, I just listened. I gave away a Tinkerbell I had nestled in my backpack to a little girl named Zoya. Her brother, Trevor, is going to be a famous fashion designer…mark my words. All the kids I met this weekend, disabled or not, had me by the heart the minute I met them. How could they not? They are the most wonderful people you could ever want to meet…
Flew home last night, and Lance had dinner waiting for me. The girls ran out to the car when they heard it pull up and I dropped to my knees and held them tight and we kissed and laughed and ran inside and questions questions so many questions and updates on the weekend from everyone and Lance was happy because UT had won and I ate my meal and took off my shoes and isn’t that what life is all about….sitting down to a good meal, good conversation and knowing, later, you can put your head to a pillow and dream of a day like no other?
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:21 pm
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My Dad, Jim
September 08, 2005
My dad, Jim, had double bi-pass surgery today. He is in ICU right now and doing terrific. He and my mom exercise and lift weights everyday, so the doctors said he was in amazing condition and this will help his recovery be a speedy one.
As my mom and GJ (the girls call him “GJ” for “Grandpa Jim”) are in an RV traveling, they were blessed to be in Spokane, Washington when Tuesday my mom took Jim to a doctor for tightness in his chest.
It blows my mind that there are people in this world who can perform miracles through the gift of wanting to learn, understand and practice medicine. (I’ve never had any desire to be a doctor, although candy striping was fun when I was fourteen, and it was cool to tell my friends I carried tubes of urine to the med-lab! Well…cool and gross….I was a teenager, ya know.) Anyway. Very grateful to the team and doctors who worked on our GJ. Thank you to you out there! We’re relieved and you bring so much to so many.
posted by Sara Hickman at 03:25 pm
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What’s the Matter?
September 07, 2005
this persistent feeling
of nothing’s real, all stolen
swollen, woven tight
So tight I can’t breathe
At least not tonight…
I stand on a stage I hardly even know
With a new guitar I met hours ago
The lights are blue, and way down low…
I could hide here
I could hide behind the sounds of the strings
and be the kinda things I wanna be:
a warrior princess of folk and pop
and occassional hip-hop,
ready to blow your mind
ready to make you think
to give, to laugh, to roll….
But I freeze…I forget my
thoughts all caught up in
what to say, how to say it
today
My heart is in the right place.
Wanting to give, give, give it all away
There’s only today, right?
I work up past midnight
Take the money given to the folks who need it
Then they can decide
how and who and when to release it
Unleash that fear, that anger over there
Wanna make it right?
Yea, you know I do… I wanna make it right
RIght now, you mutha….(say, what!? Whatchoo say?)
(Am I invisible?)
You, you ridiculous woman
You have no right to complain
Where is your suffering?
It isn’t comparable
Oh, I am so wanting to make a difference
I am tired now
But I will not give up
I will not give up
I will give
Up up up and God
do not let me stray
I am feeling lost and forsaken
And your light keeps me warm
In the arms
of hope
and love
and all things good
Of all people good
I have fallen but I hear your voice
You’re calling
I ‘m tripping, I’m
laughing I’m tapping toes to the heartbeat
Close to mine
and I’m still
STILL
Squeezing the sugar from the lemons
when
There’s, oh, far too much to be undone
posted by Sara Hickman at 10:12 pm
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I’m Naked
Click here to purchase a copy.
I’ve only got a few minutes to post, so let me update on last night:
The rally for the Universal Living Wage was a good turnout. About 40-45 people showed up to hold banners, wave signs, pass out leaflets and bumperstickers. At 4:30 on a Texas afternoon, it is searing hot, so the folks at the corner of Riverside and South Lamar really took a beating.
We all traded out holding the banners…we had one in spanish, four in english and one giant banner with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King.
People honked in support, most were talking on their cell phones. One dad rode up on his bike and wanted me to attach a bumper sticker to his son’s baby seat, which I happily did. Lily chanted for almost two hours straight; I didn’t even have to ask. She was yelling, “1-2-3-4, Universal Wage is what we’re fighting for!” She also misted people with her Disney Spray bottle (which I found ironic; don’t even get me started on Disney, but, man…that bottle worked good!) iolana was running around handing out cold water bottles to all the volunteers. Then she and some of the other kids would take the empty plastic bottles and were collecting leaves and sticks to create potions. They were cracking me up. I ran out of water about an hour into the event, so I ran across the street and bought 15 more bottles from Taco Cabana. Let me just say this: ALWAYS
bring extra bottles to events….it is expensive to buy water from a fast food restaurant!!!
Mostly, my job was walking to and fro, checking on volunteers, bringing in new folks to change out with people who had been holding signs/banners for awhile. We got there at 4 pm, and the girls helped me carry everything across the street (boxes of posters, the banners, the ice chest, etc.) I had brought two, giant black umbrellas, so while we were waiting for the rally to start, io and Lily set up “tents”, with Universal Living Wage placards placed precariously up against the umbrellas. It was pretty cute. I took a pic of them getting set up, and then my camera died. Jon Sullivan was gracious and brought an extra camera so I could document the event. iolana had her first ant bites. I forgot to drink water myself and finally had some around 6 pm. (Wow. I can not imagine going without water for DAYS. I was dehydrated and really, really thirsty after just those few hours.)
Everyone was full of good cheer. We had students, we had ex-veterans (Veterans for Peace), we had hippies, we had homeless people, we had mothers with their children, we had one guy show up with a guitar, we had the Gray Panthers. Sounds like a lot more than 40 people, doesn’t it? Well, the vibe was big, the corner was being lifted up by HOPE and FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.
Good job, everyone. Thank you, RIchard Troxell, for speaking out on behalf of so many…visit http://www.universallivingwage.org, if you’d like to know more about this great man and what he is working for….
posted by Sara Hickman at 07:08 am
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Peanut Butter and Jam
September 05, 2005
My self-appointed job has been contacting the entertainment…so I’ve been sending out emails to friends, storytellers, musicians…Now we’re trying to come up with a name for the group…
I suggested:
Read-a-Long, Sing-A-Long
Peanut Butter and Jam (We’re on a roll! Spreading the love! Sharing music, snacks and stories!)
Austin Children’s Musicians Mission
Hand In Hand
Gimme Shelter: Stories and Songs for the Children of the Storm
Keep us in your good thoughts!!!!
Today my family and I delivered bags and bags of clothes, toys, bottled water, some medical supplies, shampoos….Then we went out and bought peanut butter, more bottled water, crayons and markers. We’re going to make some art kits to hand out to the children with paper, crayons, markers…
When we drove up to deliver the first van full of items, I was blown away. We went to the Salvation Army, and I almost started bawling. There were piles and piles of mattresses, clothes, chairs, lawnmowers (!!??)…People were driving up and backing in to the loading dock and it was so brilliantly orchestrated. I jumped out of our van and hugged a giant volunteer; he said, “Oh, I’m so sweaty!” and I said, “That’s GREAT and thanks for all you are doing! This is amazing! There is so much GOOD!” The sun was shining. The moment felt so HOPE FILLED!!!
You know, there is this movie we have…I can’t think of what it is called at this second…an odd little animated piece about dinosaurs and children
(Walter Cronkite and Jay Leno are guest voice artists)…but, what is the sweetest part of the film is when the main little girls says, towards the end, during a scene where something awful is about to happen, she prays out loud, “Let no bad happen!” It has been a mantra in my heart since we heard it; Lance used to say it all the time, and it would bring me comfort, even when he was joking around.
Let no bad happen. Let no more bad happen.
I also want to comment on LEADERSHIP (again.) Who will be the leaders that rise up out of this disaster? I have to believe someone will start to shine, someone that could run for president…someone with heart and intelligence and the ability to get things done. Someone with courage and
experience.
Where were the leaders during the last week? Why weren’t more of them helping? I’ve already ranted on Bush (Jr. ), but what about Hillary Clinton? Why wasn’t she there? I’m glad that Harry Connick went down and helped out…on the SECOND DAY. That is what I’m talking about…
Didn’t anyone want to hop on a plane and go there and HELP????? Are all the leaders of this country so out of touch????? Don’t they WANT to help????
Where are the men like Jimmy Stewart in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”?????????????????????????????? WHERE ARE YOU PEOPLE????
posted by Sara Hickman at 03:50 pm
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Grady Is Gone
September 02, 2005
posted by Sara Hickman at 02:44 pm
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Hurricane Katrina Relief
This Christmas Wish
Ready to Pop (contains explicit language)
Faithful Heart
Domestic Science Club
CD Baby has already donated $10,000 to hurricane relief.
posted by Gene Cowan at 09:10 am
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Beyond angry
A good Christian walks the walk.
I’m a person who has made many mistakes, but you know what? I’m going to call you to the mat.
What you have done, and are doing, is wrong. It is, in my opinion, an axis of evil, what you have created with Karl Rove and Dick Cheney.
Jesus didn’t watch the lepers from afar, call them “the good folks” of Nazareth and then let them suffer with hope of supplies and relief arriving “any day.” No, Jesus went into their midst and TOUCHED THEM WITH HIS HANDS and heart. He heard their cries for help and went to them IMMEDIATELY. He LIVED AMONG THEM.
I find your acts, and those of your administration, to be blatantly racist. Not only against African-AMERICANS, but those living in poverty.
Mr. Bush, this is the journey of a Christian:
To be amongst the SUFFERING, to help others with kindness and change their lives with LOVE and GENEROUSITY. To TAKE ONE’S SHIRT OFF and give it to someone in need. To LAY DOWN one’s LIFE for another. And to do it every minute of every day. Not just when it is convenient to your plans.
This was the VOW and OATH you took when you STOLE the leadership of this great nation. To SERVE and PROTECT. Not TAKE AND DENY. Your lies have caused IMMENSE chaos and separation in this country. Your true colors are not red, white and blue. The color betraying you, finally, for ALL to see is yellow.
I am beyond angry. I am pissed off BIG TIME.
While I’m telling you all this, let me say I can NOT believe Condeeleeza Rice isn’t speaking up on behalf of Black Americans, women and children, the elderly, the poor. What kind of woman isn’t affected to the CORE by this extreme, intense and relentless suffering??? Women nursing need nourishment to nurse; you can not feed a baby from your body when you have nothing to give. There is no greater suffering than to hold a baby in your arms and watch it die. Also, they need diapers and wipes to prevent diaper rash (which can be severe and even kill children if not attended to immediately…); women on their periods need supplies and sanitary conditions.The elderly are DYING in their wheelchairs.
MR. BUSH we don’t need you. The people of this nation have a deep and generous heart you will never understand. We took action IMMEDIATELY because we understand suffering and fear. We want to help!!!!!! We have TAKEN ACTION.
You have really SCREWED UP. You could have made this world the place it was meant to be…people caring for people and living a life in peace. After 9-11, you had the GREATEST OPPORTUNITY EVER…EVER!!!… to move forward with LEADERSHIP and you turned it into a self-opportunistic corporate picnic. You have been the pawn, and participant, in the biggest scandal this country will EVER know and endure.
THIS SEEMS FUTILE at the moment with so much suffering and misery, but that is what some of the rich/elite don’t get…WE ARE CAPABLE OF RISING UP above our suffering to create the world your money can not buy.
WE WILL NOT GIVE UP. We WILL move forward and be a mass of protest, of anger without violence, and use our ANGER for good, for motivation, for change.
Do not let another minute go by without making the change begin now.
Promote the good you SAY you want to have happen.
Mr. Bush, GET TO WORK RIGHT NOW AND STOP IT. STOP FOOLING AROUND WITH INNOCENT LIVES. THE BLOOD OF A NATION IS ON YOUR HANDS. GET IN THERE AND GET DIRTY, GET BUSY, GET MOVING, GET THE ENTIRE ADMINISTRATION AND ALL THE CONGRESS TO GO WITH YOU AND FEEL THE LOSS WITH YOUR OWN HANDS. HOLD A DYING CHILD AND KNOW YOU COULD HAVE SAVED THAT LIFE. COMFORT THOSE THAT NEED COMFORT. BRING WATER TO THE THIRSTY. BRING ALL YOUR CLOTHES THAT WE, THE TAXPAYERS, HAVE PAID FOR AND GIVE THEM AWAY!!!!!!!!! SHOW THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY WHAT GIVING MEANS!!! BE A LEADER!!!!MOVE MOUNTAINS BECAUSE YOU CAN, BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DO IT. HEAR GOD’S CALLING AND USE IT NOW!!! DO IT! DO IT!!!!!!!
posted by Sara Hickman at 09:01 am
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You can help
Seven-year-old Dillan Chancey is exhausted from the past four days. He and his mother and father rode out the hurricane in Biloxi, Mississippi, where they lost everything they had.
(Carolyn Cole / LAT) September 1, 2005
Help victims of Hurricane Katrina by sending a donation or by volunteering your time. The following is a list of organizations that are offering aid.
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org
800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English
800-257-7575 Spanish
Salvation Army
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org
800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)
United Way of America
http://national.unitedway.org
(703) 836-7100
posted by Sara Hickman at 06:58 am
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