Today I am a banjo man

What you missed at my banjo debut: the slideshow.


Update (1/16/2008): Chris Bell from Flatts & Sharpe just gave me these pix of me at the event. Thanks, Chris!

My banjo-playin' world debut!

Tomorrow is my world stage debut as a banjoist! I'll be performing a banjo solo (with vocals) of "The Preamble" from School House Rock.

Flatts & Sharpe, where I take my banjo lessons, is featuring its students at its first annual recital and fundraiser. If you'd like to share in this event, look for me on stage about 7:00 at the Heartland Cafe in Evanston.

I'll quote liberally from the Heartland Cafe's description of the event:

Saturday, December 1 at 4 pm
The First Annual Flatts and Sharpe Music Co.
And
Salmon Fest 2008
Christmas Recital and fundraiser
No Cover, Variety of Music

The Flatts & Sharpe Recital Show
And
The Annual Great Salmon Fest
Featuring Music from the Saps

The Great Salmon Festival
The Great Salmon is a holiday figure
(comparable to Santa Claus, the
Easter Bunny,and that drunk relative
who always calls you by the wrong name)
that exists only in the imagination of Chris Bell.
Every year, on the first Saturday of
December, she sits on a pier off of
Lake Michigan waiting for the Great Salmon
to appear. According to Chris Bell, the Great Salmon rises from the lake in the neighborhood
that he deems most "sincere" (and since Rogers Park puts the 'sin' in 'sincere' it's a no-brainer).

The Great Salmon then flies through the air to
deliver food, liquor, and live local music to all the good little children in the 'hood. Though some have indeed claimed to have witnessed the rise of the Great Salmon, they also had to eventually admit the amount of alcohol they had actually consumed. Others may doubt the very existence of the Great Salmon, but nobody can deny that Chris Bell's faith is nothing if not "...sincerity as far as the eye can see." What this means for you, dear reader, is that you are invited to enjoy the annual gathering and celebration of the Great Salmon Fest.

The Flatts & Sharpe Recital Show
Adding to the excitement of The Great Salmon Fest this year will be the First Annual Flatts & Sharpe Recital Show. These will both commence on the same first Saturday of December, 2007

If you happen to have children please feel
free to bring them along

The Heartland is a non-smoking establishment,
and it will be a good
opportunity for your little ones to be inspired
by the new generation
of Rogers Park Rock Stars that we at
Flatts & Sharpe are cultivating.

4pm - 5pm ... the little ones will open the evening

5:30pm - 6:30pm ... the teenagers.....
will blow you away with face-melting solos
and heavy-metal power stances

7pm - 8pm ... the adults' turn to showcase what they have been working on. I understand that there may be some "Schoolhouse Rock" action involved

9pm - 10:30pm ... the Justins will take the stage to
kick off the after-hours festivities.

10:30 pm - The Saps

Now... anyone who is familiar with The Great Salmon Fest knows that This event always serves
as a Benefit for the YWCA's Women Shelter. So please, if you would, bring a new toy
(non-plush & non-wrapped, please) for the kids in the shelter and/or something that the women there could really use -- gift cards, toiletries, what have you. Thank you for any support that you can offer.

Thou Shalt Not

Another item for my wish list: 10 Commandments Stickies from MissPoppy.com.

J.R.'s wish list

I'm starting to get the "What do you want for Christmas?" question so I figured I'd blog up a wish list.

I'm keeping this wish list in two three places.

1. Here on my blog, by tagging certain entries with the J.R.'s wish list label.
2. J.R.'s wish list at Amazon.com
3. Update: J.R.'s ThinkGeek wish list

'The Book of my Enemy Has Been Remaindered'

The redhead just showed me one of the funniest poems I've read in a while, The Book of my Enemy Has Been Remaindered by Clive James (1939 - ).

I just placed an order for James' The Book of My Enemy: Collected Verse, 1958-2003. Look for it in an upcoming installment of Soaking It In.

Banjo Blogging: The Secret Life of the Banjo

The latest printed issue of mental_floss (Nov-Dec 2007, volume 6 issue 6) has an article titled The Secret Life of the Banjo. It's brief, but worth a read. I'll post a link to it if/when they put it on their web site.

Update: Nope. That issue is now online, but for mental_floss being online just means there's a web page that lists the articles of that printed issue. No online article.