Subject: bbc met kendall & Naemanson in Maine!
From:
bbc
Date: 29 Jul 00 - 09:03 AM
Hi, folks,
Duane D. & I are just back from a wonderful 8-day vacation in the state of Maine, USA. We visited my sister, went to the annual Yarmouth Clam Festival, visited seacoast towns (including Camden, where Gordon Bok lives), drove north & saw moose. A highlight of our trip was participating in the monthly coffeehouse, Mocha Cafe, at the Chocolate Church in Bath, Maine, run by relatively new Mudcatter, Naemanson. I had just started playing autoharp a week before (my 1st instrument since piano lessons as a child) & Duane convinced me to sign up w/ him for open mic. We were 11th on the list & played just after Naamanson's friend, JP. Wouldn't you know she played one of the songs we had prepared?! I assumed we'd just blow it off, but Duane said to go ahead, anyway. The song was "Early" by Greg Brown. JP had done it w/ guitar. Our version had slightly different words & we accompanied it w/ autoharp & bowed psaltery. The audience, already primed, sang along & seemed to have a good time. Then, Duane sang "San Francisco Bay Blues" which some of you may have heard him do at the DC Get-Away last October in Max' blues session. I joined him for a kazoo duet & the audience really cracked up! Naemanson is a really lovely man & seems to do a great job w/ the coffeehouse. A light dinner is served before the music. Then, there is open mic, followed by a performer set of about 45 minutes. That night, Kat Logan was on. She was amazing! She has the most lovely voice & a kind, expressive face to match. It was a great pleasure to hear & see her. Naemanson was running sound, but we could hear him singing along & wished we'd had a chance to get together w/ him later in the week. kendall attended the coffeehouse & I got to pass on all the greetings, good wishes, & hugs that various Mudcatters had sent w/ me. Poor kendall seemed a little overwhelmed by receiving so many hugs from a strange woman (and Big Mick knows the strange part is true!), but he handled it well. Doug R, I tried to break it gently that I'm a Republican, too! After the singing, I told kendall I'd never performed publically before & had just been playing the autoharp for a week & asked how he thought it had gone. He replied, "Never ask a Mainer's opinion unless you want to hear it." Being a relatively wise woman, I went on to other topics. :) kendall expressed his gratitude for everyone's support through his recent medical adventures. He looked good. He wasn't supposed to be talking for another week when we saw him, but I could tell that was tough for him! During Kat's set, kendall sat w/ us at a front table & just beamed. It was really fun to watch him watching her. Kat is a friend & protege of his. When she went up for an encore at the end, kendall whispered something to her & she sang "Early" for the 3rd time in the evening. The audience loved it! JP & I felt a little as if we'd been part of the main act. And kendall leaned over to me, grinning, & said, "I put her up to that!" Mudcatters sure are fun to meet in person! Duane took a few photos which we will try to send in to Pene Azul soon.
best,
bbc
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sj
