The Music:
Rumblestrip is working on a new album, we’re almost in the studio, but taking our time with rehearsals. Recording our ideas via Nat’s mac, critiquing them, redoing them. Then eating Nat’s great food, laughing and having a few beers…
Swing a Cat is heavily into rehearsing as well, our first gigs are coming up, and there’s still lots of work to do. The Boswell Sisters songs are so much fun, and so much work. It’s a pleasure to work with 2 other women who hear the same way I do, (mostly agreeing on) how three voices should fit together. I just love the work of making harmony. This stuff makes me happy.
The Ocean:
Nat leaves soon to bring the boat back up to Maine. He’s always short on crew. It’s a 2 week trip straight up from Georgetown in the Exumas. One of these days I will get to ride that fast current up the east atlantic coast. But the kids won’t stand for those offshore, grueling days of pure sailing. Not yet. We looked at a 52′ schooner for sale in Maine. Thinking about changing our life. I always miss the coast. Low tide, bilges, too much wind, fog, boatshops, sailmakers. A working waterfront. A schooner, onboard music, selling boat rides. But would it be a fine pastime transformed into drudgery? They said that about music.
The Life:
Sheesh, I know I haven’t updated in a while. We have a damnable dial up interent connection at our house here in the woods. Which sometimes … I can deal with, with immense patience. Lately there’s been none of that. I had the worst case of sinusitis imaginable after I thought I was almost over my winter cold. That was after we got back from the warm water lovely parts of the Bahamas. All better thanks to my “neti pot”.
My daughters are becoming longer and larger. But. They still can’t keep a clean room or wash dishes without haranguing. Or wash and put away their clothes. What does it really matter? It’s just my sanity, my ability to think straight. I keep wondering what they will be like, and wanting them to grow up, be reasonable — but then, I would miss all their charms… they way they see the world is always worth an eavesdrop. Or hearing them singing together, or discussing with them the meaning of some beatles lyrics. (such as “who is father mckenzie?” and, “there’s only 7 days in a week, mom”)
Mother’s day was yesterday. No one cleaned the house while I was gone.
3 responses so far ↓
glen // May 20, 2008 at 6:25 am
Swing a Cat…Interesting. You should get some gigs for PETA. Do you have a band logo and t-shirts yet?
lizaconstable // May 22, 2008 at 6:03 pm
The name came from an old saying “not enough room to swing a cat”, which I heard from the movie “Down by Law” (starring Tom Waits and others), but it’s a well known saying to the generation of the 40s. WW2 folks. My parents.
It could be from the old adage that swinging a cat could cure warts. (wasn’t it Huck Finn who did that with a dead cat in the cemetary?) Or it could be from the swinging of the cat o’nine tails. That’s the popular belief.
but that wasn’t what you asked:
No we don’t have a logo yet. We are working on it. Send me your ideas.
and Glen, I’ll keep that gig idea in mind. PETA. Is that the “people eating tasty animals” group, or the “people for the ethical treatment of animals” group? Being a vegan, I can’t see working for the tasty animal eaters. Would you?
lizaconstable // May 22, 2008 at 6:48 pm
“Why, you take your cat and go and get in the graveyard ‘long about midnight when somebody that was wicked has been buried; and when it’s midnight a devil will come, or maybe two or three, but you can’t see’em, you can only hear something like the wind, or maybe hear’em talk; and when they’re taking that feller away, you heave your cat after’em and say, Devil follow corpse, cat follow devil, warts follow cat, I’m done with ye!”
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