Cigar Box Guitar

During our prolonged winter season this year, Ben kept himself occupied with various electronics, programming, and building projects.  One of my favorites was his Cigar Box Guitar.

A friend of a friend owns a smokeshop and was kind enough to send a couple boxes Ben's way.  He choose a larger, light wood design for this project and is saving a dark wood version for another time.  One of his first tasks was to make a stencil for cutting the f-holes.  I only mention this because we think saying "f-hole stencil" is really, really funny.  We are weird that way.

 

f-holes. Sans stencil.

Open gear tuners came from Stew Mac. 

Just three strings, and it sounds pretty good for a wooden box. Both Ben and Steve pick it up often and play it with a glass slide.  As Ben describes it, " It has a real bass-y, blues-y old dobro sound. Rustic and rough, but in a good way."  He's really happy with it, and it was a cool project for him to complete, especially since he was unsure of himself when he started. 

Honors Auditions 2012

We spent the afternoon at UW River Falls today so that Will could participate in the WMTA honors auditions.  This was Will's second year participating in the event and he went into it with calm and confidence.  

Demonstrating previously mentioned Calm and Confidence.

He has been preparing two piano songs for a number of weeks now and played them today from memory for a judge behind closed doors.

Room B 51.  Where all the cool kids audition. 

 I was surprisingly calm this year as I stationed myself, ear to door, to listen for correct tempo and dynamics.   Usually I am teary-eyed and anxious for the boys, but not so today.  From my side of the door, everything sounded as it should.  When he finally emerged again, I asked him how he thought he did.  He replied "I don't know.  I wasn't paying attention."  Well alrighty then.

After his performance, he took a written and aural theory exam.  We're still awaiting the score on that, but we did get a peek at his performance scores on our way out...Will was awarded full points for both songs and that means he will be invited back to perform one of those songs on the honors stage in a week!

And since it was another amazingly warm March day,we snapped plenty of pics outside the fine arts building.  

Happy to be done.  Next stop...celebratory ice cream!

My handsome bunch!

On to the Honors Recital!

Miss Sarajevo 7-23-11

Miss Sarajevo had never been in my favorites list of U2 songs, but seeing it live that night did something to change that.  Amazing, amazing feeling. The video really only coveys the half of it.  Being there was the all of it.  Enjoy.

If Depth Of Feeling Is A Currency...

An old favorite to remind me of an old friend.

"Just want to thank you for standing in the rain..."

This show...it was Perfect. 

"America in the rain, singing your heart out - and it's a beautiful heart".

Perfect.

July 23rd, 2011 TCF Bank Stadium

Perfect.

Main Set: Even Better Than the Real Thing, The Fly, Mysterious Ways - Rain, Until the End of the World - Anthem, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, I Still Haven't Found, Stand By Me, Stuck in a Moment, Beautiful Day - Space Oddity, Can't Stand the Rain - Elevation, Pride, Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City of Blinding Lights - Singing in the Rain, Vertigo, Miss You-I'll Go Crazy (remix)-Raindrops Keep Falling-Discotheque-Life During Wartime-Psycho Killer, Please - Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On
Encore: One - Purple Rain, Hallelujah - Purple Rain - Where the Streets Have No Name - Singing in the Rain, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender - Singing in the Rain-

Soon

Last year, at the beginning of June, I was just about to make a post about how I was only a month away from seeing my fave band U2.  Then Bono suddenly needed emergency back surgery and I was sad, sad, sad.  The show, along with a handful of others on the 360 tour was canceled.  Thankfully German engineering put Bono's back back in joint and the tour dates were rescheduled.  

For the following year.

A whole year I had to wait!  I thought it would never come, but somehow the time flew by and here we are.  In another four days FOUR DAYS I'll be inside the stadium trying to take it all in and make it last...

Soon

On To The Honors Recital!

Yay!  They did it!  Both Ben and Will received full marks on their performance pieces today at the WMTA honors auditions!  Next weekend we head to the Kleinpell Fine Arts stage at UW River Falls where they get their moment to shine on the grand piano.  Congrats boys!

Honors Auditions

Tomorrow Ben and Will have honors piano auditions in River Falls. They each need to play 2 memorized pieces for the judges, which they have been polishing up for weeks now, as well as take a written and aural theory test.

Ben's pieces have him playing the full length of the keyboard.

This will be Ben's 4th year at auditions.  In his previous three years at the auditions, Ben has made it into the honors recital twice.  We have our fingers crossed for another success this year.   

William's pieces showcase his jumpy staccatos.

 

This will be William's first time playing for auditions.  He is excited to finally get to be on the other side of the performance room door instead of always watching Ben go in!

I am nervous for both of them, just because I am the nervous type.  They, on the other hand, feel it is no sweat.  No matter how things turn out, I am impressed with all the hard work they have put into their audition songs.  AND we get ice cream on the way home.  Always.

Christmas Recital 2010

O Holy Night, Batman!  That's a lot of notes!

I'm happy to report that Ben and Will's piano recital went very, very well!  Despite the over-abundance of snow on Sunday, all the piano students and their families, except for one, were able to make it.  All the kids played wonderfully.

Ben opened the recital with O Holy Night.  He had been struggling with that song and working so hard for weeks, and up until a couple days before the recital we were all a little bit concerned about whether or not it would come together.  But, as always, things eventually just clicked for him and his fingers found all the right keys for the performance.  Even the dramatic ending.  But he wasn't out of the woods quite yet! 

For his second song, Ben played the Beatles Let It Be.  This song was his summer project.  His piano teacher challenged him to learn something over the summer that really interested him; something to keep him at the piano during the break from lessons.  When he brought it to her polished up at his first lesson this past fall, she asked him if he wanted to play it at the Christmas recital, with one caveat, he would have to sing it as well.  Gasp!  Well, never one to back down from a challenge, Ben learned the lyrics and sang with confidence and great success!  It was a real ego boost for him when the usual polite applause included some whoops and hollers!  Many parents approached him afterward to say what a good job he did.  I was just relieved that he had stayed in tune! 

William, nerves of steel, waited patiently for his turn in the spotlight and at number 12 in the program, he had a nice bit of separation from his brother's performance.  This was Will's second Christmas recital and the first in which he played a solo piece.  Last year both his tunes were duets with his teacher.  To start off his set, Will played Angels We Have Heard on High and played every note perfectly.   I am always amazed at the fact that he is never nervous when he performs.  Over and over he has told me how fun it is to get up in front of everyone and play.  He surely does not get that from his anxiety ridden mother!

For his second piece, Will played a duet on  O Come All Ye Faithful with his teacher.  The connection of the duet is something William really grooves on.  Being a child of very, very few words, playing a tune with someone seems to be an expression of love and enjoyment for him.  He rocks the duet!  And also improv with his dad on guitar!  Anyway....the duet was beautiful and the smile on his face when he took his bow was even more beautiful to me!  Now maybe I'll see if I can get in on the action for the spring recital.  I have a feeling a duet with Will is in my future!

I wish I Could...

Have you ever admired others from afar for their ability to do "X"?  You know, like "I wish I could paint like that", or "I wish I knew how to speak Russian".  Well, for me one big thing I have said over and over all my adult life is "I wish I could play piano".  I wished and I wished every time I heard a friend, acquaintance or, most recently, my children sit down and play a tune.  Not surprisingly, I never got any better at playing the piano by wishing. 

Recently though, that has changed.  My hubby suggested to me past this spring that I should take lessons.  Lessons huh?  Well, I guess that's one way to learn to play piano.  I am happy to report that I have taken his suggestion and have finished my first month of lessons with the boys' piano teacher. It is quite fun to be able to read those mysterious black notes on the page.  And 3 years of sitting behind Ben during his lessons has clued me in on so much technique!  So far so good, but I don't have the courage yet to play in a recital.  Maybe next year.

Now, if I only knew how to knit!  And as I sit typing this, Steve and Ben are playing guitar together upstairs.  I wish I could join them.  So much to learn, so little time!  So, what is it you wish you could do?  When ya gonna do something about it?

Me at my first piano lesson back in October.  Nah, the teacher doesn't really conduct the lesson with her Ticonderoga.  Just hamming it up for the camera.

U2 No Line On The Horizon

Next year U2 will come. Next Year....

Waiting Patiently

(Insert enthusiastic post about attending upcoming U2 concert here.)

*Sigh* Get well soon, Bono.

Will's First Recital 2009

Will had his first ever recital this past weekend! he wasn't in the least worried or nervous about it! He played confidently and perfectly for all four of his songs! Ben also participated in the Christmas recital this year and got Steve involved, too. They played a guitar and piano duet on The First Noel . They were great together and now Steve is all fired up to start a Family Jug Band!! I had better brush up on my Kazoo technique.

They Might Be Scientists

Ben is studying Chemistry this year in science with a fun program called The Elements by Ellen McHenry. Today, however, we are taking a little sidetrack....




They Might Be Giants has released a new CD called Here Comes Science and we are enjoying the catchy tune Meet the Elements as a nice little lesson today. Gotta love those Giants!

The First Step On The Road To Steam Calliope

William is taking piano lessons for the first time this summer. We're all very excited about it!

Like Seeing An Old Friend Again

Click photo to see Elvis in 3-D (where Available)

You are all so sad that you did not go see this show.

Really, really fun. The years have been kind to Elvis-he looked and sounded fantastic and played a 90 minute set full of just what everyone wanted to hear. We had row 7 center seating but abandoned that 5 minutes in, when everyone looked like they were planning to stay sitting throughout the whole thing (who sits through Pump It Up? Hello?). Oddly, most people did sit and tap their toes the whole time. The rest of us moved it up to the stage and danced and sang like teenage fools. Elvis kept telling people "Come on, get up here" but damn if those 50-somethings didn't just keep sitting. Then again, Steve Nieve did park himself at the keyboards in a lazy-boy the whole night, so maybe what do I know? Also sad, many spots remained empty in the reserved seating area, and here again, Elvis encouraged general admission fans to "come on in and enjoy the music". I'm not sure if there were any takers, or if security would even let them in. From any perspective, however, it was a gorgeous evening for an outdoor show and here in no particular order is what we were treated to...

Pump it Up
Everyday I Write the Book
Radio Radio
Radio Sweetheart (with a Van Morrison 'Jackie Wilson Said' twist)
Blame it on Cain
Man Out of Time
Complicated Shadows
Clubland
Uncomplicated
Accidents Will Happen
The Beat
Chelsea
Monkey to Man
Sulphur To Sugarcane
Watching The Detectives
Alison/Tracks of My Tears/Tears of A Clown/Suspicious Minds
And last but not least, the show closer...
Peace Love and Understanding


If pressed to pick favorites, I'd have to say Watching the Detectives, Sulphur, and Peace Love and Understanding. That's if pressed, mind you, because it was all stinkin' good. What was missing? If there was a 3rd encore I would have loved to hear Clowntime is Over. Or just for kicks, Let Him Dangle. OK, and Hank Williams' Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do)

The end of the show was just a little sad for me because, well, it was over. I always am left wanting more of a good thing and when the music is like an old friend, it is hard to say good-night at the close of the set. I'll take the optimistic high-road though, and look forward to the next time I can partake of a live Costello show.

Sulphur To Sugarcane

Guess What We're doing right about now?

Win A Date With Elvis

Ah, yes. I remember 1984 like it was yesterday....

This song is from the album (yes, album.) Goodbye Cruel World. When I asked Elvis to sign my copy of it, he looked at me dead in the eye and said "So, you're the one who bought it!" It was the soundtrack of my life.....good times....

My Simple Confession....

When I hear this song I feel compelled to dance like the Attractions. Every. Single. Time.

It's really a shame, but I'm sure Elvis and the boys just do not do the wobbly-leg, ankle-turning jittery-dance nowadays. What I wouldn't give to see it just once more though. And Randy, if you're reading this, I'm convinced that Elvis was your doppelganger in 1980. Uncanny! Handsome devil.

I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down

P.S. For those sick and tired of Elvis Costello video Posts....the concert is only a couple days away, so take heart. I will resume posting about chickens and gardening soon thereafter. Then you'll be sorry. Pfft.

Clubland

I'll be dancing and singing along extra loud for my friends who can't be there....