brothers & sisters, you can be saved TONIGHT at plaza bowl in richmond.
more info here.
be there. or face the fiery pits.
i’m also not sure what to think about this article in the nytimes about midwife, cara muhlhahn, and her clients.
A prenatal visit at the office of her client Nicole Tucker. (Photo: Liz Rubincam)
here’s a portion:
She also doesn’t practice like a typical midwife. Personal experience has led her to dismiss many of what she calls the “myths” that are still taught in school as the bedrock of safe practice. The big babies—ten-pounders and more—that most obstetricians are loath to deliver vaginally, because of the risk that their shoulders will get stuck in the birth canal, are nothing more than “fit challenges” to Muhlhahn, necessitating only patience. She regularly does vaginal births after C-section at home, and has even home-delivered the riskiest births, breeches and twins. “She’ll put herself on the line way more than most people, like taking on a birth that’s a little more high risk that most midwives wouldn’t take,” says Abby Epstein, BOBB’s director. “It’s not that she’s a cowboy. It’s because she wants to serve these couples that say, ‘I trust my body. I believe in this process.’ She puts her ass on the line in a huge way every time she kind of steps out of bounds to help somebody. That’s just who she is.”
actually, the whole article is a not-so-very-flattering take on this NYC homebirth midwife so celebrated in The Business of Being Born. and it points out that the issues with safe homebirth that we have here in our little city are not so unique.
to counteract my feeling of depression after reading the above article, i am re-reading a really quality midwife memoir right now by former bay area homebirth CNM peggy vincent. baby catcher: chronicals of a modern day midwife is a really beautiful look at west coast homebirth in the late-seventies to the nineties: a relative heyday in modern homebirth.
vincent says
I wrote BABY CATCHER as a celebration of the best years of nurse midwifery in California. There was a window of time, a decade when a few of us had everything: supportive backup doctors, hospital privileges, affordable malpractice insurance, and a patient population that wanted exactly what we had to offer. It was brief, and it may never happen again, so I wanted to document all that was so wonderful about it.
lots of great birth stories that encourage confidence. lots of stories of collaboration between hospital and home. lots of inspiration or just wistfulness? i want to believe that the days vincent describes in this book could inded happen again. and right here in harrisonburg.
i am interested in how the new birth center for area old order mennonite women will affect how the community (doctors, midwives, and women) perceives safe birth. i am hopeful.
p.s. word on the street has it that over 100 people showed up to the wednesday night backyard chicken event at clementine!
we’re wondering if because of where we live (read: chicken factory land),
official legislation will be very difficult to pass. maybe seen as a threat (!?!) to the big chicken men…
at any rate, it seems like there is some excellent energy behind this drive. and we hope that the idea of raising one’s own food hits a libertarian nerve in those conservative types who might otherwise oppose such ideas in favor of supporting big business.
bbbwwwwaaaakkk!
remember, we’re all ready to build a chicken coop in the backyard with long-distance instruction from our own personal chicken guru in tucson. let’s go!
although we think a lot of ourselves, we acknowlege the need to branch out and gather together other perspectives when it comes to our favorite topics (music, chickens, babies, food). this is especially easy when people not only volunteer, but write up a post and send it your way without any discussion about it. even easier, when they are related to you…
Wavelength airs from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday on WEMC. Music from the intersection of country, folk, rock and roll, blues, and gospel with host Ted Grimsrud.
and so, we bring to you a post/review/update from WEMC 91.7’s Ted Grimsrud :
Kathleen and I saw another great show at the Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville last Tuesday evening. Eric Taylor, a Texan soul/blues/country/folk singer.
We only learned of the Gravity a little over a year ago when I found out that Alejandro Escovedo was playing there. We’ve been big Alejandro fans for years. He’s brought forth one great record after another. He’s close friends with a close friend of ours. He was the No Depression artist of the decade for the 1990s. So we jumped at the chance to see him. We were about the first people to arrive at the Gravity that night, so we got to hear the sound check. Then we met Alejandro and had a nice chat. He had never played there before and raved about the sound.
Then only about 50 people showed up. Being a pro and loving the sound of the venue, Alejandro and his band put on a great show. But only 50 people for one of the country’s very best?
For Eric Taylor, almost as good but not nearly as well known, I counted about 20 in the “crowd.”
So, the Gravity is almost certainly closing down. We heard June the other night.
Sad. Very sad.
After loving the Alejandro concert we made a point to go back when we could. Corey Harris, a Charlottesville resident, packed them in for a great reggae show and we got to see the Gravity at its best. James McMurtry also drew a good crowd. He was a bit loud and fuzzy for my taste that night (and he didn’t play “Cheney’s Toy”), but the concert was still good fun. Jesse Winchester, another Charlottesville native, was terrific. Woven Hand with David Eugene Edwards, a great, cutting edge band, did a good show–but only in front of 40 people or so.
Then Eric Taylor and the news of the Gravity closing in June.
My sense is that the Gravity has definitely been going upstream with such consistently fine (but relatively obscure) national acts in such a small market. These artists I loved so much are not the kind of people you’d expect to draw big crowds to see around here (though we did see Alejandro at the Birchmere in Alexandria in front of a near full house–which would probably be close to 1,000 people). But I also sense that the Gravity was pretty passive in marketing itself–”build it and sit back and watch them come.” Well, perhaps not. The only way I ever knew about a show there was via their website.
But let me tell you about Eric Taylor, because I doubt he will be playing around here again if the Gravity’s gone. In a kind of sad way, Eric and the Gravity were a perfect match.
I first heard of Eric Taylor as one mentioned for being part of a pretty amazing roots music scene around Houston, Texas in the 1970s. Townes Van Zandt.
Nanci Griffith (at one time Eric’s wife).
At one point, early on, I think many people thought that if anyone of this group might make it big it would be Eric. An amazing songwriter with a gravelly, soulful voice and a very expressive guitar. He released one record on a major label back then that was very well reviewed. But then drug troubles. Time in prison. Divorce. Obscurity.
So I didn’t know his music, only a vague recollection of his name when I stumbled onto a cut-out version of a new record of his, Scuffletown, seven or eight years ago in Plan 9. And the record blew my socks off. The best covers ever of Townes Van Zandt songs. Powerful, evocative original songs. An amazing version of the old blues song, “Delia.”
I tried to find everything I could of Eric’s. Near as I could tell, he only had recorded a few other albums. They were all very good. The song “Hemingway’s Shotgun” especially is as finely written as any song I know of.
When I learn that Eric is playing the Gravity, I am delighted and make sure we get there. During the show, Eric talked about having CDs available. So we check them out after the show, and I realize he has two CDs, The Great Divide (released 2005) and Hollywood Pocketknife (released 2007) I had never heard of.
Now, I work fairly hard at keeping up on new music of the type I like–weekly All-Music Guide new release reports, E-Music subscription, reading No Depression religiously, constantly checking Rhapsody. So, how did the music of one of my favorites escape my attention? Well, (like the Gravity) Eric apparently does not do much marketing. The CDs are not available via CD Baby or E-Music or Amazon or anywhere else except Eric’s website and at his concerts.
In a perfect world, everyone who might care would know about the great shows at the Gravity Lounge, a comfortable, inexpensive venue with nice food and a great beer selection. And everyone who might care would know about the great music of Eric Taylor. These two newly discovered CDs are both terrific if you like thoughtful and engaging story songs with a voice and guitar that go straight to the gut.
We don’t live in a perfect world, so I am grateful that almost in spite of themselves, I did learn of the Gravity and Eric Taylor. Their existence is at least a small basis for some hope.
so, after a barely there mention of peter broderick in our 3.24 concert calendar, i got a note from the publicist for this project, a broken consort:
my two year old and i listened to a preview song sent to us called the elder lie. eli’s review was, “this is a sad, sad and pretty song.” i pretty much agree. i was actually inclined to listen to more because i am a sucker for the cello. particularly a slightly-messed-up-disonant cello. this sound features prominantly in this work from richard skelton. here’s a bit more regarding the artist:
There are many layers to the work of Richard Skelton. I don’t just mean instrumentally, for there is so much more to him as an artist than simply the music. His work is inextrically bound up with emotion, with imagery, with history, with location, with nature, and even with poetry. While I have written about his spellbinding (now re-recorded and remastered) A Broken Consort project on here before, it may well be his Landings project which represents the apex of his achievements as an artist, combining all of the above elements into a cohesive, compelling narrative. With this first release under his own name Marking Time, he strips back much of this ornamentation to produce a work of immense clarity and focus.
i’m still trying to figure out the peter broderick/richard skelton connection. but it doesn’t really matter. a broken consort is worth listening to. and you could have seen peter broderick with efterklang last night in d.c…. all of these artists are good for late rainy march afternoon listening.
yep.
spike jonze, maurice sendak, six feet under & the arcade fire.
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i’m not sure what to think…
Filed under: Uncategorized
we’re ba’ack.
it’s been a birthday week off for this calendar-writer, but i’m sure you found something to see anyway, right?
anyway, from the state & our dear ben, here’s this week’s fill of action:
tuesday (3.24.09)
gravity lounge (c’ville) – eric taylor – 7pm $15
wednesday (3.25.09)
clementine – backyard chicken legalization project fundraiser – richard easley, ears to the ground, mountain valley string band, trent wagler – 7.30pm donate
¡state sanctioned! blue nile – wavves, vampire hands, the super vacations, the brooms – 9pm 18+ $5
thursday (3.26.09)
the little grill – open stage – 8.30pm
clementine – missy raines & the new hip – 9pm $10
& just in case:
velvet lounge (d.c.) – spindrift, the flying eyes, helsinki, albertans, resin hits
dc9 (d.c.) – efterklang, peter broderick, bellflur
friday (3.27.09)
¡state sanctioned! the darjeeling cafe (staunton) – preacher, the tomsmen, pablo & the dregs – 9pm donate
the little grill – red river rollercoaster (reunion/midwife benefit!) – 8pm $5 +donate
clementine – stephanie rooker – 9pm $5
the pub – most wanted – 21+
kronos (staunton) – teddy bear picnic, ten trick pony – 7.30pm
saturday (3.28.09)
the pub – kieth bryant w/ ironhorse – 21+
twisted branch tea bizarre (c’ville) – the extraordinaires – 8.30pm $7
& just in case:
¡state sanctioned! plaza bowl (richmond) – justin jones & the driving rain, mild winter, preacher – 8pm
sunday (3.29.09)
old cabel hall (c’ville) – the virginia world music festival – 12pm
the artful dodger – trent wagler, josh vana, ryan payne – 7.30pm $5
monday (3.30.09)
clementine – a sense of wonder (movie – silent spring author rachel carson) – 7.30pm
the artful dodger – the post-apocalyptic blues band, secret ninja death squad – 7.30pm $5
p.s.: plan ahead
4.9.09 – the little grill – danny schmidt
5.24.09 – fry’s spring beach club (cville) – bonnie prince billy
it’s spring, what can i say…
gardens & babies.
i just got an exciting email from my downtown retail contact:
hi Jill= Have you all heard about the new shop going in on Water St. downtown? I met the woman who is starting the boutique for maternity through toddlerhood– Rian (pronounced Ryan- like with a long “i”)
She said it will be called On the Turtle’s Back and will be about half high-quality resale and half new things made by local craft-sew-people.
how excellent! if you’ve got access to the right clothes, it can be pretty excellent figuring out new ways to show off your bump. for example:
isabella oliver: splurge
or
liz lange for target: cheap
or, even better, buy handmade:
from etsy: thai fisherman pants
and
etsy: organic
and
etsy
can’t wait to see what this shop will have to offer!
these are striking and lovely and fantastic:
and this is what the artist has to say about these photos:
In the end we are two people lucky in love and just really excited and terrified that we are pregnant while surrounded by so much uncertainty.
really, his photos are amazing. but so is his painful, beautiful writing. read his blog.
thanks to joanna goddard from a cup of jo for the heads up.
Filed under: -of deals, -of eats, -of green, -of harrisonburg, -of jhumphrey
okay, i’m obviously geeking over the garden.
but, i just spent a hour breathlessly placing almost every packet of seeds from roanoke’s southern exposure seed company in my online basket. i have yet to check out. some narrowing of selection is very necessary. tough choices lay ahead.
vs. 
we had no idea where to find the organic, heirloom seeds we were in search of. so we did a very cute thing and called our neighbor. we just so happen to be very lucky as far as neighbors go – and tom benevento happens to be our neighbor. his entire house is a garden.
read more about him here.
anyway, he passed on the southern exposure seed tip.
and told us that harrisonburg public works has a free leaf mulch pile that you can dig through to find the good, old, decomposed stuff for your garden. sometimes they will help you load for an extra few dollars, especially in the early morning or later in the afternoon. bring your own truck.
i’m suddenly feeling very (and uncharacteristically) patriotic today:
WASHINGTON — On Friday, Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of White House lawn to plant a vegetable garden, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in World War II. There will be no beets (the president doesn’t like them) but arugula will make the cut.
While the organic garden will provide food for the first family’s meals and formal dinners, its most important role, Mrs. Obama said, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at time when obesity has become a national concern.
the short bus above is from the WHO Farm Project – the people behind this lovely organic farm that is beginning today on the white house lawn. read more – there are some great radio interviews with these folks.
now, i’m going to do my patriotic duty and dig in the dirt.
i saw that fellow harrisonburgian, ashley, has a new cooking blog. this ginger-butternut squash soup with cilantro cream was her first post:
yum.
speaking of food blogs. after you check out ashcooks, head over (blogosphere speaking) to smitten kitchen.
holy crap. i can’t get enough of this site. here’s the spiel:
The Smitten Kitchen is 80 square feet of circa-1870 fourth-floor walkup tenement building joy with a skylight on top. It has one counter, a small stove, a pot and pan rack we nabbed from a former apartment, a marginally obsessive spice rack and a tomato knife with actual tomatoes on the handle that is exactly as cute as it sounds.
What you’ll see here is: A lot of comfort foods stepped up a bit, things like bread and birthday cakes made entirely from scratch and tutorials on everything from how to poach an egg to how to make tart doughs that don’t shrink up on you, but also a favorite side dish (zucchini and almonds) that takes less than five minutes to make.
What we’re wary of is: Excessively fussy foods and/or pretentious ingredients. We don’t do truffle oil, Himalayan pink salt at $10 per quarter-ounce or single-origin chocolate that can only be found though Posh Nosh-approved purveyors. We think food should be accessible, and are certain that you don’t need any of these things to cook fantastic food.
everything is good. everything. (well – we do have a fundamental disagreement with deb regarding the consumate chocolate chip cookie.):
but this site is a mind-blowing combo of writing, photography, and food.
so, if you have occasion to cook an impressively simple dinner/lunch/breakfast this weekend. look no further.
just thought i’d share.
rachel maddow is fantastic. and today, so is the obama administration’s support of a U.N. declaration decriminalizing homosexuality worldwide.
Filed under: -of art, -of harrisonburg, -of jhumphrey, -of politik, -of sound
remember our interview with za-mont miguel anderson awhile back?
here’s the info on poetry at clementine:
Time: Location: Street: City/Town:
Phone: Email:
so, i can’t do math. can’t calculate cubic feet.
and therefore, don’t have enough dirt for our garden.
any ideas about where to get the best (organic-esqe), most interesting, cheapest of these items:
1.) dirt.
2.) compost.
3.) straw.
4.) fertilizer (non-chemical, like manure).
we really don’t know much about what we are doing, but we do know that we have three 4′x12′ raised beds ready to be filled.
not enough dirt.
and some asparagus rootballs that need to be planted a.s.a.p. so we can eat them in 2011.
Filed under: -of green, -of harrisonburg, -of jhumphrey, -of localism, -of the outside world
the philly folk have issued a chicken-freedom-poster challenge:
they think their poster is better.
anyone here in the ‘burg have a counter-poster?
here’s the philly chicken blurb:
So read more about the cause below, and jump on the bandwagon…or in the coop, as it were…
At Art In The Age, we are advocates of eating, buying, growing, and producing the items we consume locally. We believe in knowledgeable consumption and supporting the local Philadelphia/Pennsylvania economy. Lately, we’ve noticed lots of buzz in the news about urban farming. Specifically, urban egg farming…
…and we have also discovered that the City of Philadelphia does not allow it, due to an ordinance against the keeping/raising of all “farm animals”. So we are issuing a petition to the city for the right to raise our own food in our own backyards.
As concerned citizens, committed to a natural and health-conscious lifestyle defined by informed choices…stand with us! Sign the petition now @ ipetitions.com
THE PETITION
Egg Farming has vastly grown in popularity throughout national metro areas such as Brooklyn and even Los Angeles. Supporting groups can be found in most cities not only encouraging egg farming but providing all the necessary resources for one to get started.
Although surrounding areas in Philadelphia are allowed this privileged and thus have the support of advocates and organizations, the metro area of Philadelphia has still not been able to break the yolk, so to speak.
Our goal is to repeal the current law within Philadelphia that restricts the keeping, raising, and habitation of chickens in the Philadelphia metro area. By allowing residents to raise and keep chickens in the privacy of their backyard encourages sustainability in a weakening economy; self-reliance that you and your family are able to provide food by the enrichments of your own hands; the peace of mind of knowing were your food is coming from.
Specifically, we would like to amend the law to allow for up to 4 egg laying hens in each residential household with proper waste disposal and sanitation facilities in accordance with the city’s guidelines. In addition, the right to harvest and consume the resources provided by the keeping and raising of chickens.
By supporting the enactment of these changes, we the citizens of Philadelphia, stand behind the opportunity to keep and maintain egg-laying hens in the spirit of an all natural, resource conscious lifestyle.
By signing this petition you are endorsing the right to know where your food comes from, support local farming, as well as encourage the growth of urban farming.
we’ve posted about our personal backyard chicken dreams before.
apparently, others feel the same way:
here’s the skinny:
Time: Location: Street: City/Town:
This fundraiser is to raise money for the Harrisonburg Backyard Chicken Project, a citizen group working to make sure that your backyard chicken pets are no longer outlaws! We’ll have music: Trent Wagler, Mountain Valley String Band, Ears to the Ground, and Richard Easley (classical guitar, old time, bluegrass), information, and a raffle which includes a small chicken coop, chicken feed, and chickens!!!!
Come out to find out what Harrisonburg’s laws are on backyard chickens and how we plan to change them, learn how you could have chickens in your backyard, get involved, and have a good time with some great tunes!
Free event and open to all. Donations accepted.
For more info: hburgchickenproject@gmail.com
power to the…chickens!
we’ll be there. will you?
Filed under: -of deals, -of harrisonburg, -of jgrimsrud, -of localism, -of sound
we’ve been greiving, bitching, and passing rumors, as usual, & today i went to pay my last respects.
and i did pay, but not as much as i would expect! the spoils:
none of which i could’ve found browsing around anywhere else in harrisonburg.
goodbye plan 9.
so, i totally freaked out at save & prosper and my family will now be drinking tea many times a day for the next few years. it was that good.
i had been in this little store on Rt. 42 a few months ago – and found it so-so. a bit junky (baskets of open makeup). and providing a sparse product selection (jumper cables and cheap bags of onions).
but, on the advice of a friend, i stopped in again yesterday and entered a virtual wonderland of value shopping. the cheap (or poor) foodies’ dream.
the store was chock-full of natural food store overstock. here, i’ll give you an idea of what i bought:
serendipitea. fair trade. organic. loose leaf. $3.49
here’s a review:
SerendipiTea offers over 50 tealicious organic and Fair Trade teas that tantalize taste buds, while encouraging environmentally friendly cultivation (and discouraging nasty agrochemicals) which protects land, wildlife, and communities, worldwide. Take comfort in knowing SerendipiTea also utilizes earth-friendly packaging, including post-consumer recycled and biodegradable materials, and water-based inks. So sit back, steep a cup of Smart Tart or Tea to Tango, and settle in under your eco-friendly blanket.
the tao of tea. $2.49
and, sorry downtown wine & gourmet, they have those neat little cheese crackers for just $1.49.
it was great. i’m still coming down from the high. you should go.
yep. word on the street is that plan 9 harrisonburg is closing next month.
randomly, there is a fairly new outpost of the music store in williamsburg.
guess our vinyl listening booth idea wasn’t enough to spur business out of the dumps…
is this just terribly sad or possibly an interesting segway into a more underground music climate? i don’t know…
check out the comments on hburg news. here’s what brent finnegan has to say:
I was sad when Town & Campus Records closed, but thought, “at least there’s still Plan 9.” But Olivia’s right: I haven’t been visiting as much in recent years, so I don’t have much room to lament. As much as I want to support independently-owned local businesses, I listen mostly to iTunes and Pandora these days.
I think this closure is all part of a bigger picture: a massive shift to digital delivery. Newspapers and record stores are shutting down or shrinking because; if you can get it online for cheap or free, why would you buy a hard copy? Change is inevitable. But one thing I wonder/worry about is that digital delivery essentially eliminates jobs. Particularly local jobs. So, the economy is tanking at the same time these jobs are being made obsolete. Sort of scary.
this is what the state proposes:
town & campus guy! come back! we hear that you have loads and loads of random music leftover from the good old days. can we figure something out? combine the powers of a strange back catalogue with all the sweet local releases that are coming out of a crazy active local music scene? you have the background. we have the energy. it could be a co-op of sorts. other ideas? here is what we envision: a downtown location that has a record store, practice spaces, a performance space, and maybe a screenprinting operation as well.
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well…it would be nice.
it’s been done before.
that coffee shop on the corner, is it old dominion now?, it isn’t all that great. but the space could be fantastic…
any potential investors?
