alloween
and the month of October are behind us now, and you know what that
means: the gathering storm of holiday frenzy. It starts with that
casual outlay of a few early Christmas decorations and holiday card
displays at your local merchant, ostensibly so the efficient,
forward-thinking gifters among us can get on top of things. This
results in a bit of traditional head-shaking over the degree to
which Christmas has ballooned into a nonstop commercial onslaught.
“I remember when they had to wait until after
Thanksgiving!” folks will lament, browsing the holly-scented
Yankee candles at Hallmark. “Tsk-tsk. But maybe I’d
better buy this darling jolly snowman before they’re all
gone… .”
Then, as Thanksgiving draws near, the time for
early Christmas shopping and feeling smugly prepared begins to
rapidly fade, to be replaced with a growing fear that we will once
again be holiday failures. You know, the people who didn’t
get the Christmas lights up, never wrote a card or bought hand-made
crafts for aunts and grandmas until the week before the Big Day.
Today there seems to be so much time for all that holiday
preparation – almost two months! – but in terms of real
life time (always about four times faster than calendar time),
there are no more than three weeks for all the present-shopping,
tree-getting, decorating, dress-buying, weight-losing,
party-planning, family avoiding, and nerve-calming booze-drinking
you will have to do.
My advice? You have two options: 1) decide not
to buy into the insanity, keep it simple and enjoy the season in
whatever way pleases you, not how Martha Stewart makes you feel you
should; 2) get on top of things early and finally, for once in your
harried life, be that person – the perfect, jolly, calm and
together Christmas superhero. Or, just keep pouring that eggnog and
get over it already.
November also begins the season of fund-raiser
parties. This month, there are benefits for a slew of worthy
charitable causes, from turkey distribution to AIDS research.
It’s also the time for house parties of the adult variety
– where you’re supposed to wear something nice, drink
wine and eat pretty hors ‘d oeuvres while making polite
conversation with that middle manager you really can’t stand.
It’s the only period in a typical Durango resident’s
annual cycle where the need arises for high heels, pantyhose and
dresses (or a suit jacket and tie). Try not to spill crab dip on
your nice velvet top and you can wear it from your company drinks
party to the fund-raising gala and back.
It is even possible to dress nicely when going
to music shows, whether there are violins involved or not. Two
shows at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College this
weekend proffer such opportunities. A special solo acoustic show by
guitar virtuoso Tim Reynolds happens Saturday night. Considered
“profoundly talented and an underrated master,”
Reynolds has been cutting “killer riffs and weaving rock
’n’ roll with funk and soul” since the age of 12,
his publicist says. He founded the band TR3 in Charlottesville,
Va., and began delving into all sorts of stringed instruments and
styles. For most of his career Reynolds traveled under the pop
culture radar, though slowly over the last decade he’s gained
recognition as an impeccable, highly skilled
|
acoustic musician. His influences are diverse,
ranging from Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix to Marilyn Manson and
Led Zeppelin. His collaboration and touring with the Dave Matthews
Band in recent years has perhaps garnered Reynolds his greatest
public notoriety. Be “in the know,” and go see this
show; local singer/songwriter Gigi Love opens.
Get plenty of rest after, because you’ll
need it for the wildly energetic Gaelic
Storm at the Concert Hall on
Sunday night. Formed in California by an Irishman and a New Yorker,
the band also has an Englishman, a Californian and an Ohioan
– truly a melted pot of gold. The band’s reputation as
high-stepping, raucous and entirely too much fun is upheld each
time they perform. Traditional it’s not –
“compelling originals and fresh arrangements steeped in Irish
traditional melody and acoustic instrumentation combined with their
unique blend of world rhythms” – but could
perhaps be described as Irish modern traditionalism. Along with the
traditional Irish bodhran, the fiddle and various sorts of pipes
and whistles, Gaelic Storm’s members play the didgeridoo,
bouzouki, spoons, mandolin, piano and harmonica. Don’t miss
this unique and delightful new Irish band.
Short on cash and presentable outfits? Head
over to the Summit for your weekend entertainment. Friday night
it’s One Drop, a roots rock/reggae band
from San Diego that incorporates the California beach culture into
what was once a purely Jamaican musical style. One Drop is heavily
influenced by both Steel Pulse and The Police and boasts a
high-energy, gotta-dance show experience. Intrigued? Check them out
at about 9 p.m. Friday.
The next night, Saturday, brings the return of
Euforquestra, (you-FORK-estra) perhaps one of the only world-beat
ensembles from American’s heartland – Iowa. The
self-proclaimed “Afro-Caribbean-Barnyard-Funk” touches
on such genres as Afrobeat, Afro-Cuban, samba, soca, funk, reggae
and bluegrass. If you’re a fan of blended International
musical styles and love you some horns, this is the show for you,
again at the Summit.
If you’ve been jonesing for a good folk
show, you’ll want to go see Catie
Curtis in Mancos at the Millwood
Junction on Sunday night. Making her annual pilgrimage
through the Southwest, Catie will bring her sublime singing and
songwriting to town for an intimate, acoustic performance that just
makes you feel good, some deep place inside.
Enjoy your holiday-free moments when you can.
“Rudolph, the red-nosed raindeeerrrr…” n
Lindsay_damico@yahoo.com.
|
|