SLOLX, one of the best cities in the states, with some of the nicest people. SLOLX this year was just me and my baby girl. And what a great event it was!
The day time event were just as I remembered them from last year - fun and relaxed. Games at the park and more games at the beach, sitting with friends and their ukeleles singing songs and talking about how great life is.
The evening and late night dances were at the college, which is appropriate because SLO is really a college town and the swing scene there is based mostly of college students. The low budget is to their advantage, IMO, because they dig for the local music that is inspiring, and get DJs from close by that DJ for the love of the music more than anything else. They brought the Tipsy Gypsies from last year, whom I LOVE, and had a great Lindy and Blues room. We had an amazing time. This is an event I recommend for everyone who loves to dance, both for Lindy and blues.
My set list for the blues room - which included some classic favorite songs of mine :)
'TAin't Nobody's Business - BB King
Crawling Kingsnake - David "Honeyboy" Edwards
They Call Me Sundown - Barbara Morrison
Insane Asylum - Asylum Street Spankers
Reconsider Baby - Al King
Mean Mean World - John Lee Hooker
Careless Love - Ray Charles
Back Home Blues - Lowell Fulson
Your Heart Is As Black As Night - Melody Gardot
Just Won't Burn - Susan Tedeschi
Baby What You Want Me To Do? - Jimmy Reed
A Sunday Kind of Lve - Etta James
I'm Bad - Katie Webster
Black Coffee - Ella Fitzgerald
It's a Man's Man's Man's World - James Brown
Honey Baby Blues - Rising Appalachia
Mo' Better Blues - Gordon Webster
Your Good Thing Is About to End - Lou Rawls
Evil Train - Trampled Under Foot
Blind Love - BB King
Snake Drive - The Yardbirds
Same Old Blue - Popa Chubby
Some Cold Rainy Days - Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Cory Chisel
Snowden's Jig - Carolina Chocolate Drops
The Mooche - Sidney Bechet
In the Wee Hours - Junior Wells and Buddy Guy
Empty Bed Blue - Janiva Magness
Friar's Point - Susan Tedeschi
Busted - Ray Charles
Pussycat Moan - Katie Webster
BB Blues - Nellie McKay
Take a Little Walk With Me - Robert Lockwood, Jr.
Suitcase - Keb' Mo
Got My Mojo Workin' - Asylum STreet Spankers
Dark Cloud - Chris Thomas King
Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You - Gordon Webster
Down Home Blues - Gene Harris
In the Dark - Norah Jones
Good to me as I am to You - Kim Massie
Lonely Avenue - Ray Charles
Am I Wrong? - Keb' Mo and Taj Mahal
Ain't Lost Nothin' - Janiva Magness
Things Ain't What They Used to Be - Gordon Webster
Blood On the Ground - Richie Sambora
Glory Glory - Mikel Lander and Merideth Moore
I Lost Everything - Charles Brown
Here Come The Hot Stepper - Ini Kamoze
Baby traveling was a bit different for me this time around. I used Michael's previous PBEx trick and brought a "team baby" with me. Colin Hay was almost a Michael replacement in that he carried all of my stuff around everywhere we went. It was quite perfect, actually. Babies come with a lot of stuff. We stated at the "Holliday Inn," which is Katelyn' Holliday's parent's house. Her parents actually left for the week and let dancers take over everything. I had my own room, which Carrie Carillo (one of my current housemates and my second "team baby" member) slept in there with me. The hardest part about taking a child to a dance event comes at 7 or 8 AM, when the child is up. Being awake at that hour after staying up all night dancing is torture. Carrie saved us on the second morning when I couldn't stand to get up before 10. The first morning after late night, I was able to get up with Kaylee. I strapped her in the moby wrap and went for a walk to the store. The second morning, Carrie got up with her and took her for a walk. She got sick later because of it, but she really saved me from totally losing it. I think if I would have had to do that all by myself I would have sworn off dance events with children. Because it's HARD and impossible to do alone. I am very very grateful for Carrie and Colin. They made that experience possible.
For the record, I don't have to take my kids with me every time I travel. I had to bring Kaylee this time because I was still breast-feeding her. Michael stayed home with Evelyn. We hope that in the future, when our finances are a bit more flexible, that we can take the whole family to this event. It is just that great. :)
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
San Francisco Fusion Exchange 2012
Biggest and best year yet! I'm on such a high from the adrenaline of being at a 400+ people event! It was so great to see so many friends, to have amazing dancing, to hear great music all weekend, and to be in San Francisco once again. I love that city.
With a well-organized team of people running this event, it seems they had everything covered from a professional sound-guy all weekend to a pre-event city-wide scavenger hunt for those who came early. This event just keeps getting better every year.
There were almost always 3 rooms of dancing in the evening, and a DJ during the lunch hour during the day for those who attended workshops. In short, there was always music playing to dance to, and always someone to dance with. The many who I've talked to returned home sore, exhilarated, and satisfied.
This year, I stayed on staff as the main music coordinator. It was a lot of work, but it was so much fun! I got to meet and work with a lot of DJs, I learned how to push passed my own level of comfort and become more professional, and I got to watch the magic unfold as the DJs and bands we chose filled each room with their fantastic music. Way to go music team for making this event so amazing!
And now I will lists my sets for you -
Friday main room 10-11pm band break blues set
Ray Charles - It Makes No Different Now
Moreland and Arbuckle - Variations on Juke
Watermelon Slim & The Workers- Hard Times
Otis Spann - One More Mile to Go
Tuba Skinny - Frosty Morning
Janiva Magness - That's What Love Will Make You Do
Muddy Waters - I Love the Life I Live
Ernestine Anderson - Please send me Someone to Love
Blue Harlem - Drown in My Own Tears
Charles Brown - I Lost Everything
James Cotton Blues Band - Soul Survivor
Susan Tedeschi - It Hurt So Bad
Luther Allison - Little Red Rooster
Bettye Lavette - Joy
Mikel Lander & Meridith Moore - Heaven
Taj Mahal - Cakewalk
Sunday room 3 10-11 Jazz-blues set
The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - The Mooche
Diana Krall - Stop This World
Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers - Pink Champagne
Count Basie and Joe Willians - Hallelujah I Love Her So
Sidney Bechet - Blues In The Air
Tuba Skinny - Nobody's Blues But Mine
Gene Harris - Down Home Blues
Gordon Webster - Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You
Dream a Little Dream of Me - Bar Scott
My Blue Heaven - Norah Jones
Mikel Lnder & Merideith Moore - Ramblin' Man
Jimmy Forrest - Flight 3-D
Maria Muldaur - Empty Bed Blues
Nina Simone - Since I Fell For You
GRP All-Star Big Band - Stormy Monday Blues
My 3rd set during Saturday late night was shared with A'lan. It was a great set, but it was only an hour long and was spit between the 2 of us. I only ended up play 6 songs, which I am not posting unless someone absolutely requests that I do.
It truly was a great event. I learned a lot helping organize it, I learned a lot during it, and I am continuing to learn as we prepare for what lies ahead next year!
For those interested in how we took care of the kiddos. This trip was particularly challenging, with a newborn and a 2-yr-old. We decided to leave Evelyn home with some friends, but needed to take Kaylee since she is still nursing. Having Kaylee at the event was really fun, but it hindered actually being able to dance a lot. Someone always needed to be holding her since she's bit colic-y and hates the car seat. We were fortunately able to solicit a little help during the weekend (thanks, Carly and Carrie :), but it wasn't he easiest task keeping her happy all the time. She's used to her swing, and her bumbo chair for comfortable sitting, both of which were left at home. We had arranged housing with a close friend, so we were at least taken care of on that front. And we had a rental car for safe and warm transportation. There was no way I was going to add trying to take the BART everywhere to my complications, especially since the neighborhood was rumored to be unsafe.
This is the first trip that we did almost have to call it quits early for our kids though. We got a 4am call after Friday's dance from the people taking care of Evelyn. Her minor stuffy nose had turned to a sever cough overnight. She was coughing so hard she couldn't breath and our friends were afraid for her life. They decided they were no longer comfortable caring for her in the condition she was in and they asked us to catch the next flight home. In a panic, Michael and I pulled all resources, including our pediatric 24-hr nurse, Michael's cousin who is a nurse at Children's, and friends who might be up for caring for a sick 2-yr-old. Fortunately, Anna, our housemate, was on her way home from her Alaska trip and was happy to bring Evelyn home and take care of her. Having Evelyn sleeping in her own bed with some instructions on ways to treat her cold and help her be comfortable, in addition to having family on call, saved our weekend for us. Thank you SO much Anna, Alan, and Dave, for coming in last minute and caring for her when we could not. Coming home early would have been difficult, expensive, and would have turned months of planning into a complete failure of a trip. Of course, if she really would have been in distress enough to need emergency care, we would have been there. We had the travel agent on the phone and all we had to do was say yes and we would have been on the Saturday morning flight home. We were happy it was simply a cold. A BAD cold, but a cold non-the-less.The lesson we learned from this seems so obvious now that I can't believe we didn't think of it before hand. Always leave the pediatrician's information with care givers, and a signed note that gives them permission to take her in for care.
With a well-organized team of people running this event, it seems they had everything covered from a professional sound-guy all weekend to a pre-event city-wide scavenger hunt for those who came early. This event just keeps getting better every year.
There were almost always 3 rooms of dancing in the evening, and a DJ during the lunch hour during the day for those who attended workshops. In short, there was always music playing to dance to, and always someone to dance with. The many who I've talked to returned home sore, exhilarated, and satisfied.
This year, I stayed on staff as the main music coordinator. It was a lot of work, but it was so much fun! I got to meet and work with a lot of DJs, I learned how to push passed my own level of comfort and become more professional, and I got to watch the magic unfold as the DJs and bands we chose filled each room with their fantastic music. Way to go music team for making this event so amazing!
And now I will lists my sets for you -
Friday main room 10-11pm band break blues set
Ray Charles - It Makes No Different Now
Moreland and Arbuckle - Variations on Juke
Watermelon Slim & The Workers- Hard Times
Otis Spann - One More Mile to Go
Tuba Skinny - Frosty Morning
Janiva Magness - That's What Love Will Make You Do
Muddy Waters - I Love the Life I Live
Ernestine Anderson - Please send me Someone to Love
Blue Harlem - Drown in My Own Tears
Charles Brown - I Lost Everything
James Cotton Blues Band - Soul Survivor
Susan Tedeschi - It Hurt So Bad
Luther Allison - Little Red Rooster
Bettye Lavette - Joy
Mikel Lander & Meridith Moore - Heaven
Taj Mahal - Cakewalk
Sunday room 3 10-11 Jazz-blues set
The Solomon Douglas Swingtet - The Mooche
Diana Krall - Stop This World
Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers - Pink Champagne
Count Basie and Joe Willians - Hallelujah I Love Her So
Sidney Bechet - Blues In The Air
Tuba Skinny - Nobody's Blues But Mine
Gene Harris - Down Home Blues
Gordon Webster - Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You
Dream a Little Dream of Me - Bar Scott
My Blue Heaven - Norah Jones
Mikel Lnder & Merideith Moore - Ramblin' Man
Jimmy Forrest - Flight 3-D
Maria Muldaur - Empty Bed Blues
Nina Simone - Since I Fell For You
GRP All-Star Big Band - Stormy Monday Blues
My 3rd set during Saturday late night was shared with A'lan. It was a great set, but it was only an hour long and was spit between the 2 of us. I only ended up play 6 songs, which I am not posting unless someone absolutely requests that I do.
It truly was a great event. I learned a lot helping organize it, I learned a lot during it, and I am continuing to learn as we prepare for what lies ahead next year!
For those interested in how we took care of the kiddos. This trip was particularly challenging, with a newborn and a 2-yr-old. We decided to leave Evelyn home with some friends, but needed to take Kaylee since she is still nursing. Having Kaylee at the event was really fun, but it hindered actually being able to dance a lot. Someone always needed to be holding her since she's bit colic-y and hates the car seat. We were fortunately able to solicit a little help during the weekend (thanks, Carly and Carrie :), but it wasn't he easiest task keeping her happy all the time. She's used to her swing, and her bumbo chair for comfortable sitting, both of which were left at home. We had arranged housing with a close friend, so we were at least taken care of on that front. And we had a rental car for safe and warm transportation. There was no way I was going to add trying to take the BART everywhere to my complications, especially since the neighborhood was rumored to be unsafe.
This is the first trip that we did almost have to call it quits early for our kids though. We got a 4am call after Friday's dance from the people taking care of Evelyn. Her minor stuffy nose had turned to a sever cough overnight. She was coughing so hard she couldn't breath and our friends were afraid for her life. They decided they were no longer comfortable caring for her in the condition she was in and they asked us to catch the next flight home. In a panic, Michael and I pulled all resources, including our pediatric 24-hr nurse, Michael's cousin who is a nurse at Children's, and friends who might be up for caring for a sick 2-yr-old. Fortunately, Anna, our housemate, was on her way home from her Alaska trip and was happy to bring Evelyn home and take care of her. Having Evelyn sleeping in her own bed with some instructions on ways to treat her cold and help her be comfortable, in addition to having family on call, saved our weekend for us. Thank you SO much Anna, Alan, and Dave, for coming in last minute and caring for her when we could not. Coming home early would have been difficult, expensive, and would have turned months of planning into a complete failure of a trip. Of course, if she really would have been in distress enough to need emergency care, we would have been there. We had the travel agent on the phone and all we had to do was say yes and we would have been on the Saturday morning flight home. We were happy it was simply a cold. A BAD cold, but a cold non-the-less.The lesson we learned from this seems so obvious now that I can't believe we didn't think of it before hand. Always leave the pediatrician's information with care givers, and a signed note that gives them permission to take her in for care.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Where have I been?!
The last 2 events I attended very sadly did not get blogs written on them. I will now do a quick summary followed my excuses for missing it:
PBEx - coolest event ever! What an experience! This event was seriously unlike any blues event I've been to. Live blues all day and into the evening, a cruise ship experience with live and DJ'd music, and late night dances to follow it all up. I wish I would have been less pregnant so I could have enjoyed it a bit more. I can't wait for next year's!
ECBF 2011, the last one! It was a great event, but it seemed to me that this event hit it's prime a few years back. The best part about this event, for me, was the Friday night trapeze venue. What a place! And of course, I always love Brother Yusef :) I didn't get to experience a lot of the event myself because I had a brand new baby, and the recovery from the delivery took its sweet time.
This year, I did the housing for the event and actually really enjoyed it!
So, if you didn't get this news earlier, I had a baby on September 24th, so I've been unavailable for dancing and events since about mid-July, when my body stopped allowing it. With my first pregnancy, I continued to get out at night a lot. That's because I could sleep during the day. With this last pregnancy, I had a toddler to care for during the day and thus, needed to take things a little more easy.
The good news is, I have 2 beautiful girls, and I won't be getting pregnant again any time soon. Even better news, my babies love to dance! HOORAY!
PBEx - coolest event ever! What an experience! This event was seriously unlike any blues event I've been to. Live blues all day and into the evening, a cruise ship experience with live and DJ'd music, and late night dances to follow it all up. I wish I would have been less pregnant so I could have enjoyed it a bit more. I can't wait for next year's!
ECBF 2011, the last one! It was a great event, but it seemed to me that this event hit it's prime a few years back. The best part about this event, for me, was the Friday night trapeze venue. What a place! And of course, I always love Brother Yusef :) I didn't get to experience a lot of the event myself because I had a brand new baby, and the recovery from the delivery took its sweet time.
This year, I did the housing for the event and actually really enjoyed it!
So, if you didn't get this news earlier, I had a baby on September 24th, so I've been unavailable for dancing and events since about mid-July, when my body stopped allowing it. With my first pregnancy, I continued to get out at night a lot. That's because I could sleep during the day. With this last pregnancy, I had a toddler to care for during the day and thus, needed to take things a little more easy.
The good news is, I have 2 beautiful girls, and I won't be getting pregnant again any time soon. Even better news, my babies love to dance! HOORAY!
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