Monday, May 19, 2008

This is how it went....

So, Friday night rolled around and as usual, when there is a Coffeehouse to put on, Bob Kilbridge is there to assist. I am very grateful for his help. We set up the undercroft (funny name, I know...it's really just the lower level of our church...the location of the Coffeehouse) with chairs and tables and hurricane oil-filled lamps, set up the sound system, make copies of the sing alongs for that night, practice a little and off we go.

This past Friday was different because we "Skyped" with my daughter Emily who is in France!
She stayed up till 2am to be with us. I had a laptop connected to an overhead projector illuminating a screen and a webcam. Emily was up there slightly larger than life. She brought her guitar and played her latest original song. I think the audience thought she was a "video" at first. What a blast! Thanks for staying up so late Emily, you were great!

The night was a full one, to be sure. In addition to Emily checking in from France we had my eldest, Lisa, in from Chicago and she sang on a bunch of songs with me. Lisa has excellent taste in music....I am always learning of new bands from her. Some of her friends were in town and one of them, Amanda Wyant came up and sang a lovely rendition from the musical, "Fame". That was a fun surprise and everyone loved it.

Then we morphed a little and went with a short play, "Here We Are" by Dorothy Parker. Yours truly was joined by local thespian, Susan Murphy, for a fun 20 minutes of "newlywed bliss". Ok. Not. It was funny though...thanks Susan.
Onward to a first time performance by Thomas McKee and his friend Nick doing a selction from Nirvana's "Unplugged" album. Great harmony fellas. Come back in the fall.
Diedra Barker read a hilarious chapter form her book and had us all rolling. I wonder if her son David knows of the book's effect? Great stuff.
Bob Kilbridge came in with a Bob Marley favorite and I joined him on a Jayhawks tune (dedicated to Janet Chegwidden...cuz she's from Kansas).
It's difficult to remember every detail but not the poetry reading of Janet Navarro. She read 3 poems...some made you think, all were beautifully read.
The sing alongs were fun as usual..we di a few. Then Jean Lepard sang a lovely song from the movie, "Potter" (about Beatrix Potter), "When You Made Me Dance" and after a few more sing alongs finished with, "Memory" from Cats.
Well, if I missed anyone, my apologies. It was great to see so many people there and enjoy the music, the 10th anniversary of Matt and Dori Helm's wedding, Lisa from Chicago, Emily from France, and so much more.
The next coffeehouse will be an outdoor effort at the home of Gail Shafer-Crand and Dan Crane. This is a farm in northwest Lansing, Michigan and we'll have a potluck meal, a tour of their antique car collection, their horses, a hayride for the children and the campfire, of course. We'll sing and make s'mores for dessert. Look for it August 23. More to come.
Thanks to everyone involved in the All Saints Coffeehouse. This July we will have our 2 year anniversary...every month....usually the 3rd Friday.
As local music fan, director, singer, producer Sally Potter says, "Without you there is no sound".
Next time we'll look at the East Lansing Art Festival....which had such excellent music brought in by Wanda Degan.
Steve




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