Birds, a Video and an Upcoming Gig

        I’ve been struck by how often the subject of birds has come up lately.  My band, Dandelion Wine, has added “Bird Song” to our song list.  I’ve always loved this Grateful Dead song and am enjoying singing it with a full band.  Back in late September, we played at a benefit for the local bird sanctuary, The Berkshire Bird Paradise.  The next week, I wrote a blog post about noticing that birds seem to be my spirit animal.  Not long after that, knowing nothing about my blog post, the bass player in the band referred to me as “the bird lady of Petersburgh.”  After our last gig at Foodstock 6, at The Rustic Barn Pub, we got a request for the song, “White Bird,” another song that I love but may not have thought of on my own.  Now that there’s snow on the ground up here in the mountains, we’re feeding the birds again.  I enjoy watching them so much!  I’m not sure why this is important, or if it even is at all, but it’s always interesting to me when I notice synchronicity at work.
        And speaking of synchronicity, I’ve also been reflecting on my band, how it came about and the band members.  For years, I’ve been wanting another band and had been looking around hoping for a word-of-mouth kind of thing.  One evening I went to a local Open Mic and met Shows Leary.  I asked if he would be interested in being in a band, to which he replied yes.  Meanwhile, a friend approached me offering himself and his partner to join a band as a “musicians for hire.”  I decided to take them up on their offer, and the first incarnation of Dandelion Wine was born.  Unfortunately, that didn’t last, but it did lead to other members joining.  Now, Dandelion Wine consists of Shows Leary on bass, Wayne Chills on electric guitar and Tommy Love on drums.  I couldn’t make these names up if I tried.  How cool is that?  I haven’t worked with a band since the early 90s and am having to remember how to lead.  This group of musicians is wonderful to work with.  They are flexible, love to jam and are patient with my learning curve.  We are very pleased to have gotten a video from the Foodstock 6 gig and are looking forward to the next gig at The Rustic Barn Pub on December 21st. 

        I hope you enjoy the video and also hope it encourages you to come out to this next show.