{"id":545,"date":"2010-10-25T16:10:42","date_gmt":"2010-10-25T21:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tomsmithmusic.com\/?p=545"},"modified":"2025-09-26T21:04:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T01:04:49","slug":"the-kitchen-musician-november-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/?p=545","title":{"rendered":"The Kitchen Musician ~ November 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hello Friends,<\/p>\n<p>To make music with family and friends is a great joy. This month I share &#8220;Journey Home&#8221;, a new song co-written with my wife Margo, and performed with my daughter Mally and her bandmate Alle Santiago. I also have news about four big shows coming up over the next week. Grab a cup of tea and join me in the kitchen!<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"> <img src='http:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/tom-at-wuastp.jpg' alt='Tom at HCAM-TV' \/><br \/>\nTom at HCAM-TV, Oct. 2010,  Photo: Dan Tappan <\/p>\n<p><strong>Recent News:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/man-on-ledge-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"363\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-550\" \/>I had a great time as the featured humorist at the Amazing Things Arts Center comedy night last month. Humor is one way to cope in a troubled world. I love it when I receive the gift of unexpected laughter. Like the time I drove down main street in Jaffrey, NH and looked up at the side of a building to see the painted image of a man standing on the ledge. I had to pull my car to the curb, and give a silent &#8220;thank you&#8221; to the proprietor. It gave me new energy to reach for the next item on my to-do list, though more slowly and with a giggle in the back of my throat.<\/p>\n<p>This experience brought to mind that old TV show, <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Northern_Exposure\" target=_blank rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Northern Exposure<\/a> &#8211; a quirky show about eccentric residents of a small rural Alaskan town. I am not a huge TV enthusiast, but something about that show spoke to me on many different levels. In that little town there was a tolerance for differences, and an understated humor could be found at every turn of the road. I was so enamored by the show, I visited the production set in the remote village of Roslyn in central Washington state and had a steak breakfast at the famous <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/roslyn-cafe.jpg\" target=_blank rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Roslyn Cafe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><HR><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"journeyhome\" title=\"Journey Home\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>This Month&#8217;s Music<\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong><em>Journey Home<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n\u00a9 2010 Tom &#038; Margo Smith<br \/>\nPerformed by Tom, Mally Smith &#038; Alle Santiago<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/yKa34wQTHMI?si=qaxV8JDrC481kxue\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I think nearly every folksinger of my age would like to write the next &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7LKqiTHia2M\" target=_blank rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blowin&#8217; in the Wind<\/a>&#8221; &#8211; a song to match the Bob Dylan classic that moved a generation in the 1960&#8217;s and continues to this day. Well&#8230; my song this month is definitely NOT the next &#8220;Blowin&#8217; in the Wind&#8221;, but it did percolate from the presumptuous fantasy of writing such a song. <\/p>\n<p>At our New Hampshire cabin in Jaffrey, NH, I dared to share my private Bob Dylan fantasy and the first draft of this song with my wife and trusted advisor, Margo. Her response? &#8220;Forget the fantasy. What are you trying to say?&#8221; I described a vague notion of writing a song that would help wake up the sleeping good in all of us. Understanding that people sometimes follow a path dictated by a deity assigned to them by the chance of birth, it would enlist the deities themselves to sing such a song!  Margo&#8217;s response? &#8220;Then write THAT song.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Over the following week, I discussed several drafts with Margo in conversations that would often end with &#8220;but that is not what this line is saying&#8221;. Sometimes the perfect phrase would then appear like magic. Sometimes it would have to be carved from stone. Sometimes it is what you remove or leave unsaid that communicates best.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/alle-tom-mally.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-552\" \/>As chance would have it, my daughter Mally and her band <a href=\"http:\/\/www.TheAndCompany.com\" target=_blank rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The And Company<\/a> were staying with us at the time. They were using our outbuilding as a studio to record their forthcoming album. (Look for it later this year &#8211; Fantastic!). While singing this song on the cabin porch one morning, Mally and her bandmate Alle Santiago worked up a wonderful harmony. I love the combination of their voices &#8211; both true and natural. Yesterday we recorded it for you at Mally&#8217;s home in Somerville, MA. <\/p>\n<p>Everyone should experience the gift of home made music shared with family and friends. It doesn&#8217;t have to be professional. It doesn&#8217;t even have to be good. It just has to be honest.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Step by step, stone by stone. On my journey home&#8221;<br \/>\n~ Peace and music,<\/p>\n<p>~ Tom<\/p>\n<p><em>(I invite you to leave a comment. Just scroll down to the end of this page.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><HR><\/p>\n<p><strong>Upcoming Shows<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oct. 30, Saturday, 2:00 pm, Framingham, MA<\/strong> A &#8216;Pete Seeger style&#8217; family show at Amazing Things Arts Center. This is a last minute addition to my calendar. Bring the whole family! <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazingthings.org\/frontpage2.asp?DC_ID=1606\" target=_blank rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click for details<\/a>. Every family that shows up will leave with a free home-made copy of my family-friendly CD, &#8220;Peace on Peabody Hill&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Oct. 30, Saturday, 8:00 pm, Watertown, MA<\/strong> What a treat to be included in a special concert to benefit the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston. I will support the talented Celtic musician and scholar Kate Chadbourne along with a gaggle of musician friends. I am looking forward to this one.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nov. 1, Monday, 8:00 pm, Concord, MA<\/strong>. My daughter Mally and I return to Emerson Umbrella for a &#8220;split bill feature&#8221; at one of my favorite open mikes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nov. 6, Saturday, 7:30 pm (doors @ 7:00), Sudbury, MA<\/strong>. Mally Smith and I are headlining the evening at the Coffeehouse on the Rocky Plain, First Parish Sudbury Uniterian Universalist Church. Drew Stevens is opening. This is a great opportunity to hear an entire evening of Mally and her dad &#8211; some solo and lots of collaboration. Look for a few guests to join us.<\/p>\n<p>Click to view all <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/?page_id=56\">upcoming shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><HR><\/p>\n<p><strong>Featured Non-Profit: The Folk Song Society of Greater Boston <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/fssgb.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"125\" height=\"58\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-538\" \/>The <a href=\"http:\/\/fssgb.org\/\" target=_blank rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Folk Song Society of Greater Boston<\/a> is celebrating its fifty first year! When I first arrived in Boston, they scooped me up and gave me a community of fellow lovers of traditional and old-time music. From their web site:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Folk Song Society of Greater Boston is a non-profit organization of people interested in folk music: its traditional origins and sources and its current expressions. We are dedicated to providing opportunities for everyone to make, enjoy, and support this music.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>If you live in the Boston area, join me and click here to <a href=\"http:\/\/fssgb.org\/fssmbrs.shtml\">become a member<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello Friends, To make music with family and friends is a great joy. This month I share &#8220;Journey Home&#8221;, a new song co-written with my&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"location":[],"class_list":["post-545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=545"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8414,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545\/revisions\/8414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=545"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomsmithmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Flocation&post=545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}