The Smith College Museum of Art has an exhibit this summer called Summer of Love, Psychedelic Posters from SCMA. This exhibit features posters from California and while the style may have originated there, posters from NYC venues at the time were very similar. I no longer remember anything about the one I had except the overall feel and the colors -green and orange. This Peacock image advertises a show by the Byrds at the Fillmore. It is similar, I think, in layout and lettering to the one I had and is one of my favorite in the show.
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Since it has been so long since I’ve seen them live, I almost forgot that The Hot Club of Cowtown is not my only favorite band. For many years that distinction went to Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers and since I got a chance to see them again at the Riverfront Blues Festival in Wilmington, Delaware I have vowed never to forget them again. During their set Rob and Honey played with their current band, their classic band and then with both bands together! As always they put on an incredible show.
If I thought there were a lot of Monet’s at the Philadelphia Museum of Art it was only because I hadn’t been to the Barnes Foundation yet. It had stopped raining on the second day I was in Philadelphia so I walked to the Barnes Foundation. Albert Barnes collected so many paintings in his lifetime it was not only hard to believe he had collected so many, it was hard to believe that the artists were able to paint so many paintings in their lifetimes!
What was really interesting though was the way the paintings were displayed. From the brochure: “Wanting to show the universality of the creative impulse and the expressive means used by artists, as well as the continuity between modern art and the art of the past, Barnes combined paintings, metalwork, sculpture, and decorative arts of different periods, cultures, styles and genres in ensembles, symmetrical wall arrangements”.
Viewing Barne’s ensembles reminded me more of my mermaid bathroom than of my visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art the day before. Barnes continually rearranged his art. The bag from the gift store reproduces a sketch of a proposed arrangement from 1927. While I am not arranging Renoirs, I’ve had fun incorporating my latest purchases into my ensembles. Today we added a tin La Sirena lotteria card to the bathroom closet door ensemble.
I wasn’t expecting to see a lot of mermaids at the Philadelphia Museum of Art but in addition to an amazing collection of Impressionists (I don’t think I’ve seen as many Monet’s in one place before), there were a few mermaids and mermen on display. I spied these tiles first on the way to the bathroom.
I really know nothing of Edvard Munch’s work except the ubiquitous “Scream” but enjoyed this commissioned mermaid. It was designed to fit in a particular place in a home and depicts a mermaid “transforming” according to the posted info.
And this split tail mermaid (like the Starbucks logo) is riding a dolphin in one of the galleries.
The museum also boasts the Rocky steps and even though it was pouring, men ran up them while their companions took photos.
Last weekend we headed to the Pennsylvania Blues Festival. We have attended at least one day of this festival for the last 21 years. The festival, formerly The Poconos Blues Festival, lost its home at a ski resort a few years ago and relocated to another ski resort. I had loved how the former site used the slopes as seating – creating a natural theater and was disappointed that the new site did not but I am beginning to like the new site since they were able to accommodate the rain by moving shows indoors this year. As always the music was incredible!
The always wonderful (and sexy) Johnny Rawls inside because of the rain.
Sista Monica sang her heart out!
Robert Randolph and the Family Band – a great closer on Saturday night.
Watermelon Wednesdays is a concert series that takes place in a chapel in West Whatley every summer. Described as “The Best in Acoustic Music” it has featured some amazing musicians over the year. Last night my favorite band, The Hot Club of Cowtown, returned and showed everyone in attendance why they are my favorite band – talented, charming, and amazingly energetic, they always deliver!
One of our favorite summer traditions is attending The Green River Festival. We have been going to it for over twenty years and while it has changed in many ways, one thing that hasn’t changed is that you never know who is going to blow you away. Several years ago the Duhks were that band. They opened the festival on Friday night and they were amazing! We were so disappointed when we heard that Jessee Havey had left the band which was followed by other line up changes. When we saw that they were playing in the tent at the festival this year, we knew we would go see them but we didn’t know what to expect. I could hardly believe my eyes when I got to the tent for surely that was Jessee Havey and Tania Elizabeth on stage. Soon Johnny Memphis was announcing that these were the original Duhks and they blew us away again!
Last year, JD McPherson was the one who blew everyone away when he performed in the tent. This year he performed on the main stage to great acclaim!
A change this year was to have the Local Hero stage run during the daytime too and it was great on Sunday to stop by and see two of my favorite local bands play this stage and get such a warm reception. I knew the Boxcar Lilies had a new album out so I was glad I got to hear one of the songs from it: “Six Ways to Sunday”.
Even though we had just seen the Salvation Alley String Band a few weeks ago, we stopped by to hear a few tunes including the Brandee Simone and Ryan Quinn duet “Misery Pines”.
For Christmas a few years ago I gave my husband a picture by Donna Estabrooks of 4 musicians. We hung it in our living room under two other musician pictures that we had paired. It fit in but it did look a little lonely. This year, for his birthday , I was pleased to find another musician print by Donna Estabrooks
On Thursday I went to the Norman Rockwell museum to see the Disney Snow White exhibit and attend a lecture on Fairy Tales by Ruth Bottigheimer. Both were very interesting but also fascinating was the glimpse I got of Maya IV by Jarvis Rockwell. Since the exhibit hadn’t opened yet, I only got to peek at what the museum describes as “a vast toy-embellished pyramid inspired by Hindu temples adorned by sculptural deities”.
From my position behind the guard ropes, I saw that it held many action figures and an Indian matryoshka doll set. The exhibit opens today through October 20 and I will definitely schedule a trip to further examine the pyramid that, in Jarvis Rockwell’s words, “support(s) the toys, the representations, or material gods and goddesses of our society”.
This overflowing bookcase houses our music books – books about music and musicians. There are many books about the blues and blues musicians, books about folk and country music and musicians, and books about tin pan alley and show music composers and musicians. There are several books about Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis. There is a book about rockabilly, a book about gypsy jazz and a rock and roll encyclopedia. It is a book collection that is a perfect complement to our record (ed music) collection.
Collections and Other Stuff I Like 