Pure Prairie League-Review by Davis Speras

Pure Prairie League was the highlight of the night for me.

These guys gave a very polished and energetic set which contained a great blend of country rock classics as only PPL can still do.

The lead guitar of Donnie Clark combined with the incomparable pedal steel of original member John David Call rocked the place. Lead vocals from three singers, Clark in particular were superb. Mike Reilly another member since the early years provided terrific vocals on several classic PPl tunes Kansas City Southern, Flat Tire Merle and others.

A great show from a band that knows what country rock is all about,a band that many of today's stars in country music still cite as an influence.

©David Speras

Swamplandia!-a book discussion

Monday Night Book Discussions

"SWAMPLANDIA!"
(written by Karen Russell)

Salina Public Library

Salina, KS

© Lydia Lowe  7/9/2012

Swamplandia . . . This is a different sort of book.  I wasn't sure what to expect from this book going in, as I had been told that it was a bit wild and quirky.  But this book is so much more.

This book is different.  It requires the reader to suspend belief of reality in some spots.  The locale is one that is seldom used and is full of mystery and magic.  While the book is set in Florida, this is not the Florida Everglades, but something entirely different.  The flora and fauna play a big role and interact with the characters.  Alligators, crocodiles and snakes are not fierce agressive beasts that are out for blood at every turn.  They are to be respected but not feared.  These reptiles co-exist with humans and both give each other a wide berth, going about their daily lives, seperately yet side by side. 

I think this book is more about family and how those families can fall apart at the seams when the glue that holds the family unit together is lost.  It's also about when everything seems lost, that's when you can find yourself once again.  Sometimes you have to go through great distress, be tested, before you can come to know who and what you are all about.  This book is also about relationships and how no matter what the odds, if it's meant to be, then it's meant to be. 

This book is a great read.  If you're looking for something different but with universal themes, you'll want to read this one. 

5 Man Trio Reunion

5 MAN TRIO: REUNION

Metro Coffee

Hutchinson, KS

© Lydia Lowe 6/30/2012

5 Man Trio-Reunion . . . Metropolitan Coffee played host to this group on Saturday night and this was a show for the record books, if for no other reason than these three guy (Gary Gackstatter, Dave Bostwick, and Chris Mayer) played non-stop for three amazing hours.  Half way through the show one of the barista's from Metro Coffee joined in on his saxophone and the 5 Man Trio briefly became the 6 Man Quartet.  As the band's shirt says," do the math"!

     These guys are great.  When the band began to play they had this instant connection with the audience.  This is a rare quality that I've only witnessed a few times.  It is magical and instantly it's like the band just showed up to play in your living-room and hang out with you.

     Of course with all band these days, there are the usual cover tunes.  Although even then, 5 Man Trio didn't cover the "usual" cover tunes that bands generally play. It was an eclectic mix of everything from "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" by The Beatles to "All Along the Watchtower" which was covered by both Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan.

     There were a couple of really hilarious tunes toward the end of the show, "The Perfect Man" which had ties to Ike Turner and Gary sang a portion of the song doing Ike Turner and Tina Turner's parts, together.  And of course, no 5 Man Trio show would be complete without "The Weenie Song".

     Mixed in with all this craziness was lots of solid original music with strong tunes and lyrics that made sense.  At one point, Chris was playing his modified drum kit with one foot playing part of the tune on cymbals, he added in his other foot on the big drum with another part of the tune, finally adding a third portion of the tune with his hands on bongo's.  Each portion of the song was in a different rhythm.  It was truly awesome to behold.  Another song that I really enjoyed, (unfortunately I didn't get the title) started out with one rhythm, switched to a faster jazzier beat, switched again to another tempo and returned finally to the original rhythm.  It was like art for your ears!

     The group will play again on September 22 at an event called "Playing for Change" at Cowley College.  Check out this link: Playing for Change Fundraiser and go hear 5 Man Trio.  This group doesn't get together very often and when they do, it's an event not to be missed.

Ribbonwork Gardens

Ribbonwork Garden

Christen Brown 

© Lydia Lowe  7/04/2012

     I'm a big fan of ribbon embroidery.  I'm use to a traditional soft and pliable silk ribbon that is fixed in some way to fabric and then manipulated into shapes to become a flower or leaf.  The book Ribbonwork Gardens is so far beyond those techniques of yesterday.

     Christen uses all types of ribbon, including double edged silk ribbon which I had always heard was a no no in silk ribbon embroidery.  All of her creations are individual flowers, not affixed to fabric, but free standing and once crafted they're affixed to the project of your choice.  This allows for a freedom that the old silk ribbon embroidery never had.

     Now silk ribbon flowers can be added to all kinds of projects, clothing and home dec like never before.  Christen provides step by step directions on how to achieve a realistic looking flower.  She even includes instructions on how to add stamens and other embellishments.  Truly, you are only limited by your imagination.  It doesn't stop there.  Christen shows you how to create a variety of leaves, berries, buds, butterflies and dragonflies, etc. to really give your creations a realistic feeling of abundance.

     If you've tried ribbon embroidery in the past or you've never tried creating with ribbon, this book opens up a whole host of opportunities for creating with this inexpensive, readily available product.  I know I'm going to have to make a few of these flowers myself.  Now where do I start . . .

Moreland and Arbuckle

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT
Thursday Night Concert Series

Eric Stein Stage-Oakdale Park

Salina, KS

MORELAND AND ARBUCKLE

Wichita, KS

© Lydia Lowe 6/28/2012

Moreland and Arbuckle . . .This is my favorite way to hear Moreland and Arbuckle, outside in a festival type setting.  This group has a lot of energy and really shines in a setting like this.  Their sound is big and it boomed out across Oakdale Park for all to hear.

     It was a super hot night but the band played from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. and did not disappoint.  How they kept going through it all is a testament to their talent and love of music.  And to the their fans.  The fans never get enough and called for an encore.  On this night, the band did not comply and who could blame them.  It was a very hot night to be out in the park. 

     Moreland and Arbuckle played all their hits: from Fishin' Hole to Caney Valley Blues, to everybody's favorite, Legend of John Henry.  The band closed the show with . . .John Henry.  It's become a signature song for them and as the concert moved along, fans thought they might not hear this song and began calling it out to the band.  At the end, the fans were rewarded with their favorite.

     Check this band out, buy a CD and take it home.  Moreland and Arbuckle are making a name for themselves and you'll want to be able to say, someday, "Hey, I saw them in Oakdale Park (or any local venue) way back in the day."

Common Threads Quilt Show

The Common Threads Quilt Show
is presented by:

Photo's by © Lydia Lowe 6/23/2012

Here are just a few of the lovely quilts that were at the show.  There were so many to look at (over 500 of them) with so many techniques and patterns.  The show was somewhat overwhelming.  This is the 30th year for this quilt show.  It began in 1984 and is held on even numbered years. 

The Prairie Quilt Guild (which sponsors this show) in Wichita, KS has between 600 and 950 members and meets on the 2nd Tuesday every month in the afternoon from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., and in the evening from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Enjoy this small slice of quilts from the show:

The Clearview Band

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT
Thursday Night Concert Series

Eric Stein Stage-Oakdale Park

Salina, KS

THE CLEARVIEW BAND

Salina, KS and Surrounding Communities

© Lydia Lowe 6/21/2012

 The Clearview Band . . .as the band began to play, I noticed the bright rose pink bass guitar and wondered, where in the world you find something like this?  It truly dominated the stage.  I wondered why a guy would feel a particular fondness for a bright rose pink bass.  As fans of the band can tell by now, I was unfamiliar with who would be playing this bass.  Little did I know that this little powerhouse of a woman would be playing that bass and pounding out licks that bass never thought it could produce. 

     The band started out their set with a cover tune, "They Call Me the Breeze".  While it remained true to its overall tune and lyrics, The Clearview Band had changed up the tune.  They did this on every cover tune they played.  It was familiar but different.  Suddenly I knew this was no ordinary cover band.

     Each member of the band had a chance to sing vocals and I thought each one did a fantastic job of making the songs they sang, they're own.  I especially liked Rockin' Robin's take on "House of the Rising Sun".    Other songs that I really enjoyed were: "Sweet Home Alabama", "Maybe I", and what the band termed, a car song, "Mustang Sally".  I liked the band's take on "Stop, Hey What's That Sound" by Buffalo Springfield and they did several of this bands tunes.

     Not only did The Clearview Band sing cover tunes across all genre's: rock, country, and blues, to name a few, but they also did a variety of their own tunes.  This is not your typical cover band.  If you get the chance to see them, make sure you go check out that bright rose pink bass as well as Rockin' Robin, Kevin Bayes (drums/vocals), Ken England (guitar/vocals), and Lightning Ike (guitar/vocals).