let there be songs to fill the air

A few weeks ago, I got a phone call from Connie Lundquist at Five Rivers Arts Alliance, asking me to be one of the music coordinators for this year's Second Friday Art Walk season in Brunswick. My job would be to book musicians to perform at two different sidewalk locations (in front of the Bank of America building, and in front of Cool As A Moose, both right on Maine Street; Peter Alexander was already booking acts for 98 Maine Street and The Gelato Fiasco). At first, I was a little nervous, but then a couple of things dawned on me: 1. This could be a nice way to get involved in making Second Friday Art Walk a little bit nicer, and 2. This could be a great opportunity to help out some of the wonderful musicians I know. I said "yes", and I am happy to say that I was able to book all three of my dear friend Erica's bands (The Intergalactic Yurt Band, Thornapple Scrub Brush, and Cumberland Crossing), as well as Terry's aunt's husband, Bruce Grover, who is a singer/songwriter.

Being one of the music coordinators has involved lots of emails and several meetings, including one on Monday night at the Brunswick Town Council Chambers. Five Rivers Arts Alliance needed a representative to show up and ask for permits in order for the musicians to perform on the sidewalk, so I was asked to attend. Connie had already sent in a letter of request, but in case there were any questions, she thought it would be good to have someone there.

I thought I might be nervous speaking at the meeting, but since I'd done it before back in January when Hati Modr and I had our paintings on display, I was a lot more relaxed as I was waiting. That's a good thing, because I did a LOT of waiting that night...two hours and forty minutes worth of waiting, to be exact. By the time I was called up to speak, my stomach was growling, everyone was exhausted (councilors and spectators alike), and the room was mostly empty. I walked up to the podium, introduced myself, said why I was there, and then exhaustion took over. I said, "Please grant our permits, because I've been here for over two and a half hours and I'm starving." Thankfully, everyone laughed, and the permits were granted. They thanked me for my tenacity, and one of the councilors mentioned what a great idea it was to have music on the street and that the art walk made the town fun. I headed home, feeling tired but positive, secure in the knowledge that the Thai lentil chili waiting for me at home in the Crock Pot was going to taste wonderful.