GRUMPY TACHE

Mood:  irritated
Well, only because I promised...and because I wouldn't want anyone to get in a hot bath and slash their wrists because they had to go tacheless for over a week. My conscience would never forgive me.
So here he is, the disgruntled-looking Tache o'the Week.

He looks rather representative of how I feel today.
No reason, just...blegh.
Perhaps, though, he had a reason.
Perhaps a burglar broke into his medicine cabinet and made off with his wax. Perhaps things were not going well down at the stock market. Or, perhaps he somehow knew that someday, many decades from that moment, his image would be appropriated by a strange girl and paraded around the ether for all to see. Perhaps, like me, he just needed some caffeine. Or...maybe, just maybe...he, too, never got any comments on his blog unless he groveled.
I bet that was the problem right there.
I feel his pain.

In other news, it seems that being surrounded by the dimunitive charm of so many ukuleles has rubbed off on me as well. I had one before (which I seldom touched) but recently got another, better one from Mr. Robertson. Karen has already been indoctrinated into the cult, as anyone who has seen her masterful strumming at our most recent shows can attest to, and it looks like I am next to be affected by the virus. Formal lessons start soon. They are just so darned irresistable! So portable. So cute. So easy-going. Though not exactly easy. I find the challenge of having to pretzel my fingers into crazy configurations and think about chords rather frustrating. It's enough sometimes to make me run for the familiar embrace of the cello...and a nice, melodic, chord-free classical piece. But, one must persevere to progress, no?

DREAMCHILD LIVE

Mood:  chatty
So Sunday evening last marked the CD release party of our good friends, Dreamchild,
at the Middle East Upstairs. What an enchanting evening!
First up was an ambient noise trio, consisting of Mr.s Kris Thompson and Rob Byrd, plus our own Miss Karen! Looking lovely in black and purple, she did all sorts of crazy things to Tallulah with a pile of electronic gadgets and gizmos at her feet, and occasionally a mallet, small music box or thumb piano in hand.

The end result is a very dreamy, drifty soundscape that nearly hypnotizes. This is the sort of thing she does as Wisteriax, and it's quite fascinating.
She also played more melodically with Annette Farrington for a great set.
Next up was Dreamchild, who gripped the audience with their singular brand of dark, etheral loveliness, chilling storytelling about severed heads and floating lyres, and vocals that make the hairs on the back of one's neck stand up. (In a good way!) Here's Cheryl at the helm of her harp...

Unfortunately, we did not get to stay and enjoy the last act, Ultraplush , as it was quite late and we are not spring chickens anymore.
In fact, Miss Heels and I were rather sticks-in-the-mud, really.
A couple of teetotallers...how uninteresting!

Miss Heels has been under the weather, and I learned long ago that in the course of a given evening, sometimes one must choose between corset or drinking.
Yes, an enjoyable (and very clearly remembered!)
evening all around.

Congratulations to Dreamchild on their new release, and boy, is that Karen a model of versatility!

FLORAL TACHE

Mood:  crushed out
Ahhh...I found a great one for this week!
The only problem is that I don't understand a lick of German, so I have no idea what the message is.
If anyone of you reading this could translate, I'd be much obliged! (See, below, there's this thing called "Comments" and if you click on it, you can send a message. Pretty simple! Fun! Easy! New and Improved! Banter With a Sob Sister! Amaze Your Friends! Or...don't, then.)
I'm just hoping it says something like, "Dearheart,
you are my one and only beloved." or perhaps "I would gladly skewer my eyes with toothpicks like martini olives at your behest." and not "Condolences and flowers on the occasion of your tragic death." Someone solve the mystery. Here he is, the swoontastic Tache o'the Week!

Imagine, if you will, opening the front door to find this scene on a Saturday afternoon...complete with the scents of stargazer lillies and Bay Rhum aftershave mingling in your nostrils and perhaps a picnic basket crammed full of port and Roquefort waiting on the doorstep, blue skies above and cheerful birdsong in the air. Fine, don't then...but allow me. *sigh* Spring fever hallucinations...do forgive.
(I really should acquire another, more constructive hobby. Some sort of needlework, perhaps...)

In "serious" news, if you are in the Boston area, do come out to the Middle East Upstairs for the CD release party/show of our good friends Dreamchild this Sunday evening at Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA. Also participating in the lineup that evening is our own Miss Karen, who will be lending her strings to Annette Farrington and also Rob Byrd&Kris Thompson. She's one busy bee! I'll be there, camera in hand, and I'll be sure to share a snap or two here.
Dreamchild's lovely, darkly ethereal music will give you the chills...and their new album is a marvelous thing, indeed.

Also, coming up for us next Tuesday is Ukulele Noir III . These are beginning to become as monumental as world wars.
Ok, well, not really. But it's a grand old time, nevertheless. Do come say hello!

A NIGHT AT THE NAVE

Mood:  celebratory
So last night we had a wonderful set at the Nave with Mr. Craig Robertson and his spiffy spectator shoes, and it was a blast! Well, the bits I can remember considering my worried, accidental cough syrup overdose beforehand...but hey, I made it through without one little cough, so...mission accomplished. (Even if I did begin to forget what the mission was.)
It was also one of the first times that Karen busted out the vocals, and she sounded lovely, naturally, uke in hand. Miss Heels enraptured the audience, as usual, with her wailing, warbling saw...and we saw the debut of her new parlor trick: recorder playing! Who knew?
Matt Samolis of Lindi's Radio, and Mike the bassist started off with a wonderful, parsnip-laden set of old-timey tunes. Then my mister, Lucien Desar, took the stage for some stirring, cabaret-style piano and vocals...and if anyone reading this saw him, tell me something: wouldn't he look even more smashing with a handlebar?? A true shame, but I digress...
Finally us Sisters took the stage, launching into a snappy "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover" before Craig and his uke joined us for a great set.
They seemed to have liked us...and a good-sized crowd at that!
Our next performance will be at Ukulele Noir III, March 29th. See Concerts page for details.
Til then, here's a photo from last night

My advice: take it easy with the Vicks Formula 44D if ever you are obligated to do any activity which requires some amount of focus.
And measure...don't swig!

SPRING FEVER

Mood:  sharp
Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but here in New Antarctica..uh, I mean, New England...we are just dying for some sunshine and warmth. The end of winter is just about unbearable, and rather than succumb to complete catatonia in a straightjacket, I often force myself to keep busy by making pretty things. Now, compared to Karen, who is about the craftiest person you'll ever meet, I'm rather minor league. But even I was able to successfully follow her instructions on making knee garters! Find them here: garter instructions.
Here's how mine turned out:

These are great, as they are quick to make with a sewing machine...and the combinations are endless!
Various colors of ribbons, patterns of lace, and decorations can be used. I used black lace over sage green ribbon, and I found these cute flapper buttons at my local fabric shop...though it was hard to choose between those and some nifty Art Deco-style silver ones...or pretty ribbon roses.
But since it's such a speedy and inexpensive project, why not make several pairs?

Luckily for you vast scores of faithful (and painfully non-commenting) readers, it's also time for the Tache o'the Week. This one has not only a wonderful configuration with endearing, tightly spiraled ends, but also such an expression of boyish sweetness. No cad here!

I bet he'd pick me...er, I mean...uh...a girl...an armful of daisies, and do all the rowing on a breezy spring afternoon down a meandering river, all while perhaps whistling vaudeville tunes. *sigh*
Imagine. Or, just excuse me while I do.

Do, if you are able, come on over to the Nave Gallery this Saturday, where we will be doing a good-sized set with Craig Robertson. It's FREE, too!
All details can be seen HERE!
It should be wonderful, though for my part, I need get over this nagging cold thing by then! Yes, Winter needs to just pack its bags and get on out...and not let the door hit it in the...

NEW PICS AND NEW MIX

Mood:  chatty
A couple interesting tidbits...thanks to Karen, there are new, more current photos of each of us over in the Biographies and also a shot on the main page of the chilly picnic we enjoyed in Gloucester a few months back. The portable phonograph was playing various 78s rather loudly, and I vividly remember a small child running to investigate, like a moth to a flame, almost crashing our little gathering!

And for a fun little auditory jaunt, do check out our friend J. Dragon's amusing and catchy remix of "Are You Makin' Any Money?," here:
REMIX.
Who knew we could rock out like that?

HANGING WITH THE HANDLEBARS

Mood:  party time!
So...back from London town now.
Is there anything as awful as the horrible, sad feelings one has when returning to routine after a very marvelous, whirlwind holiday? I think not.
London is such a dynamic, exhilerating, exhausting place...the museums were almost too much to bear...the whisper of history so affecting.
Yes, difficult to go back to life as usual. Anyhow,
one of the highlights of the trip (well,ok...for me)
was an evening spent at the Windsor Castle pub with some of the lovely gents of the Handlebar Club!

Here...about to enter into the hallowed Tache Zone.
(Ah, my mister is such a good sport.)

The Commander-in-Chief, Ted Sedman, was the only one there upon our arrival. He was quite friendly and chatty...very amusing...and booked my passage on the H.M.S. Stella Artois right away. Soon, a few more taches trickled in. Then it got very serious.
There was gavel-banging, minutes were read, motions declared...
Just kidding! It was all jovial conversation, mingling, and searching for the bottoms of pint glasses in the noisy pub...not to mention frequent, offhanded, and most likely unconscious tache adjustments by a few members. Er...not that I noticed...ahem...
Great fun, leaving me with a wonderful souvenir- a warm, Stella-colored memory of a night at the Windsor Castle among congenial taches.

I must have been having a good time, as I never really smile for a photo. That's the Prez himself, in the official red HBC sweater.
Left to right: (back) Ted, a grinning idiot, Albert, and Steve. (front) Rod (Club secretary).

Thanks so much to the Handlebar Club for their hospitality. The mister also recorded a special message from Mr. Sedman that we hope to use on the song "Whiskered Away" someday. Wonderful.
And also wonderful to them, I suspect, is that I have no plausible excuse to bother them anymore! Ah, well...perhaps the three of us can come up with something at some point.

Now, back to the grind...
There are upcoming performances to prepare for!

BONAFIDE TACHE!

Mood:  crushed out
Now, now...I know you've all been hyperventilating in confused suspense, waiting for me to provide you with your weekly tache...late again. But I'm going to make it up to you!
After we played that cemetery chapel concert at Forest Hills a couple weeks back, Craig sidles up to me during all the mingling and wine-sipping hoo ha and says something about a primo tache in the other room. Naturally, I snapped to attention like a Marine on a mission.
Unfortunately, *pause for effect*, the tache in question was not real, per se, but of the marble variety...perched on the stony lip of a humdinger of a handsome bust in a corner of the hallway.
Or course the next thing we knew, I was climbing behind the wine table for a closer look.
And who should catch me in the middle of the monkey business but Ms. Colmore...Director of Development for the cemetery trustees? Luckily, she was not put out and began to tell me the touching story of the man immortalized by the bust.
I give you today's valorous Tache o'the Week!
Mr. John Reece. (1854-1896)

(Unfortunately, I look like a mentally challenged, amorous orangutan wearing a great hat in the photo...so you don't get to see that bit. Be thankful.)
Mr. Reece was the inventor of an important sewing machine that could quickly sew the buttonholes on the ubiquitous button boots of the time. (KA-CHING!
I bet he was a sharp dresser!) On March 31, 1896, whileworking in his office building, he witnessed an
elevator worker in danger of being crushed by a moving elevator. He bravely lunged for the elevator rope, hoping to stop the car...but he narrowly missed it, and plunged to his death, three stories down the shaft. I believe the man in danger was crushed at the top, too.
The next day, the Boston Globe ran the story with the headline, "Hero's Death."
A very tragic tale.
So, Mr. Reece....we salute you!
Seriously...there is supposedly a great monument of him at his grave there at Forest Hills. As soon as it ceases to be an Arctic expedition to go see it, I will do so.

In other news, we are preparing for a couple upcoming shows...both by ourselves and with Craig Robertson. Do check the Concerts page for details. I'll be in London for the next several days, so Karen may have to entertain you in the interim. *cue tapdancing music*
Or if not, just wait til I get back...! We're hanging with the Handlebars
there on Friday...and believe you me, there will be photographic evidence! Please, try to amuse yourselves til then....I know it's difficult.
While you're at it, why not find out exactly what all the fuss was about the irresistable Clara Bow by watching "It," now out on DVD! Fantastic!

Oh, AND: check out the photos page, as the pictures from X-Mortis at Man Ray are up, as well as the Forest Hills cemetery performance!

LIZARD MUSIC

If I've learned one thing in this life, it is that things are not always as they seem. Think of our dear friend Renee, for example - who by all appearances would seem to be a gentle and mild-mannered soul, so prim and polite in her lace frocks and velvet gloves... And then think again!

As evidenced in this Boston Globe article, Ms. Renee is actually a force to be reckoned with. Who knew??

{Cue power-chord hard-rock intro...}
Come see for yourself this Friday night at the Coolidge Corner theater in Brookline, MA as she transforms herself into El Gekko the terrifying masked lizard! Watch in awe as she battles the deadly Conqueror Worm! I promise you folks - It will be a midnight match to remember...For more information on this event and others like it, visit www.lagatanegra.com.

{Fade music...}
And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

A MERRY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY!

Mood:  amorous
What a magical afternoon was had yesterday as we were accompaning Mr. Craig Robertson at the Ukulele Soiree in the stunning Forsyth Chapel of Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston! The chapel itself was simply lovely...all dark wood, stained glass, vaulted ceilings, and gothic arches. It was so lovely, in fact, that I found myself feeling almost irreverent to be having so much fun in such a beautiful chapel. Nevertheless, the sound was amazing. Miss Kitty's soaring saw solos tickled the very rafters. Karen broke out her ukulele in what I believe was her first, public, musical uke-ing...stupendous. We're going to have to watch out for her! Though there were three seperate but equal accidents involving my music stand and the floor-ending up with a dead lightbulb-I think I managed to eke out a few passable notes from the darkness.
Craig, as usual, did what he does best...which is to look natty as heck while a-singing and a-strumming.
Our billmates, Rick Russo and the Mai Tai Serenader (now that's what I call slide guitar playing...zowee!), and Greg Hawkes & Tim Mann, were all as enchanting as ever. The audience seemed quite taken with the whole affair.
Everyone was so nice afterwards, too.
We'd like to heartily thank Craig, Cecily Miller, Nini Colmore, Abigail Norman, and all the great folk out at Forest Hills for allowing us to be a part of such a wonderful event!
Stay tuned for photos...including one which documents the best tache in the place. (And no, it's still not on Mr. Russo.)

Ok, so I know lots of people despise Valentine's Day. I've hated it myself in the past...and still see it as mainly an advertisers' holiday. But regardless, I hope you know that you can always count on me. I have something for you that is much better than any old box of stale, inferior quality chocolates, or crazy pop-up card with smiling animals in clothes. What could possibly be better than that, you ask? Why, a special Valentine's Day cupid, silly!

Don't say we never gave you anything!