I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
Edgar Allen Poe

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
- H. L. Mencken

Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
-Bertrand Russell

What I have been telling you, from alpha to omega, what is the one great thing the sigil taught me — that everything in life is miraculous. For the sigil taught me that it rests within the power of each of us to awaken at will from a dragging nightmare of life made up of unimportant tasks and tedious useless little habits, to see life as it really is, and to rejoice in its exquisite wonderfulness. If the sigil were proved to be the top of a tomato-can, it would not alter that big fact, nor my fixed faith. No Harrowby, the common names we call things by do not matter — except to show how very dull we are ...
-James Branch Cabell

May 06, 2018 - 4:03 p.m.

Welcome to My House of Hamill

Writing this is an idiot story; I am supposed to be at the Mets-Rockies game. I never put it in my calendar, I slept late this morning, and forgot about it till the game was about to start. I hate being an idiot. Part of this is my anxiety, I sometimes have trouble adding things to my calendar. Part of it was that I was tired, thus the sleeping late, and felt good about not going out today. First thing I did when I remembered was to put the May 15th game on my calendar. If I could figure out my brain I'd be a millionaire. At least I'd be a lot more well off than I am.

Yesterday's adventure was seeing House of Hamill at Rockwood Music Hall. My plan was to get into town early and buy eggs at TJs and grab a quick bite to eat. After missing the bus, I wanted to take by seconds I needed to make things even faster. I decided to waste no time and grab something at Burger King by the subway station and eat it on the train. That would have been a great plan. They have a special, 10 spicy chicken nuggets for $1.85, a value fries cost the same. I wanted nothing special, so I would be in and out. Too bad that it took me 20 minutes to get my food even though there was nobody in front of me on the line. I even had to wait five minutes to order. I just wrote to BK and complained.

I still got to Rockwood before doors opened, by a few minutes. I went down to stage 3, to talk about the merch. Ended up that I didn't have to do merch as this was a special show for people that took part in the Kickstarter and they already had the CD. They also got a bus trip to New York and dinner. It was a rolling party. Still glad I went down early as that was my one-one-one time. It's been way too long since I've seen them. I never saw them as a band before. I had met Brian at a Burning Bridget Cleary show years ago. Since then Rose and Brian started a band and then got married. As they weren't married when the band was formed does that make House of Hamill a bastard? Good thing we live in accepting times. I was a big fan of BBC, I met them at my first NERFA and loved the HoH album; it made my top album list for last year. I'm so happy I got to see them live. I also missed Rose as a friend. I was delighted when Rose mentioned her parents and I turned around and saw her parents, Cheryl and Lou, were sitting right behind me. They are all my people.

The music did not disappoint. I loved the live version of the music from the album, Wide Awake, and the new songs from their upcoming album. I can't wait to hear that. They reluctantly referred to themselves as a married folk duo before playing a song by another married folk duo, Barnaby Bright! It was Reverend's Son. Sadly, I'm proud I remember that. I will always associate BB with Rose as I discovered both Barnaby Bright and Burning Bridget Cleary at my first NERFA. They were my first and last discoveries of the conference.

I need to get up on my soapbox again. All my friends need to see House of Hamill and buy their new album. All my presenter friends, especially those in the New York area, need to book them. Coco, John, Ron, Martin, Carter, Gidge, Amy, Laura, Angel, Peter, etc, that means you. It's ridiculous that I had to wait two years to see them. This shall not happen again. That's an order.

What do they play? Well Rose was in BBC and Brian is still in Enter the Haggis, so you might think they'd play Celtic music. They do! Sometimes the obvious answer is the correct one. You do need to have a broad definition of Celtic, still that's what describes most of their music. They do plenty of tunes, or tchunes, as the Irish would say, but there are also songs with lyrics, and at least one has gotten political. That was fabulous. One of the great bill pairings ever was BBC with Harpeth Rising. I'd like to see HoH with Mari Black. Make that happen and I'll be your best friend.

Rose plays the fiddle and Brian guitar and fiddle, they both sing. Brian even changes from fiddle to guitar on one song in case that interests anyone, [cough, Coco]. I love instrumental virtuosity and feel that there's not enough of it in the NERFAverse. There should be. It's music that appeals to the rational mind and the emotions. You can study the intricacies, or you can let it go right to your heart. Best of all you can do both at the same time. It's music to lift your spirits, soothe the soul, or breaks your heart. It never leaves you cold.

I waited around till their bus came to take the entire band and audience back to their hotel in New Jersey. Then I went to Whole Foods which was still open. The subway is not a happy place this weekend. It took me forever to get home. I know the work must be done and I'm happy they are doing it, but like having your home remodeled, it is not pleasant.



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Memories: Not that Horrid Song - May 29, 2018
Wise Madness is Now In Session - May 28, 2018
The NFL and the First Amendment - May 27, 2018
On The Road Again - May 26, 2018
Oliver the Three-Eyed Crow - May 25, 2018



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Horvendile May 06, 2018
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