Newsletter, April 2008 – The Kitchen Musician

Hello Friends!

Welcome to the April 2008 issue of The Kitchen Musician, my folk music newsletter, featuring The Garden Song, a wonderful song for the season written by David Mallett.

Photo courtesy of Phil Knudsen

Upcoming Shows

April 10, Thursday, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm at The Park School, MA. I am one of several wonderful performers, getting together to benefit the McCarthy Family. Admission $20.

April 27, Sunday. I am returning (my 25th appearance?) to the New England Folk Festival in Mansfield, MA. This year I will perform two 50 minute sets. 11:00 am is a Family Concert, and at 4:00 pm I will do an adult concert. Click for more details.

Click for more upcoming shows.

Recent News

I had fun recording an interview and short performance for Acoustic Music TV at Norwood Public Access TV. Bruce Jones was a gracious host. I felt right at home. Kind of like my own kitchen, except with more expensive audio and video equipment, technical assistants, and no barking dogs and flushing toilets to break up the good takes. You can view my performance at this link.

I had the good fortune to be the feature performer at two wonderful area open mikes last month. Thanks to Ellen Schmidt and Jake Kensinger for the invitation to the Sweet Bites Cafe, and to Trisha and Phil Knudsen for inviting me to The Center for the Arts in Natick. Several more coming up in May, including a rare shared set with my daughter Mally Smith.

This Month’s Song

The Garden Song
© David Mallett, Cherry Lane Music (ASCAP)

Yesterday, though there was still a cold chill in the air, the sun was shining and in the warm corners at the South side of our house, the crocuses were shouting their arrival. “Hey, look at us!” This is the time of year we New Englanders get our Burpee seed catalogs, and long for the passing of the final frost before planting our tomatoes. I can think of no better symbol of hope than the emergence of spring flowers, and the planting of seeds with the sure confidence that they will rise and feed our bodies and our spirits.

I first recorded The Garden Song on my Gentle Wind recording in 1981. Since then, the song returns every spring like those crocuses. I don’t need to do anything. One Spring day the sun shines, and this song pops up! How apt that April is also the month of Earth Day. I recall the very first Earth Day in 1970, spent at the Harvard celebration on the athletic fields. I have vivid memories of the great band Sea Train playing folk rock, and of trying to walk a tight rope for the very first (and last) time.

Many of you know that I work in a school. How fortunate I am to spend my days amid such positive energy. This year, some of our students showed us that we can help the Earth by canceling unwanted catalogs. For me, that is nearly all of them, except the Burpee catalog of course. What’s that? You recycle those unwanted catalogs? That is great, but even better to reduce the number that are printed and shipped. I invite you to join our kids in the Catalog Canceling Challenge (video = 4 min 44 sec).

Wishing you peace and music,

~Tom