Dixie Fix

A Great Vibe at the New/Old 5 Mile House

Finally made it in to check out the restaurant since it has changed hands. Actually, we went to see Slow Hand, the band fronted by James Carlson. All are great musicians and play a lot of original material!

The restaurant was crowded (amazing on the night before New Year's Eve) and everyone agreed the food was terrific! I talked to Robert Smith (the owner) and he's worried about the winter months -- so try to drop in there to help him out. It is much more of a "roadhouse" now, but with excellent food. Prices are below what the old owners had.

Remember to help out our local businesses if you can!

***

Here's an interesting one: Van Morrison's wife, Gigi, is pregnant. This is remarkable only because Van is 64! I don't know how I feel about that -- will the child have a father very long?

***

Have a fabulous New Year's Eve!! Are you making resolutions? One of mine is to have more unique experiences in 2010, including those outside my comfort zone. I always love that the new year signals new beginnings and you can make major changes if you're willing to work at it. Did you know that if you read just 20 minutes a day you will read about 10 books a year? So, if you chose a subject, you could be an "expert" on it by 2011. What are your resolutions? If you hate them, why? Do other cultures handle the New Year differently?

Channeling Patsy Cline

We went with friends last night to Off Broadstreet to see "Always, Patsy Cline." We saw it 10 years ago at Foothill Theatre with a different singer than this production. I must say, Kris Stepanian (local talent and the daughter of power couple Don & Anita Daniels) was absolutely fabulous!! I mean, she sounded exactly like Patsy Cline! It was simply amazing. I asked Anita if Kris studied videos of the real Patsy, but she said there are no videos, only recordings. And I had forgotten that the real Patsy died in a plane crash at the age of 30. She had so many hits and such a unique, full range voice.

Another treat was the character of Louise, played by Nancy Keith, who played Louise in 1999 at Foothill Theatre. She was a delight -- even better this time! She adds a great comic element to the show and is so campy that you fall in love with her.

As usual, Off Broadstreet was sold out. This production has proved so popular that they have extended its run for 2 weeks (so tickets are available for the Oct. 17 and 24 weekends...it was going to end Oct. 10)

My only disappointment was the fact they ran out of Austin Farrar's famous Key Lime Pie. Sigh.

What Music Events Draw a Crowd?

My husband manages the bar at Miners Foundry, and he needs to gauge how well attended each event will be so he knows how many bartenders to staff and how much alcohol to have on hand. And you know, there is no way of telling!

Thursday night a band called Hot Buttered Rum was playing. They didn't get too much publicity, but the place was packed!

Then, Friday night, the Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars were playing -- a band that travels the world and garnered a lot of publicity prior to their show. But, only about 100 people were there for that one. I know African music is well-liked here (there is plenty of it on KVMR) so what happened? 

Both shows were about the same price, so I don't think that was a factor.

And the biggest draw, Hot Buttered Rum, was playing on a week night, not a weekend.

Is it the recession? The type of music? (Both shows were great and quite danceable.)

It's just one of those things I can never figure out.

Which shows do you go to -- and how do you decide?

What Happened to Adam? Idol Gets Funky

Below, from Huffington Post

American Idol 2009 -- If I'm Being Honest

Ken Levine, 05.21.2009

Emmy-Winning Writer/Director/Producer, MLB Announcer

This country is not yet ready to crown a young man who looks like Liza Minnelli their next American Idol.

Do you think that's really the reason? Wasn't Adam the best performer, really? What happened?

What Can We Learn From Susan Boyle?

If you haven't seen the video of Susan Boyle trying out for Britian's American Idol-type show, go immediately to YouTube, Huffington Post, or Google her.

The awkward 47 year old, wearing a dowdy dress and looking for all the world like a bit of a troll, Susan told Simon and the others that she had never been kissed, and lived alone with her cat Pebbles, after taking care of her mum most of her life.

The camera pans the audience and you see the snickering and laughing as they wait to see this person probably humiliate herself. Then she begins to sing...watch the video so you see for yourself.

How quick we are to judge. I was embarrassed for her before I heard her sing. It was a bit of an international wake up call (more than $20 million people have watched the YouTube video) that you can't judge a book by its cover.

The judges all admitted they thought she would be awful. They didn't say it was because she was unattractive, but that was the reason.

It caused me to take a long hard look at how judgmental I can be, and, I hope, try to be a better person.

Thanks, Susan. I'll be you've always deserved better than what you've gotten.

Variety Show Extravaganza Taking Off, Fun for Whole Family

This past Sunday was the 2nd monthly Ragged But Right Variety Show Extravaganza at the Center For the Arts. The show was a great success, drawing 120 people of all ages. The fast-paced show featured a juggling act, an old-time string band, gold-rush-era musical historian and humorist Alkali, and the music of local favorites Ragged But Right. 

 

There were many comments by audience members at the intermission about how this kind of family-oriented variety show is exactly what this area needs. One father shared "I love music, but it is very hard to find a regular event that I can share with my kids. This show is perfect because we can enjoy a Sunday afternoon of music and entertainment together."

 

The show was conceived by Al Ferguson of the Ragged But Right band as an affordable family-oriented variety show that showcases local talent. Co-producer Jonathan Lyerly (also of Ragged But Right) says "It's wonderful to see young kids and older folks in the audience enjoying equally the same show. That was the concept, and it seems to be working."

 

The audience is growing every month, and the next show is scheduled for March 22nd.

Somebody's Gonna Win $1,000...

...in Nevada County's Top Talent contest. (Finals are Feb. 14, the same night Sgt. Funky is playing rock n' roll at the Old Brewery) It's called TOP talent because GOT talent was a copyright infringement. Anyway, the semi finals round 2 are tonight at the Vets Hall in Grass Valley. For $10 it's probably an entertainment bargain. But a couple of things puzzle me about this event.

1. One of the rules is that you can't have received money for your talent in the past 6 months. Because of that, I know at least one talented singer who was disqualified and yet another singer who has CD's under her belt can compete. That's odd to me.

2. You pay to vote. Two votes for $1 at the competitions and $1 per vote online. So is the person with the most votes the most talented -- or the one with the richest friends?

If you don't know, this talent show is to raise money for school music programs. Many of these programs sell fireworks to raise funds and last year's summer wildfires resulted in the cancellation of fireworks sales. It is hoped that this event is successful and the schools can abandon fireworks sales entirely since we live in a fire-prone area of the mountains.

May the best -- or most well-connected -- contestant win!

It's the Dawn of a New Day...

Below is a beautiful song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-0NvkuPHZI

And did you catch the concert on HBO last night at the Lincoln Memorial? Wow! Bono, Beyonce, Garth Brooks, choirs, readings by people like Tom Hanks..It was incredible. These are heady times as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and a day later the inauguration of Barak Obama.

Who's Who at Friar Tucks Wednesday Night

Gotta love our small town -- 2 prominent realtors, a mortgage broker, downtown businessman, fellow NC Rotarian, ex Nevada City mayor, 2 from the DA's office, a Sac Bee employee .. and those are just the people I know. I love that there is still live music at Tucks. Great atmosphere.

Here's why I rarely go to "big name" concerts -- check out these prices -- who can afford this stuff????

Madonna Has Most Expensive Concert Tickets Of 2008

 

(Undated)  --  Madonna takes the cake for the most expensive concert of 2008.  "Entertainment Weekly" has released its list of the "Top 10 Priciest Concerts" of last year.  At 378-dollars a ticket for her "Sticky & Sweet" tour, Madonna rides on the top of the list.  The expensive tickets added to her also having the number one grossing tour in history for a solo artist.  Live Nation confirmed last month the pop queen reeled in over 280-million dollars in tickets from her more than two-million-300-thousand fans. 

 

As for other high charging tickets of 2008, Elton John comes close behind Madonna at 306-dollars per ticket.  The Eagles charged 279-dollars while AC/DC and Tina Turner round out the top five by each charging 263-dollars a seat.  The results for the top ten list are based on average re-sale ticket pricing from Ticketmaster Entertainment. 

 

Here's "Entertainment Weekly's" Top 10 Priciest Concerts of 2008:

 

1) Madonna                     $378

2) Elton John                   $306

3) The Eagles                  $279

4) AC/DC                         $263

5) Tina Turner                 $263

6) Celine Dion                 $240

7) Bruce Springsteen      $235

8) Coldplay                      $217

9) Neil Diamond               $217

10) The Police                 $216

 

Los Lobos to Headline California Worldfest

They give a great live performance and you'll probably be surprised how many hits they've had. One great thing about Worldfest is there are so many stages with so much music that you're bound to get turned on to a new band or two...we were captivated by Fruit, an all girl band from Australia, a few years ago.

Did you know the Center for the Arts is doing a one-Sunday-a-month thing with a variety of bands for only $10? It's an afternoon show, and features Past Due and Playable and Ragged But Right as well as 2 other acts. That's a musical bargain. Jonathan Lyerly in Ragged But Right is just an amazing musician. He not only plays 5,000 instruments but sings as well. Ask him about his infamous Jimi Hendrix shirt!

Have you heard "Adele?" She's a Brit singer who is high in rotation on my playlist at the moment. Similar to "Duffy," and also British.