Rooster on the Rooftop

Well, we are finally dug out from Friday's blizzard. The first plow hit our street at about 4 pm on Monday afternoon. Thirty inches of snow and three days of shoveling. Saturday, we dug out two cars, two driveways, the pathways, and the twenty-eight steps leading up to our house. Sunday, I shoveled the snow off our roof. Monday, I dug a neighbor's car out of a snow bank and cleaned up the plow slop. I'm getting used to shoveling, maybe tomorrow I will shovel the whole backyard. Maybe, or maybe I will sit on the roof and play my banjo all day.

Rooster Rick on the Roof - photo by Georgianne Jackofsky

The Big Snow Makes Our Show a No Go

BREAKING NEWS: L.I.E. to close from exit 57 to 73 Sunday 7am to 5pm

"Town of Brookhaven Issues Emergency Executive Order to Keep All Vehicles Off the Roads"

I know we had a lot of snow (30+ inches), but I never thought that our street here in Rocky Point, NY would remain unplowed and major roadways would still be closed 24 hours after the last snowflake hit the ground. Looks like we are going to have to reschedule our show at the Suffern Library scheduled for today February 10, 2013. We have about 30 miles of closed and unplowed roads standing between us and the first patch of dry pavement. We just spoke to Officer Vinny over at the 6th Precinct who advised us to sit tight during this state of emergency.

The Suffern Free Library Show has been rescheduled.

Sunday February 17, 2013 at 1:30 pm

Nemo

Our Driveway, Garage, & Annalee's Car  - photo by Rick Jackofsky

Well winter is upon us and Winter Storm Nemo has brought us our first significant snowfall since 2011. We got about two feet of wet sticky snow with drifts over three feet deep. Of course it had to come on the one weekend this month that we have a gig. So, as soon as we dig our van out of the snow, I will dig out my old snow shoveling song, The Snow Shoveling Blues. We'll get that polished up for you, and head up to Suffern, NY for our show at 1:30 pm on Sunday, February 10th, 2013 at The Suffern Free Library. Bring your cold feet and aching backs out to this free show and The Homegrown String Band will warm things up for you with some hot pickin' and fancy flatfoot dancing.

Show Rescheduled for February 17, 2013

The Suffern Free Library

210 Lafayette Ave.

Suffern, NY

Spinning Yarns and Winter News

Georgianne and I have been extra busy making Navajo spindles since the first of the year. Our creations have been finding their way into the hands of talented fiber artists all around the country and a few other countries as well. Here's a photo, taken by spinner Kiki Jukes, of one of our spindles resting on a bed of natural fiber in Wales, U.K.

This month we've gotten our first real taste of winter since 2011 as temperatures have stayed in the teens and twenties for the past couple weeks. Hopefully the cold weather will make the sap flow better because this year we are going to try our hand at maple sugaring. I've gathered up the supplies to tap six trees this year and if all goes well we'll expand our efforts next year. 

Not a lot of Homegrown music shows to report on this winter, but we should have some more spring, summer, and fall gigs to announce soon. Our next family band performance will be at 1:30 pm on Sunday, February 10th at the Suffern Free Library, 210 Lafayette Ave., Suffern, NY. 

16 Years of Family Style Roots Music

Today was the sixteenth anniversary of The Homegrown String Band's first public performance. The inaugural performance took place at a Long Island Traditional Music Association event in 1997. Tonight Georgianne and I celebrated by doing a private show for a group of local Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts. It's always a rewarding experience to introduce traditional music to a young new audience. Most of the kids seemed to be having a good time and, hopefully, had a memorable evening of unique and enjoyable entertainment, but a few seemed especially interested and may be moved to follow up and learn more about the rich and varied traditions of American music. The music never stops . . .


The full band will get together for a proper celebration of sixteen years of making music together as a family this Sunday, January 13th, 2013, for a 2pm show at The River Vale Free Library in River Vale, NJ.

The River Vale Free Library

412 Rivervale Rd.

River Vale, NJ

201-391-2323

Christmas for Cowboys

A nice version of my favorite Christmas song of all time performed by Wylie Gustafson, the cowboy crooner, from Conrad, Montana.


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Singing for Our Supper

Last Friday night Georgianne and I performed, as Homegrown Two - The Duo, at The Whole Foods Acoustic Cafe in Stony Brook, NY. The idea of playing acoustic roots music in a grocery store seemed kind of strange at first, but I guess we're kind of strange too. So what the heck; carrots, radishes, potatoes, blues, shouts, hollers -- it's all roots to me. We had fun.

Photo by Erica Jackofsky -  (I like the shopping cart in the background)