Jess Klein - Backstage

There is a Cheryl Wheeler song called “When Fall Comes to New England”.  I only know the first line (that was it), but I remember it mentioning leaves, and other New England autumn visuals.  She’s right - I was in Boston this past weekend and it was picture perfect: crisp, sunny, an occasional burnt ember leaf tossing about.  Plus, I was there to play at the Boston Folk Festival, which I think is probably a Cheryl Wheeler kind of scene, so it all closes into a nice little circle.

Saturday night my friends Chris and Hao had me to their place and cooked a traditional Vietnamese meal from scratch.  I couldn’t stop fawning over how delicious and comforting I found the whole thing, so I made Chris take a picture of every course - luckily, they’re very patient. 

I asked for the Vietnamese name for the meal - apparently it translates to the unassuming ‘Pork with Rice Noodles’ … but believe me, it’s just being shy.  They pulled 6 different kinds of fresh green herbs and lettuces from their garden, and the sauce had bits of jalapenos and lime floating in it.  Oh my goodness!  My mouth is watering now.  Desert was poached pears in pomegranate juice and red wine - oh boy - SO good.  

All the performers at the festival had been based in Boston or still were, so back stage looked like a catalog of all the artists whose posters I used to see around New England, except they were all moving!  Like a scene from a Robert Altman film.  I guess I was one of them too. 

Got to hang out me with my friend Erin McKeown.  I love her.  No one makes me laugh more immediately.  There’s always room for theatre.   

I played an in-the-round with Ellis Paul and Vance Gilbert.  Vance chastised me that I couldn’t giggle and sing the blues.  I said, “well then stop making me laugh!”  So then he proceeded to play ’harmonica’ (actually his hands) through my version of “The Same Thing” by Willie Dixon.  At the end we were doing call and response with my voice and the harmonica, and the only thing I could think of to sing to throw him off was “Vance Gilbert is the sexiest man I know” - to which he did not miss a beat, responding, through his harmonica hands, with ”You don’t know a lot of men”  So priceless.

Road home on amtrak, bought tickets to England, Ireland, Germany, Sweden.

More soon,

jk 

It’s 2 weeks from pushing off for Europe.  I keep surfing the web for what kinds of foods are popular in Sweden.  My friends keep begging me to bring back Marimekko. 

Have been writing  songs more than blogs.  I fell in love with one this weekend and didn’t leave my room except to eat and drink for 3 days straight.  We’re still in the honeymoon phase.  I haven’t felt this way about a song in a long time…I’m writing this way and it sounds funny, I’m not even intending it to be!  I’m totally serious!  I just want to live in it all the time.  It feels like a new way to stretch my voice - sweeter. 

I’m thinking the problem with blogging is that there’s some pressure to represent your life as exciting all the time.  Sometimes I just want to sit around and do nothing, you know?  I did see a charming Jack Lemmon/Judy Holliday film Friday called Pffft.  Judy Holliday had incredible expression in her face, not to mention shiny 50’s couture reminiscent of Barbie doll outfits my stepsister would lend me when I was a child - I mean, she leant them to me for my dolls.   Really incredible - I felt like I knew her just by watching her face. 

Recently someone I’d just met asked me if I’d ever read Cormac McCarthy, and whether I agree with his statement that all great writers write about nothing but death.  I do agree actually, if death is a tranformation.  I’ve been thinking a lot about transformation.  In Yoga, they talk about Shiva.  His whole gig is transformation, destruction of the ego.  I’ve been thinking of tattooing him on my inner wrist, but I haven’t found the right design yet.  I like that he would show up when I play the Tall Blonde, or another guitar.

Actually I think maybe I’m starting to get the hang of this. 

Peace,

jk