Thursday, December 1, 2011

I Feel Like Going Home


The new Robert Frost's Banjo Central
Hello friends, & welcome to Thursday!  Also—especially for those of you who don’t know me thru other forms of social media—welcome to my new home!  

Bay window with donated easy chair & rocking chair!

Yes, it’s a bit of a virtual housewarming as today’s post takes you on a tour thru the new Robert Frost’s Banjo Central.  If you’ve been following along here, you know that I’ve been looking for a place of my own since moving to Portland on August 5th; as of this past Saturday, that search reached its end when—with much help from various friends!—all of my earthly belongings were transported across town to my new digs in northeast Portland.

Living Room w/beloved Harmony archtop

More guitars, with couch & dining area!

Come on in my kitchen

& what would a party be without music, right?  So I picked two different songs that share the same title: “I Feel Like Going Home.”  The more upbeat number is the Muddy Waters’ tune, a 1948 recording featuring his slide guitar work on yet another re-working of the Delta classic “My Black Mama/Walking Blues.”  But Waters sure makes the setting his own with a beautiful slide part & his soulful vocal. 

The eponymous banjo & other musical instruments-Chaplin & Bow prints by blogger artist Kate Gabrielle!

In fact, both of the songs feature truly great singers.  The second “I Feel Like Going Home” is by Charlie Rich—& as Tom Waits said in an inspired rhyme, “he sure can sing, that son-of-a-bitch.”  The Rich song is sad, resigned—& while finding a place to call home has been a joy for me, I included this song because there’s sadness about this new chapter of my life as well—& a good deal of introspection & considering all the changes of the past several months.




15 comments:

  1. Cool digs! It was neat seeing how you had filled your home space.

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  2. Thanks Joyce! Glad you enjoyed the tour.

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  3. I like that easy chair and it's so nice that you have the double-aspect windows!

    Looking good!

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  4. Hi Kat: The easy chair is comfy! & the rocker is too, but I love rocking chairs. Lots of light, which is really nice. Thanks!

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  5. Thanks for the tour, John. I can it's coming together very nicely (raises virtual glass to toast your new home).

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  6. Nice digs. Very cozy. I hope the guitars will be very happy there.

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  7. Hi Martin & Jacqueline

    Martin: Cheers! & thanks!

    Jacqueline: They've been getting a workout today rehearsing for tomorrow's gig! That makes them happy. Thanks!

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  8. Looks nice to me--esp. the rocker and the light. A devil in me wonders if it will stay that neat, but that's probably about me, not you. Welcome home.

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  9. The highlights of the tour for me are: Mr. Potato Head, the rocking chair, the globe, the guitars, and Chaplin on the wall.

    Everything looks neatly arranged and cozy. Congrats!

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  10. Looking good, John! I just signed the lease on my first post-Newport apartment today. The furniture comes Tuesday, and on Thursday or Friday my cable and Internet gets hooked up. I think you just gave me an idea for a similar celebratory post for next week!

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  11. Hi Banjo52, HKatz & Roy!

    Banjo52: Well, it will certainly look more "lived in" at a certain point! Actually, I tend to be fairly organized in terms of "things"--it's the intangibles that I'm always getting in a shambles!

    HKatz: Those are all highlights for me as well! Thanks!

    Roy: That's great--I'm so happy for you. & I'll be looking forward to your virtual tour!

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  12. Aw, this looks great John! xD

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  13. Hi Mar: Thanks! Got your postcard--thanks for that, too!

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  14. Good stuff, John. For what it's worth, these also led me to a couple of resonator/dobro (difference?) versions of "Tennessee Waltz."

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  15. Hi Banjo52: Thanks! Dobro technically speaking is a name brand, which was sold to Gibson some time back--they actually guard the brand name rather jealously, which makes for a bit of confusion, since dobro most commonly refers to a squareneck, wood-bodied resonator guitar most commonly seen in bluegrass ensembles. The dobro is always played facing up, not in the usual guitar posture, with the soundboard facing away from the player. It's essentially the same as lap style playing, but dobros are traditionally played using a strap, standing up, to facilitate the way bluegrass bands take their breaks by moving towards or away from a mic. So, dobro is essentially a sub-set of the larger classification of "resonator guitar," which means any guitar, wood or metal-bodied, that uses a metal resonating cone as the primary means of transmitting its sound.

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