“I Just Can’t Wait” Performed by Brent Amaker and The Rodeo

Brent Amaker and The Rodeo, my favorite cowboys, just recorded Ric Ocasek’s “I Just Can’t Wait” and added their Rodeo bravado to the song.  Check it out, along with a picture montage of their recent European tour:

Five…No…Ten Favorite Shows of 2011

I was lucky enough to see a show almost every month of 2011, and some months, two or three shows.  We’re winding down now, getting ready for the holidays and visiting with family and friends.  We’ll still see a couple of shows between now and the end of the year, including The Paperboys on December 23, one of my Top 10 favorite bands of all time.  Click Here For Previous Review.

So far, though, I do have a list of my Five Favorites of 2011.

5.  Screw it.  I can’t make a decision, so I’m going to go with my Ten Favorites of 2011.

10.  The B-52’s at Chateau Ste. Michelle – This show was great because The B-52’s brought the energy, the showmanship and the great songs we all love to a beautiful outdoor venue.  We were there with a large family group and danced and sang along.  Click Here For Review.

The B-52's

9.  Vicci Martinez at Big Daddy’s Place – This was a chance to see Vicci, a Tacoma, Washington local, wail her lungs out in a small suburban venue before becoming a national sensation on The Voice.  Click Here For Review.

Vicci Martinez

8.  Massy Ferguson and Brent Amaker and The Rodeo at The Tractor – Our first introduction to Massy Ferguson and Brent with The Rodeo back on a smaller stage.  Curtains For You, a poppy, energetic band opened the show, and a biker in the front knew all the words.  I love the picture of Brent Amaker smiling while the biker is in the moment.  No whiskey this time, but now that the stage performer liquor laws have changed, we’ll get to hear “Bring Me The Whiskey” at the next show!

Curtains For You, Brent and Biker

Massy Ferguson

Brent Amaker

7.  Star Anna at Neumos – We saw Star four times this year, but this time, even P was completely hooked by her vocal prowess.  He connected.  Click Here For Previous Review.

Star Anna

6.  Jackrabbit and Massy Ferguson at Nectar Lounge – Jackrabbit, reincarnated after North Twin’s demise, and again Tony Fulgham won me over.  Massy was celebrating their EP release, and I got to post my review of the show on
Randomville.  Click Here For Review.

Tony Fulgham of Jackrabbit

Ethan Anderson of Massy Ferguson

5.  Jackrabbit and The Gourds at The Tractor – Jackrabbit opened and rawked the set, warmed up the crowd for The Gourds, another crazy night of crossover music, from 60’s psychedelic rock to old-timey revivals.  Most memorable moment was approaching Mr. Kevin Russell at Hattie’s Hat and telling him I was going to review his show.  His response: “Oh, Shit!” I later gave him the ol’ two-fingered stink-eye when he noticed me in the audience, and I mouthed, “I’m watchin’ you!”  Click Here For Review.

Tony Fulgham of Jackrabbit

The Gourds

4.  Old 97’s at The Showbox – My first press pass!  Right up front.  I loved every minute, and sang my heart out to every song.  Click Here For Review.

Old 97's

3.  Flight To Mars at The Showbox – Another press and photo pass!  My sister-in-law joined me and took absolutely brilliant pics of the boys (Click This Link for her pics), including local Tim DiJulio (Lazy Susan and North Twin) and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready.  Click Here For Review.

Tim DiJulio and Mike McCready of Flight to Mars

2.  Nashville (Will Kimbrough, Marshall Chapman, Minton Sparks, Slim Chance and The Can’t Hardly Playboys) – the whole Nashville experience was wonderful.  Kept to small venues and the Americana singer/songwriters.  Click Here For Review.

Marshall Chapman and Will Kimbrough at The Station Inn

Zach and Josh of Slim Chance and the Can't Hardly Playboys at Layla's

1.  Los Straitjackets at Slow Food Roots Music Festival – A bizarre series of events.  Marshall Chapman’s book had a chapter on Eddie Angel who once played in Marshall’s band.  Now Eddie’s fronting Los Straitjackets, and just happened to be playing in Seattle and a small fair in Stanwood within two weeks after I finished the book.  I brought the book, my son, our appetites to the festival.   We ate delicious local food, watched some pretty loco boys in Mexican wrestling masks play instrumental surf music, and were completely blown away by their skills and entertaining antics.  My son loved every minute of it.  To top off a perfect afternoon at the festival, they all signed Marshall’s book!  Click Here For Review.

Los Straitjackets

SXSW – A Few Worthy Bands

Someday, we’ll get to SXSW, the Austin mega-music festival.  There are a quite a few Seattle bands attending, as well as some lesser known bands from all over.  Literally hundreds of bands descend on that city, along with their faithful fans and music lovers.   Here are just a handful of bands I’d like to see:

The David Wax Museum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9zhaqp4l7k

Boston’s David Wax Museum continues to win awards and praises, including Boston’s Americana Artist of the Year.  The Mexo-Americana band can do no wrong at SXSW.

Brent Amaker and the Rodeo

Brent and the Boys are packing up the van in Seattle and driving to SXSW.  The cowboys will be sure to entertain the Texas crowd.  Their show is a full-on, bad boy country experience, and might include a baptismal ceremony–with whiskey.

Brent’s “Man in Charge”
http://www.brentamaker.com/audio/manincharge.mp3

Abigail Washburn
http://abigailwashburn.bandcamp.com/album/city-of-refuge?permalink

I saw Abigail and her bluegrass band when she opened for Steve Martin.  Sweet and sultry voice, beautiful claw hammer banjo picking and excellent backing band.

North Mississippi Allstars, made up of the Dickinson brothers will be a crowd pleaser.  Luther plays guitar like no other.  He could pick up a stick with a rubber band and make it sing.

North Mississippi Allstars 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-bCERmxWGY

North Mississippi Allstars Stompin’ My Foot 2005
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlPGyVmFGvw

Unnatural Helpers
http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_MS10720

This Seattle punk band will be a fun one to watch.  Short, energetic songs will get the crowd bouncing.

The Gourds
http://thegourds.com/radio.html

UPDATE! SEE GOURDS SCHEDULE IN COMMENTS BELOW! Those who have never seen them are in for a rollicking, old-timey revival of a show, complete with banjo, violin, mandolin and accordion.

Old 97’s

Texas sweet (and…sweat) hearts.

Top 10 Live Shows

I thought I’d take a moment and share my top 10 favorite live shows.  Some are very specific by date and venue, and  some are by artist only.   This will change over time, I’m sure.  And after looking it over, I left out a few, such as The Rolling Stones in 1994.  That was a spectacular show, but it was in the Kingdome, and the band was about 1/4 mile away.  Didn’t really feel the love.  We saw Bruce Springsteen a few years ago, and I felt the same way.  Great, energetic show, but we were looking down on them from afar.  The lucky few hundred who got to be right against the stage, now they had a show to remember!

[You can also view this post and other reviews and features on Randomville]

Anyway, on with the list (all pics taken by me except Jimmy Buffett below):

Jimmy Buffett

10.  Jimmy Buffett – The man has paradoxically built an empire on the Margaritaville philosophy!  I’ve only seen him once back  in 2003, but was thoroughly entertained.  The show was pure fun, with hula girls, tiki gods and fire dancers.  And the Parrothead audience was a spectacle in itself.  He brought along a slew of veteran musicians and singers.  If you’re lucky enough to go to his show, his lead guitarist for the night might be Will Kimbrough, a talented musician, singer/songwriter and producer who has also collaborated on several songs with Jimmy.  You can forget all your problems for two hours Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays!

The Paperboys

 9.   The Paperboys – The Vancouver-based Paperboys have been lifting people’s spirits with their high energy shows for 16 years.  The eight-piece band plays in small venues in BC, Seattle and Portland, and captivates the audience with their joyful, upbeat and very eclectic music:  Mexican, Canadian, Celtic, and Reggae soup.  They make quarterly appearances at The Tractor Tavern in Ballard.

8.   Ryan Adams – – Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA January, 2008 – I smiled until my cheeks hurt.  Ryan brought along The Cardinals and tore the place up with songs from his album, Easy Tiger, along with many greats from his prolific song library and a few covers. He’s such a quirky character and a comedian, too–a sad clown.  The rest of the talented band seemed patient and knew when to wait for him to calm down, light his cigarette, have a little chat with the audience, etc.  I loved the train-wrecked Ryan, back when he could write a soul-crushing, alt-country song.  Glad he sobered up and married a pop star, because you know after the divorce, the songs will be good again.   

7.  Brent Amaker and the Rodeo – Foot-stompin’, belt buckle-wearin’ cowboys in black.  The lead singer dons a red cape, has a stripper assistant and sounds like Johnny Cash–with a potty mouth. Campy country at its best.  A Seattle treasure.  Catch them at The Crocodile, The Sunset and other small venues throughout the year. 

Brent Amaker

6.  The Gourds – Texas and Louisiana, sex and religion, country and rock, bluegrass and Snoop Dogg all rolled into a mandolin, violin, banjo, and accordion.  Their shows feel like an old-timey revival in the Deep South.  I get more salvation from their shows than I ever did in church.  The band’s motto: “For The Unwashed and The Well-Read. “  They’ve been featured at SXSW, Austin City Limits, and are regulars at The Tractor Tavern in Ballard, WA.  Yes, they’re the ones who covered Snoop’s “Gin and Juice” on mandolin.

The Gourds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  Old 97’s – Alt-country/rock, Texas-style.  Sweat, spit, roaring guitar riffs, and a faithful audience that knows all the words.  There’s even a glossary on their website if you need help understanding the lyrics.  See them LIVE one time, and you’ll want to follow them around the country.

Rhett Miller of Old 97's

 

 

 

 

4.  Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Anywhere!) – Tom and the band are American Icons.  Just go see them—anywhere.  The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, WA is a beautiful place to sing along to “Free Fallin’” while the desert sun sets behind the enormous stage.

3.  Todd Snider and the Nervous Wrecks at The Nugget, Sparks, NV 2009 – Wrecktacular.  The whole package.  Comedy, Americana, Folk, and Good Ol’ Rock-n-Roll.  And Will Kimbrough (the man gets around) on screaming, other-worldly guitar solos.  Todd’s solo show is also worth seeing.  He’s a Nashville transplant, originally from Oregon and plays the Northwest once or twice a year.  He can spin a yarn like no other.  Just get him started with stories about Slash or Garth Brooks, and you’ll think you’re at a stand-up comedy show.

Todd Snider and Will Kimbrough


2.  Sir Paul McCartney at The Tacoma Dome, WA 2002, – I was too young to see him when he visited Seattle in the 70’s.  To hear him play not only Wings songs but Beatles tunes with an incredible backing band, priceless.  And the show was a gift from my boss.  I pulled my hair, grabbed my face and screamed like it was 1964.

1.  Tom Petty with Mudcrutch at The Troubadour, Los Angeles, CA 2008 – Tom, 10 feet away.  My Musical Messiah–my Jesus of Rock ‘n’ Roll.  He smiled at me (ME!) and I was saved.  I can clearly remember standing there near the stage saying, “I can die now; my life is complete!” Tom reunited his old band (pre-Heartbreakers) and played a few gigs, mostly at The Troubadour, to support their new album.  Tom and the band, which included Mike Campbell on wicked guitar, seemed relaxed and happy.  No big light show, no grandstanding, just a regular band out to enjoy themselves and connect with the audience.  TEN FEET AWAY!

Tom Petty and Mike Campbell

Brent Amaker and the Rodeo at the Crocodile Cafe 10.22.10

Brent  Amaker and the Rodeo

The Atomic Bombshells

RA Scion

Head Like A Kite

Crocodile Cafe

Friday, October 22, 2010

10/23/10

Last night was the most eclectic show I’ve ever attended.  Usually, bands are matched up with a certain genre or theme, but the show at The Crocodile, part of Seattle’s CityArts Fest, was something to behold.  Brent Amaker and the Rodeo, RA Scion, The Atomic Bombshells and Head Like A Kite took turns and sometimes combined their unique talents to entertain and energize the sold-out audience.

Before the big show, I had a chance to interview Brent Amaker (in character, mind you) via email, and posted it on randomville.  See the hysterical, R-rated interview here: http://randomville.com/wordpress/?p=9533

On the day of the show, we took time off from work in order to pack up, get Max to his doggie daycare, and make sure the boy knew his instructions for locking up the house on his way to his overnighter before we headed for Seattle.

We arrived at The Warwick Hotel around 5:00, after circling the block a couple of times to get on the right one-way street.  P said he got a good deal on a room, and the hotel clerk also gave us breakfast vouchers and free parking.  They’re remodeling and are trying to attract and keep customers.

We ascended to the 19^th floor to the Queen Elizabeth Suite?!  OMG, it was gigantic!!  We had a separate dining area with a round table and four chairs, a desk and table by the window, then a sectional couch and TV.  There was also a bathroom and shower in that area and a bar/counter.  Our bedroom was through a door and also had a TV, large closet, giant bathroom with two separate vanities, and a jetted 2 person tub!  We stood there and wondered who we could call to join the party.

We went downstairs and had happy-hour appetizers and drinks Margeaux, the hotel restaurant.  We even got a bargain there:  bought two appetizers and got the third free.  We chowed on kalbi ribs, sliders, and bruschetta.  Yum!

We went back to our enormous suite and got dressed for The Rodeo, which, of course, included donning my black cowboy boots.  We hustled down a couple of blocks to the entrance of The Crocodile Café, right on time.  The security guys said no one was allowed in yet.  I pulled out my ticket and it said, “Doors open 7:00.”  He said slyly that they’d have to fire their intern.  Someone obviously goofed up.  So, back to the hotel we went.

We ventured back out right before 8:00.  This time, there was a small crowd forming at the door.  We moved in, bought a drink and sauntered over to a long bench on the left side of the stage.  The stage was about twice the size as The Tractor’s, and elevated about 4 feet.  There was a fairly large, square floor area and a small balcony.  P found his way up to the balcony, and motioned me to join him.  I’m glad I did.  He found a small, round table and two stools, right at the edge of the balcony, with a side view of the entire stage.  Perfect.  There was also a small bar up there, and other tables and chairs.

The crowd grew, and soon a hip-hop artist by the name of RA Scion took the stage.  He had a small turntable and another piece of equipment he used to change songs, sample, mix, etc.  He would get the song going, and start the rap.  He was really interesting and engaging, but the crowd seemed shy at first.  He had a good sense of humor, and begged the mostly white audience to please come in closer to the stage.  He kicked it up a notch and the audience finally crowded around close to the stage and waved their hands to the beat.  He picked up their energy and picked up speed.  It was interesting to watch the crowd grow and flow with the music.  P and I really enjoyed him.  He put out a very positive vibe.

There was a short intermission, and another man, Tilson,  introduced The Atomic Bombshells!  They are an old-fashioned burlesque act.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I just decided to keep an open mind and enjoy the evening.  I was actually thoroughly impressed and entertained.  Each girl had a separate act/theme, with names like Ruby Mimosa and acts called Hips Ahoy and “…better shakes than Dairy Queen.”  The first girl was all decked out in a red negligee, and had a big, curly blonde wig.  The strip tease ensued, 50’s style.  It was so much fun to watch her; I felt transformed to another era.  All the acts were tastefully done, playful and naughty, but never felt pornographic.  Lots of feather boas and fringed skirts and long stockings–and carefully placed rhinestone pasties.

After the fallen feathers, bras and stockings were picked up, the lights dimmed and a lone sign was placed on the edge of the stage that said, “Please Stand By.”  This is also the name of Brent Amaker and The Rodeo’s new album.  The background music was very dramatic and reminded me of a Hitchcock movie soundtrack.  The spotlights frantically swirled about, and then The Rodeo took the stage to the cheering audience.

Of course, Mr. Amaker was not present when his five cowboys started playing on stage.  He made a grand entrance by first having his attendant, Bunny Monroe, help him don his red satin cape while they stood on one side of the stage.  He strutted the middle of the stage in grand fashion as the cheers grew louder.  She followed him to the microphone, where he then removed the cape and gave it back to her in the usual Rodeo Ritual!

“Let’s get this show on the road!”  After a line of expletives from Mr. Amaker that would have made George Carlin proud, The Rodeo began their set of fast-paced, campy country tunes.  They added a cowboy percussionist and they have improved; the sound was tight and more complex.  The long set list included several new songs off their album (this was the CD release show, although I didn’t see any tables set up with their CD’s for sale—maybe it was on the other side of the room??) as well as some of our old favorites:

Captain of the Ship

Break My Broken Heart

Walkin’ In My Sleep

Girls Are Good

Tiger Inside Her

I’ve Got a Little Hillbilly In Me

Blood Dripping Blood

Man In Charge (With Bunny and Tilson)

Hammer Hits the Nail

I’m the Man Who Writes the Country Hits

Saddle Up

USA

Doomed

Sissy New Age Cowboy

Pocket Calculator

Reno

They really got the audience going by bringing out Tilson,  and he added some hip-hop flavor to one of the new songs.  While he was rapping, one of the girls also took the stage.  Cowboys, hip-hop and Bombshells.  You can’t get more eclectic than that.  The only thing missing was the ritualistic whiskey baptism.

Up next was Head Like a Kite, a small band with a very large sound.  I checked out a couple of their videos before the show, and I liked their style.  They have a great electric guitar sound mixed with synth, drums, and hip-hop.  Again, another genre-crossing band with a very danceable beat.  They were a bit loud for me, but kept the audience rocking and swaying to the pounding beat.  They were joined by a cowboy on percussion, an occasional Bombshell and other girls throwing Mardi Gras beads to the audience.  We stayed upstairs through the first enjoyable song, “She’s Wearing That Costume,” and then decided to mingle about down on the floor.  We were getting hungry at this point, so we reluctantly left after a few more songs.

We strolled up the block and hunted for open restaurants.  It was now approaching midnight.  We made our way to Tom Douglas’ Palace Kitchen and shared some delicious ricotta ravioli followed by Mexican chocolate cake with jalepeno marshmallow crème.  Oh, so good!

What a fabulous evening.  We got back to the room sometime after 1 am and collapsed, but woke up late the next morning and realized it was only Saturday!  I could get used to three-day weekends.

Check out cool pics of the show from Back Beat Seattle: http://backbeatseattle.com/wordpress/?p=34566

Brent Amaker and the Rodeo 12.14.2007

December 14 Brent Amaker and the Rodeo at the High Dive in Fremont 

For the third time this year, we saw The Rodeo.  This time, we were celebrating my birthday.  We stayed at the Residence Inn, right across from Hooters on Lake Union. We got a kick out of our “waterfront” view of Hooters. We ate at Chandlers before the show, and enjoyed some nice seafood in a quiet atmosphere. 

The Rodeo played at the High Dive in Fremont.  We liked it, but it was totally loud. I was smart and wore ear plugs this time. We did have seats, but there were two opening bands. 

We ended up leaving before the Rodeo came on and went to El Camino, across the street for some awesome mole enchiladas. We got back just in time and moved to the front of the bar to watch the show. 

The guys were great once again, rowdy, full of cuss words, whoopin’ and hollerin’. They had a huge number of shot glasses brought up for communion. This time, I decided to decline, and glad I did. We didn’t spend any time chatting with the band. This very big-breasted lady was pushing her boobs up to all the guys, so I didn’t think I wanted to compete with that. Each one weighed more than my legs.  We had fun people-watching and getting up close to the stage for the full Rodeo experience.   A nice birthday night out. 

Brent Amaker and the Rodeo 10.5.2007

October 5, 2007 Brent Amaker and the Rodeo 

 

We couldn’t pass up another opportunity to see Brent Amaker! They had been in Belgium and other parts of Europe for a while on tour, so we lost track of them through the late summer/fall time. We stayed at the Sheraton this time, which was nice, but more of a business hotel. Taxied in to the Tractor again. 

We were ready to meet the band this time. First thing we did was bring their cd around to get it signed. We talked to Brent for a while, who was actually very charming and not so gruff as his Rodeo persona. He encouraged us to go around to the other guys and have them sign it as well. We found as many as we could, but then they had to take the stage. 

I met a girl in the bathroom who said she found out about them by accident. She was taking a plane to Europe, and they were on the same plane! They wore their black costumes and hats on the plane!!! What a sight they must have been getting off that plane and in some European airport! I guess they really eat up that over-the-top Americana stuff over there, according to Brent. 

 

I took part in the communion this time, which really sent me over the edge. We drank a little too much that night, but had a rowdy, great time. Again without friends, but oh well. We have learned to enjoy each other’s company this year and it’s been great. 

After the show, we met the drummer, Curtis. He’s about 6’5” and skinny as a rail. He has a bass drum and an upright snare drum, and I believe one cymbal. Very rockabilly. He immediately plopped his hat on my head so P could take our picture. He said he remembers my taking communion. Yep, that was me. Then this other drunk guy jumped in the middle of our conversation and started talking to Curtis. So P told the guy he’d take their pic, but it would look better if he kissed Curtis. The guy obliged, and that became one of my favorite pics. I posted it on my desktop screen at work for the rest of the year! The look on Curtis’ face…the shame and pain, is priceless! 

Brent Amaker and the Rodeo 7.21.2007

July 21, 2007 Brent Amaker and the Rodeo 

 

Brent Amaker and the Rodeo. Wow. We were scheduled to go to Hootie and the Blowfish this weekend, but it was canceled. The lead singer, Darius Rucker had a staph infection in his knee after a surgery and had to cancel his Roslyn show. We were bummed. So instead, we booked a hotel room at the Hotel Andra on 4^th downtown and taxied in to the Tractor.

We’d never seen these guys before, and we were in for a rollicking good time! They put on quite a show. They all dress in very nice black slacks, western shirts, cowboy hats, boots. The lead singer, Brent, dons a red cape with the help of his assistant while the Rodeo keeps up a steady rockabilly/Johnny Cash beat. He walks to the stage, his assistant helps him remove the cape, and hands him his acoustic guitar. And they’re off! The Rodeo’s in town! 

We had so much fun! He cusses, he has a whiskey communion in which he encourages people to buy shots of whiskey, then lines them up to pour it down their throats! We were howling! All the songs sound the same with the bass guitar keeping the beat: dum-dee-dee-dum-dee-dee-dum-dee-dee-dum…

Brent Amaker and the Rodeo 12.13.2008

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Black Daisy, The Purrs, and Brent Amaker and the Rodeo

Sunset Tavern, Ballard

 

I had a rowdy weekend with P in downtown Seattle for my early b’day celebration. I thought [29 – ha] was going to be tough, but we managed to shop at Pike Place Market, eat till we were stuffed, see a show, take a whiskey communion, and taxi back to our hotel at 2 am. Not bad! And it snowed…even better!

P also surprised me with an acoustic/electric guitar! He’s so sneaky, he brought it down to the hotel that am and had it brought up to the room! I told him I didn’t need anything, I just wanted to go out on the town. So he asked if he should take it back. Are you kidding me?? ha

Before the show, we shopped a little at Pike Place Market. We also stuffed ourselves at McCormick’s and Schmick’s on 1^st Ave, just up the street from our favorite hotel, Hotel 1000. We also had drinks and appetizers at Boka next door to the hotel, and were amazed by the large snowflakes pelting the window of the taxi as we headed in to Ballard to see our Rodeo boys.

We saw Brent Amaker and the Rodeo (new album entitled, “Howdy-Do!”) in this little divey bar called the Sunset Tavern in Ballard, just up the street from the Tractor. I think it used to be a Chinese restaurant back in the day. Still has red velvet wallpaper. Two other bands played first: Black Daisy, a Tenacious-D style band with extremely funny yet tasteless lyrics, then The Purrs who’d been playing for many decades, apparently.

The Rodeo came on last, so we had to pace ourselves to make it to midnight, but always worth the wait. Johnny Cash with a potty mouth. We brought them some whiskey for the communion, danced along to their crazy, campy cowboy songs, and I kissed P under the mistletoe. We even received little gifts from the boys. One lucky audience member received the grand prize, Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots!

The next morning, although a very cold 19 degrees, we decided to walk back to Pike Place Market. It was so interesting there. We decided to eat breakfast at Lowell’s, which has been at Pike Place since forever. It was crowded, so we ate at the bar, but had a view of the sound from across the restaurant. It was a sunny, chilly day. People were flocking in after the Jingle Bell Run, all decked out in running gear and Santa hats. It was interesting watching all the runners with their flushed cheeks and panting breath. I had never been at the Market when vendors were setting up their booths. They were carting big plastic containers of their wares, boxes of fruit and vegetables, meats and fish. It was fun walking amongst the organized chaos and chatting vendors. We also did some shopping in The Market and purchased family Christmas gifts at Market Spice Teas and Beecher’s, a local cheese shop.

A wonderful birthday weekend!