This Week in Zoe News

Quick summary: Whistle did not win a Grammy but “President is Folk Alliance’s song of the year. Probably the right way round if you only get one!

Roots Magazine (Canada) had a write up:

The Song of the Year award was presented by Lisa Schwartz. Zoe Mulford won that award for her song “The President Sang Amazing Grace,” which was very ably recorded by the legendary Joan Baez. Ms. Mulford accepted the award with immense humility and grace and thanked the folk music community for its part in the song coming to the attention of Ms. Baez, who had heard it on folk radio and then chose to record it herself.

Here’s a very nice write up of one of Joan’s recent concerts:

When she introduced ‘The President Sang Amazing Grace’ she said it was about Obama visiting a church to console the survivors of a shooting. The song told the rest of the story and I was in tears once again like I was for much of the night. I can’t describe how spot on the song is and how well the sad story is told. 

The news was not voluminous but it was cool.

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“President” is Folk Alliance’s Song of the Year!

Yaaaay!

Given that Zoe traveled to Montreal not long after getting back from a long trip to the US, not long before her next trip to the US, with terrible sciatic pain, into a 26 year record snowstorm…let’s just say I’m glad it was not for naught.

Our 2018 Song of the Year is… “The President Sang Amazing Grace” by Zoe Mulford, recorded by Joan Baez! #IFMAs #FAIMontreal pic.twitter.com/Kbmt9zASLB

— Folk Alliance (@folkalliance) February 14, 2019

Her acceptance speech was live streamed and pretty good! She read the names of the murdered which I like a lot.

I grabbed some screenshots. It was very exciting even remotely:

Skin Sensitivity

The all nighter was a success but now am I arthritisy with the worst bit being all over skin sensitivity and pain. This happens to various degree. At KR/DL in 2006 I woke up because the very light sheets was causing me too much pain just from the pressure. This isn’t as bad but now I can’t sleep.

So I’m watching the Folk Alliance live stream hoping Zoe wins:

https://streaming.wavelengthmedia.ca/

All Nighter Blues

Sigh.

Anxiety has driven me to the last possible moment for something critical that’s now way overdue. I hope it won’t take long in actual work time but getting myself to do it is freaking brutal.

Next year will be better.

Music Monday: Grammy Winners

Well, as I said, Whistle Down the Wind didn’t win best folk. Instead, the Punch Brothers album, All Ashore did. I’d never heard of them before. Reading their Wikipedia page suggests that they could easily be a critical darling, so maybe that’s it?

I’m listening to it now and I’m finding it actively unpleasant. And I don’t think it’s just or even primarily sour grapes. The snippet of Gautier’s Rifles and Rosemary Beads I got accidentally when cueing them up seems appealing.

As the opening instrumental bits of the opening track started up I was hopeful. It seems like it could be nice bluegrasses, but the first four songs made me unhappy to listen too. The sixth,” Jumbo” at least doesn’t hurt my ears:

Though it does seem to go on for a long time. And the chorus isn’t nice, And the last verse, eh.

Ok this definitely isn’t anywhere near my cup of tea. I’m giving up and going to listen to Gautier.

Sunday Baking: Baps, cornmeal sticks, and more

Welp, the “secondary” Grammy categories were announced on Twitter and “Whistle Down the Wind” didn’t win. Oh well.

It’d have been a small but definite boost.

Anyway, I made these crispy corn sticks which are a kind of biscotti. Easy but meh:

I broke out the waffle iron and made oat bran waffles. These really are the best. They are so good we eat them without toppings.

Of course, I made baps but I used some of the dough to make pizza. Worked a treat though I don’t have full control over it.

Thus, fewer baps but we don’t scarf 3 or 4 right out of the oven so it’s a wash. I went overboard with the sprinkled on meal. It go everywhere even just from the baps themselves and didn’t add anything. So I dialed it back.

We used the baps the very next day! For some reason, portabellas are hard to get in Manchester. But there were some lovely oyster mushrooms at the new Korean grocery. Oyster mushrooms are awesome and we should eat them more often:

Zoe got some pickled daikon shreds as well and did up some sesame spinach for a nice ensemble.

Hidden Things

My mom went through a phase where she was hiding gummy worms in my brother’s stuff. (Gummy worms were pretty new in our parts.) My other brother and I only twigged because she hid one in his cheesesteak and that didn’t work out so well. She put Mexican hat gummies in my hat but I think that was a secondary gesture to keep me from feeling left out.

Why gummy worms? Why my brother? There may be a back story but it’s just as likely a whim.

Of course, I’ve told Zoe these stories (partly to explain some of my own quirks).

This is what I found today:

That is an eye in the lychee box.

Why do we have an eye to put in the lychee box? It was a back up Halloween thing she made for me in case the unicorn horn didn’t work out.

When confronted with the eye of the lychee storm, she said: “I didn’t want it to go to waste!”