Christmas is coming and if there was a goose in my possession, I’d be damned certain to make sure the little guy was getting fat. Fortunately, working retail at the House of Musical Traditions during the “silly season” isn’t too brutal, ilyAIMY isn’t terribly Christmassy and my family isn’t particularly expansive – so my world’s not too crazy.
Kristen and I are headed back from the shop now, dodging patches of red on google maps before making our way up the straight chute of I-95. The day at the store dodged from dead to nutty, but people don’t bring too much angst to our house and all of the horrible tales that filter over from shitty big box stores never seem to coalesce at HMT.
Of course, that means, as ever, the store struggles along – but even a little shop like House of Musical Traditions sees a huge uptick for the Christmas season and it’s everything we can do to keep stock on the shelves. Harps and hammered dulcimers, guitars and Irish flutes, ukuleles (slower than before) and melodicas (swifter than before). The REAL cheapsters that can’t imaging spending more than $50 on a guitar have finally found that we’re not able to help them and most of our customers seem to have pretty realistic expectations.
There are fuck ups. There are crossed wires. They are flared tempers. But nothing crazy out of the orginary.
Man, I Love Christmas. We went and bought our tree a couple of weeks ago and Kristen and decked our halls and bent its bows with decorations old and new, with mice and owls and action figures and collectibles. There’s a Kirk Hammett electric guitar and the traditional Abominable Snowman. There’s a Christmas xenomorph and a holiday Facehugger. The Krampus were hung by the young ladies with care and Leia and Dorothy et al best beware. We’re down to the final days of the Lego Advent Calendar from my Mom. We’re down to the final Christmas cookies from Kristen’s mom. I’ve hung the stockings. She hung the lights. We’ve made lasagna and we’ve Chromecast the Christmas Pandora station to the TV.
Yep. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Ronn McFarlane is probably the first lute case ever to enter the Ottobar! Many thanks to Ayreheart for joining us for the night! Sharif sound checking at the Ottobar in Baltimore, MD ion December 15th. This Noise in the Basement was my FAVOURITE. It was a spectacular night. Ronn McFarlane shredding on lute as Ayreheart joins ilyAIMY on stage at the Ottobar for one of th emost eclectic Noise in Bsements EVER. The stunning Ayreheart taking the stage at the Ottobar in Baltimore, MD. Our old friend Angela Charles doing the same. Brothers Clair performing at the Ottobar in Baltimore, MD. Very young, but very, very good band. And their lead singer has unreal hair. Don’t judge. You wish YOURS could do that! Yup. This is the way I see myself.
