Gina Harris's Blog, page 131

Band Review: Terrie Odabi

I read about Terrie Odabi in a Smithsonianmagazine article by Touré, "Keeping the Blues Alive". She is fantastic.
If I recall correctly, the point of the article is that as much as we might associate Blues with the past, there are constantly new artists coming up from different places. Therefore, it makes sense that part of what is so compelling about Odabi is her freshness and vitality.
The tradition is still there. It's there in the vocal inflections, and the bass lines, and all the things that make you listen and know this is Blues. I appreciate her nod to an even older history through her version of "Wade in the Water". There are also indicators of the world-weariness that is so much a part of the Blues, despite Odabi's strength and energy.
This is not my most familiar genre, so some of what I interpret as novelty may be as much a matter of her origin in the Bay Area instead of the Delta. More than that I think this is just someone who is talented and powerful and thus she comes with life and fresh air in her breath.
My favorite track was "Gentrification Blues". The problem it speaks to is not exactly new, though persistent. Starting with primal beats and calls, then quickly bringing in a some funky keyboard, the instruments are strong but they never detract from Odabi plainly and rightly making her point. It's true and it's invigorating.
I feel like a lot of Blues fans will gravitate to "Hold Up the Light", but in general 2014's Evolution of the Bluesand 2016's My Blue Soul are both strong offerings, and worth checking out.
Otherwise, I think Portland's Waterfront Blues Festival would be well-advised to try and get her here.
http://artistecard.com/Terrie
https://www.facebook.com/Terrie-Odabi-Vocalist-296953356991097/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Terriesong
https://www.reverbnation.com/terrieodabi
https://twitter.com/TerrieOdabi

When good politicians vote in bad ways

It's time for another book from the Long Reading List.
Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas by Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson.
Putting this on the list seemed reasonable because I was trying to be ready to help young girls, and sexual harassment could be an issue. As it was, workplace harassment among adults felt different enough that it didn't really resonate in that way, though it was still a very interesting book. It filled in some details that I had not known about something that nonetheless made a strong impression on me.
These hearings are where I picked up my contempt for Orrin Hatch. I did not really remember Joe Biden's involvement, though he played a big part. Since I read the book a movie came out - Confirmation- with Biden portrayed by Greg Kinnear, so I think everyone should be caught up on that now.
I like Joe Biden. I smile when I see him. I know the memes about him are not real, but I think they capture something. I don't crush on him like Leslie Knope does, but if I lived near him I might purposely leave quarters around to see him pick them up. I believe he is a good man.
I also believe he handled the hearings wrong. He should have called the other three witnesses. He should have called experts on sexual harassment. He should have been more protective of Anita Hill, which would not have been a matter of preferential treatment or coddling, but simply a matter of recognizing how she was being treated and demanding respect for her. She was not on trial, but that's how senators treated her.  
I imagine it was very similar to how many rape victims were treated by defense attorneys (and maybe even prosecutors) at their rapists' trials. I believe we have made progress, but a lot of the vestiges are still remaining. Look at the judge's deference to Brock Peters. Looks at the rape kits that have remained untested not because of budget constraints but because the police did not think the victim was credible.
That looks like a tendency to assign the blame to the wrong person, but I think it's more that it reflects a discomfort with the crime. Stronger people should be allowed to victimize weaker people, men should be allowed to pursue gratification, and you are making us all uncomfortable by reminding us that the law disagrees and that there are valid reasons for the disagreement.
My strongest impression from the confirmation hearings was not that they didn't believe her, but they resented having to deal with it. A president had chosen someone, and now if they didn't confirm him it would look racist. Of course, give it a few years and racist members of Congress would feel completely comfortable not even scheduling hearings for a presidential appointment, but that was more the other side, wasn't it?
This leads us to one major problem: Democrats have been too accommodating for a while. They want to get along and compromise and not rock the boat. That makes sense when you are dealing with reasonable people with honorable intentions, but that ship has sailed. That ship has sunk.
There are going to be no brownie points for voting "yes" on the least egregious appointments and saving your fight for the worst ones. Yes, they will be appointed anyway, and it sucks, but you do not join them just because you can't beat them. Beating them will come in the long haul by throwing off every policy where you decide that the people they hate most are expendable so you can throw a sop to the less vulnerable.
Because really, Thomas was a horrible candidate. The harassment showed a poor moral character, but he was not a great legal mind either. He was chosen as a token Black man who would reliably toe the party line - it looks like a nod to Thurgood Marshall but it was really an insult to his legacy. Congress should have required the president to do better.
None of this means that we need to hate Biden now, but that he could go along with the easy way is exactly why we need to be better. What society will tolerate allows "good" people to do horrible things. Fine church-going people participate in lynchings, and people keep practicing slavery by another name after the Emancipation Proclamation and they lie and murder to cover it up.
People police train stations and rip up the tickets of Black families who try to leave the South, or prevent boats from landing when there are Black passengers waiting. Police say they shot because they feared for their lives, even when it was shooting into the backs of unarmed people.
People justify sexual harassment because of a blouse, or a hemline, or "Boys will be boys", or suggest that the harassed person should teach kindergarten. And the blouse and hemline or thinking that you could have dinner together without owing him anything is also justification for rape.
The better people don't do the worse of it, but because they go along with the others, believing them to be reasonable people, the system is perpetuated. We do not have to tolerate that.
Any good that we can salvage is going to come from listening to the most marginalized and protecting them. We don't have to cast off anyone to do that, but if they try to go alone with the worst, if they try and say to focus on the "working class" now and the rest will come later, the answer is "no". It has to be.

"Grimm" gets it wrong again

It is a source of pain for me that - every now and then, when checking blog stats - I see that "10 reasons you should be watching Grimm" is still getting page views. The later posts from when it started going bad never seem to come up. Maybe I need to add a disclaimer.
Anyway, while "The Seven Year Itch" had more logical flaws, the episode before it was wrong in very specific ways that I want to address.
Spoilers:
In "El Cuegle", a baby is stolen from his crib by a three-eyed, three-armed monster. Parental tensions that were already there about the mother obsessively posting everything about the baby on social media are exacerbated by the father assuming the mother's claims of seeing a monster are a sign of brain injury or distress, but obviously not possible.
Baby Auggie is eventually rescued by the police, but not before they learn the reason for the kidnapping. El Cuegle sees the future, and he sees that while the parents' marriage continues to deteriorate, Auggie will grow up isolated and emotionally damaged, killing them and other people when he is 19. They only eat the babies to prevent evil. Previously this cuegle had been unable to kill another baby he kidnapped, who later became a school shooter.
One thing that struck me was that when the parents got their baby back and the father told Nick that he could not know what this meant to them, Nick said he thought he did because he had a son. This struck me because back in Season 1 a character had mentioned losing her mother to Nick, and it appeared to be an attempt at commiseration, but he didn't bite. One person had pointed this out as being smart police work and the reasons you would not want to reveal too much about yourself. I have been very frustrated with how all of them have become worse cops.
In that episode, despite Nick trying to maintain boundaries, she kidnapped his girlfriend. In this new one, when Nick told the father that his wife wasn't crazy, he got a nasty "And you would know." I don't think this was intended to show the perils of trying to develop too much of a relationship as it was to remind us that these were terrible parents who would raise a killer.
To be fair, they did not appear to be unusually bad parents. He was impatient and not good at listening, though you can certainly see how his wife obsessing over their newborn (manifested through incessant social media posting) would be frustrating. In some ways, the least realistic part of the episode was the glimpse of the future that showed the parents still together, along with the wooden way they expressed love for their son while he was pointing a gun at them. That shouldn't have been enough to set him off though; maybe he was also bullied at school.
Those are minor complaints. Of more concern was the attempt to make you feel torn with that dilemma of do you kill this innocent baby now or allow him to grow up and do his evil deeds? Would you kill baby Hitler?
It's a false dilemma. Help him not to be bad. If you can see the future and you see that someone has a dark path ahead, help them.
The mother was already sure she had seen a monster. Knowing she had hit her head did not change her mind on that. So come clean. Have someone woge for the father to get him on board. Tell them to work out their issues. Get the kid a mentor. It doesn't have to be one outcome or the other.
It bothers me more because I also happened to catch the "Born Psychopath" episode of Law & Order SVU (that other show that I once loved but it turned into a growing disgust). Forget the fact that the brain of a 10 year old is not fully developed, forget that a lot of psychopathic behavior is taught, let's avoid real issues for a cheap thrill that requires no action on your part. I guess at least they didn't kill the kid like in the "Conscience" episode.
The actions that properly value all human life are a lot more work. They require sacrifice. They also produce happiness. They are right. And in our current climate, we need to figure that out really quickly.

Eyes on Dennis Richardson

Since November 9th I have been reading a lot. One interesting thing was learning that in 2014 Republicans had put a lot of money into state campaigns for secretary of state, winning victories in several states (I think 24 though I can't find that article now).
That should not seem like a particularly partisan position, focused mainly on public records and elections, but there is room for manipulation. Think of Katherine Harris in Florida in 2000. As secretary of state for Florida she still felt comfortable acting as a co-chair for that state's Bush campaign and halted recount efforts, but only after her participation in the voter list "scrub".
When it appears that in this 2016 election many states purged voters, and that sometimes 30,000 voters carried the state and all its electoral votes after 100,000 had been purged, well, it behooves us to pay more attention to the secretary of state.
Let's take a quick look at Dennis Richardson's actions in office.
1. Richardson sent out a mass mailing. This annoyed many but surprised no one, being consistent with his reputation as "spam king". It is a little bit interesting in light of the long history of conservative causes being built on direct mail efforts (see Richard Viguerie for more on that), but it is not really alarming.
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/01/dennis_richardson_email.html
2. Richardson asked to limit his powers. Specifically, he asks that he would not have the power to order an investigation into an election without an outside complaint.
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/01/secretary_of_state_dennis_rich.html
This is alarming. While the justification is that the power could be used as a way to target opponents, this has not historically been a problem. Furthermore that seems like a problem that could be best solved through other means, like audits or censures.
What the legislation would do instead is weaken it so that the person who oversees the election and thus might be in the best position to notice irregularities cannot use that knowledge to protect the process.
Also a little alarming is that the proposed legislation can't be seen yet, which makes me wonder if it is somehow even worse than I think.
One fascinating aspect here is that so much of the campaigning against Brad Avakian seemed to be that he wanted to extend the power of the office, possibly because of his desire to see civics education in schools. Now I can't help but wonder if the purpose was not just to smear Avakian but also to pave the way for weakening the office for all future secretaries.
3. Richardson convened a redistricting panel.
http://www.wweek.com/news/2017/02/03/secretary-of-state-dennis-richardson-convenes-a-redistricting-panel-its-light-on-democrats-women-and-minorities/
This story focuses on how the panel is mainly Republican (though that does not represent the congressional composition), and mainly white and male. That is important, because broader representation is how notice things that might be outside of our experience.
There is something else interesting about it though, in that the redistricting should happen based on the 2020 census. This is really in advance of that. I like getting a head start within reason, but I am not sure that this is, especially because of this line:
"may never get to his office, if lawmakers agree on boundaries first."
They will instead "examine the possibility of developing a ballot measure that could propose a different way to draw the lines." If it's not going to be based on population, what criteria will they be using?
Oregon has a beautiful system with vote by mail and motor voter registration. Other states should be emulating us. Now I wonder if our system is threatened. Even if those don't change, but eligible voters start finding their eligibility threatened, or if district lines are drawn to cause shifts in the balance of power, that will undermine our democracy. We cannot let that happen.
Time to rise to the challenge Oregon. 
Related posts:http://billmoyers.com/story/real-way-2016-election-rigged/

Band Review: Lisa Fischer

Lisa Fischer is a vocalist with a career spanning decades.
I made a note to check her out after seeing her recommended by Trudy, and was initially surprised to find just one album - So Intense - from 1991. It is a good album, showing an impressive vocal range, but I thought there must be more. There was much more.
Fischer has been remarkably successful as a session musician. Some of her more famous gigs have included backing up Sting, Tina Turner, and Luther Vandross, as well as touring with The Rolling Stones, but the touring list also includes Chaka Khan, Chris Botti, and Nine Inch Nails.
For the record, the Youtube channel listed below has videos containing Fischer, but there is a greater selection on her web site. There you can get a better idea of how she is now, and some stages her career has gone through. It makes me want to watch 20 Feet from Stardom. More than that, listening to other artists talk about working with her gives me an idea of her strength.
Yes, there is the amazing vocal range, but other artists with impressive ranges have fallen in love with that, overdoing gratuitous vocal acrobatics that don't serve the music.
Fischer has an unusually good grasp of music and musicians, able to understand what they need. It appears to be intuitive, though that could be deceptive - there's a lot of hard work that goes into this long of a career.
Being able to sense that natural flow of the music also feels very compatible with this particular career. She can happy as a session musician, put out a solo album, go back to more supportive work, and then pick up the solo side again, still touring, still working with a wide range of musicians, and fitting well in the way in which she is needed. Fischer's own album is more similar to Luther Vandross than the others mentioned, but she fits in perfectly with the Stones. Not everyone can do that.
My personal favorite on So Intense was "How Can I Ease the Pain", but the intro on "Some Girls" gives a good idea of the funk that is generally present, if sometimes less prominent.
It is worth checking out, but it is also interesting to think that as Fischer plays more dates as herself, and as she has always been a songwriter - even as a child in kindergarten - that new music could be coming. That would be a good thing.
http://lisafischermusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Fischer/151564318362043?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lQKyCBlE8TnOoDpayWnIg
https://twitter.com/lisafischersing

Band Review: The Night

The Night is a Portland rock band with a punk sensibility.
The attitude feels punk, but they do not have the traditional speed. My first thought is that I hear a jazz influence. That does not make them slow or mellow at all. Listen to "Reckless Road" if you need proof of that. "Misery" has some elements of metal, and a bridge that grooves.
That I hear those elements indicates (I think) a certain level of sophistication, and a well-rounded musical education on the parts of the band members. That does not have to be incompatible with being in your face.
While they are a local band for me, I'm not sure I would have found them on my own. Someone I follow on Twitter did know about them, though, and she made me want to check them out. Music has its ways and I enjoyed the introduction.
https://thenightpdx.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thenightpdx/

My birthday retreat

Things didn't go according to plan, but then there kind of weren't plans, and it ended up being fine anyway.

I did initially want to make everything really perfect, so I felt like I needed a plan, but was stymied at what plans to make. I knew to really have a whole day to myself I needed to check in the night before, and I knew the main day would be January 16th. That meant coming home on my birthday. There were also friends with whom I had been wanting to get together, so it was putting a lot together but I could have them come over on the 17th as long as I kept it relatively simple. I was still blocked on an itinerary.
I knew I wanted to soak in a hot tub, and I wanted to be alone for that. That meant that a hot tub probably was not feasible if I stayed in the area - based on my searches - but there were three choices that at least seemed to have pretty good tubs, depending on which rooms you chose. I ended up choosing the Paramount, as covered on the travel blog.
One thing that excited me about my January plans was that I would have things to write about. It may be silly, but when I committed to blogging every day, it was a big undertaking and I am proud of what I have done with that. As my life started spiraling downward it hurt to feel like there wouldn't be more trips, both for the enjoyment that going places brings on its own, but also for having things to write about. Maybe I could do things around town, but even then how would I get the free time? So making time and seeing things happening was a boost in itself.
That led me to thinking if I could see other things while I was down there, like maybe explore the Park blocks or try a restaurant I had really wanted to go to. Maybe I could get a massage, or meet up with a friend. There were all of these possibilities, and I researched some options, but nothing ever felt right and I finally decided to not have any plans. I would just do what I felt like doing at the time and honor that, despite not being a huge fan of spontaneity.
Then it snowed. A lot.
Being overscheduled could have been a drag on a regular day, but it would have been impossible for while I was there. One of the reasons I chose the Paramount was proximity to the train - that ended up being much more helpful than I could have expected.
I did venture out a little bit during the day, not going very far, but mainly I stayed in my room. I did some drawing, but mainly I read, alternating between books and magazines, and I rested. I took two soaks and some hot showers.
One thing I had not really thought about was that being in water puts me in a specific state energy-wise. It's not exactly tired, but I am slower, and a lot of activity wouldn't have worked with that. Really I rested, and I wasn't responsible for anyone but myself for over 24 hours. That is what I needed most.
It did not match the original vision, because then I was at the beach, and there would have been a massage, but probably also a longer time period. I know because I found my journal where I had written out the original exercise. The one thing that I decided was non-negotiable for this day was the chocolate-covered strawberries, which was the one food thing that really came through (and which was a little odd because they had never really popped up in any visualization before).
I had thought I would get them at Safeway, and I wasn't going that far. Then I remembered that there was a Moonstruck Chocolates at Pioneer Place, and that was closer, so I went there and Moonstruck is gone.
I reconciled myself to that, because after all, if you are eating strawberries in January they have been flown in from somewhere, and also, there can be a future. Maybe sometimes I will try it again, this time at the beach, or I will find a place with a hot tub in the room. Does that require Vegas? I don't know. Right now me time usually means clearing out a few hours, but maybe there will be a longer time again. Maybe the strawberries could appear then. I mean, I had to postpone the party, but it is still going to happen.
I had reconciled myself to that, but then when my sisters asked if it had been what I wanted, and I mentioned that, they went and got me some chocolate-covered strawberries.
We do need to look after ourselves, but sometimes other people look after you too.

The Ideal Kitchen

For long-time readers with good memories, I have been building to this post for a while.

I finally finished Susie Orbach's Fat is a Feminist Issue 2 - including writing through all of the exercises - in July of 2014. One of the exercises became the basis of how I celebrated my birthday in 2015. When I wrote about that I wrote that there was another one I wanted to do, and that I was going to do it in 2016. I was a year late.
Walking through the visualizations of "The Ideal Kitchen" had already paid off, because that's how I realized I didn't like cooking. I don't hate it. I can find it gratifying, and healthy and economical meals practically require it. It's just not something I would do for fun or relaxation.
That's pretty minor as far as epiphanies go, but I was in a place where I was taking more on and my family assumed I enjoyed it so they weren't thinking about it. I could have wasted a lot of time on it. I still have motivation to do a good job with what we eat, but I also feel freedom to simplify and take shortcuts sometimes. That doesn't sound overly radical, but setting clear priorities that include your needs (not only others' needs) and getting rid of guilt can be surprisingly revolutionary.
The thing with the exercise was that before you started visualizing the ideal kitchen (along with what food is stocked and how you feel about it), you were told that it was not time to cook yet. I suspect that part was to just give enough distance that you could have a sense of remove, but that ended up being the part that stuck with me. Thinking about being alone, so therefore able to nap or take a bath or go get a massage - and imagining the silence - that created the vision with the strongest hold.
It felt like a pipe dream, but so had The Chinese Meal initially, and that ended up being a reality and a very good evening. If one thing you want can happen, then you can't really rule out other things happening.
Much like taking Mom to Disneyland, it was still just going to be something that would happen someday after my finances were more solid. That's why I needed to explain about cashing out the 401K - all of these things that were desired but not possible are made possible by it, despite some reservations and worries. Also, while Disneyland became more important after Mom started deteriorating; going on retreat became more worrisome.
I do believe there has been guidance, and that is one thing that comforts me. For example, one thing I had not thought about is that January is not a big vacation time. Families with children in school, and people who want to spend the holidays with their families, do a lot of travel in December, and January is too soon to go again. That led to better pricing, which was a relief.
Remembering there was a holiday also helped. Julie had MLK Day off anyway, so while asking her to commit her day to our mother is still asking for something, it was not asking her to give up personal leave or rearrange her work schedule.
The most important thing about the retreat is that it was doing something just for me. I expect to enjoy Disneyland, but I am doing that for Mom; her needs will have to go above mine. Going away and having a day entirely for myself was only for me.That is not to say that it will not benefit anyone around me. Understanding that helps some people justify taking their own time, but it is even better if they can see that they are reason enough on their own. Someone else can watch the kids for a little while. For one day the office can be closed. The obstacles vary but the need for rest doesn't.
Mainly, one of the things that came out almost two years ago was that with all I was doing, there was nothing left for me. I am the only one who can change that. If I leave myself for last, I will run out before I get there. It's easy to do, but it hurts you.
Related posts:
http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2015/01/birthday-dinner-chinese-meal.htmlhttp://sporkful.blogspot.com/2015/04/exercises-from-professional.htmlhttp://sporkful.blogspot.com/2015/04/something-left-for-me.html

My first march

Saturday I participated in the March for Equality and Justice. I said that I would when I was writing about the Women's March.
I had been planning on it for a week and a half. I don't know when the DAPL protest in Pioneer Courthouse Square was planned, but I remember seeing at least a few marchers who were planning on doing both. The protests that happened at the airport on the same day came up much more suddenly, due to one horrible executive order that may have taken some attention away from a horrible appointment.
I mention that because it looks like there are going to be many opportunities to march and protest, and many reasons to be involved, even if you have never done this before.
This was my first time. Well, I have been at a rally before, but it had been a while. I want to capture my thoughts anyway, but also it may be helpful for others contemplating marching in the future.
I have walked 5Ks before, which is slightly longer, but there was a lot less chanting. (Except for that one time with the Hari Krishnas.) There were times when I was not chanting. At first I felt bad about this, but then I realized that different people at different places were starting chants, and then eventually stopping and someone else would start a different one. If the ones leading the chant cannot maintain it for the entire walk, you probably can't either. Do what you can, and keep moving.
The march route was about 2.7 miles. I looked that up after, but it would have been smart to look it up before. You do have a physical body that will feel things, so think about that. It makes sense to wear good shoes. Maybe you want to carry water or a source of protein. For me, I need to know that I have glucose tablets in case my blood sugar gets too low. I hate being delicate enough that I have to think about it, but I would hate the problems that me fainting would cause infinitely more.
I did occasionally see people pull off to the side and rejoin later. This mainly involved families having to adjust carriers and strollers. There are two things with that.
One is that I appreciate the common struggle where your child might stubbornly want to walk when it would be easier to push or carry them. I appreciate that despite the frustration those parents participate anyway, and that they are teaching their children to care and be engaged. I believe that in the long term it will be very rewarding, and I hope it still feels good overall in the short term. The groups I saw seemed to be in good spirits.
The other thing is that if you are near the front, chances are you can rejoin well before it has passed you by. There were a lot of us. The accounts I have read only say that there were hundreds without being more specific, but you don't necessarily know it at the time. There was one moment, where I kind of could tell. When we turned onto Fremont, the road dipped a little and I had a better view of the crowd stretching in front of me. There were many of us. I still don't know how many were behind. I just know that they had to move the rally to outside of the church so that more could be a part.
My energy did flag at times, but there were little boosts all along the way. Some cars honked in support, but sometimes it would be a whole string of cars, and you feel that. At various points people waved along the sidelines. There was a big boost as we walked past Planned Parenthood, and in the neighborhood as we got nearer to the church. The one I will remember most is an woman with snow white hair waving at us and clapping from her apartment balcony. I bet she marched in her younger days. Not everyone has to walk each time.
Not all of the responses were positive. I saw one driver grimacing at us while stopped at a light. We were chanting about how racism has got to go, and I don't truly know if that was the reason for his scowl, but it didn't feel friendly. Then on my way back I caught a bus that was already full of many marchers. Another man got on and complained that the protesters should have walked. Well, we had already walked; that's why we needed a ride back. Also we had paid fares, so there's that. But those were exceptions.
It was overall a positive experience. There were two more trains of thought that I will write up now, and one that may come up later on the Provident Living blog.
The marchers were mainly white; not at all surprising in Portland. I did have worries about how good we will be as allies. We are representing now, but the next time we are asked to listen instead of talking over someone, or the next time we have to examine our own behavior and it's uncomfortable, how will we do? But I was also thinking how I never feel like I do enough, and then I thought maybe by marching I am aspiring to be more, and becoming more. We can try.
My other thought was remembering the '60s, and how many of the actions were important for publicity, but they were followed up with political and economic pressure. I am not sure how we do that now. Back then there was a federal government that had reservations but was nonetheless sympathetic to civil rights. In addition, many of the Jim Crow policies were carried out through businesses, so there were obvious targets for boycotts.
Now I am not so sure. Many phone calls stopped one threat to ethics oversight, but a new threat popped up. It looks like some of the protests are making an impact on immigration policy, but with Bannon's increased role this government is not going to become more racially progressive. There are concerns.
Perhaps the march then becomes a reminder that there are shared concerns, and there are people who do make plans, and people who respond. We can be vigilant, we can mobilize, and we can be better.
We do need each other to do it.
There was one example of that during the march. On the way to the Maranatha church, where we were going, we passed the Allen Temple CME church, which is undergoing renovations after some electrical fires. A sign posted said that during the renovation they will be meeting at the Maranatha church. Help is being given and received.

Band Review: Krista Hartman

Krista Hartman is a Canadian solo artist.
She followed me shortly after Ron Sexsmith did, and they have one collaboration in her catalog. I put their reviews into separate weeks to try and not conflate them too much. While Hartman herself is also pretty low-key, there is a different mood to her work.
One interesting thing about the delay is that it put her into the same week as Brandon Jeffries who - while he is not straight country - could appeal easily to country fans. I believe that is true of Hartman too. Without there exactly being a twang, her voice lends itself well to more country-inspired music. I believe she could have good crossover appeal.
I enjoyed her collaboration with Sexsmith - "Broken In Two" - a lot, but I think the song that best typifies her style and sound is "Sunny Days". That track is also on her most recent release, Constellations. So, start there. If you listen to "Sunny Days" and like it, then you should listen more.
http://kristahartman.com/
https://www.facebook.com/krista.hartman.75
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChjHd5uVnv3qc3-MBIEbJIA
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/krista-hartman/id111732296
https://twitter.com/KrisAmour