A Christmas Yuleblog

Received an interesting package at the P.O. Box a few weeks ago.  Inside was an advance copy of a Christmas album (in a clear DVD case) from a band I had never heard of before. The cover letter read thusly: I quickly added December 3rd to my calendar as I sat down trying to figure out more about this band.  From their bio : CB&J has been performing their distinctive style of folky swing since the spring of 2005. They released their first full-length album, “Love and Circumstances” in November of 2006. Their second and most recent album, “Custom Made For You,” was released on December 12th, 2008. In addition to headlining many shows, Christabel and the Jons has also performed at numerous festivals in the US including Bonnaroo, Riverbend, Bele Chere, Blue Plum Festival, Shakori Hills Festival, Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, and Sundown in the City. They’ve also opened for many national acts including The Brazilian Girls, The Be Good Tanyas, The Red Stick R...

I received a phone call this morning from my father-in-law, a hearty fellow with a dry sense of humor. If you happened to see "The FPT Christmas Revue", you might remember a character from Act II - a retiree who was spending his first Christmas in an assisted living facility. That character was loosely based on my father-in-law (you gotta write what you know about). Ed called here early this morning as I was waking up: "I wanna thank you for scaring all the mice out of our house..." Huh? I'm not sure what he was getting at... "They printed your interview in the morning paper... Front page too!" he stated plainly. Then I really woke up. A few weeks back, I was interviewed by Frank Gray, a gent who works for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, for a piece I had hoped would run before the run of the revue ended. As it turned out, they pushed it back to run today (of all days). If this seems familiar, this was the same newspaper that ran a C...

Several hours ago, the curtain came down on the run of "The FPT Christmas Revue". It was a project that I was closely involved with since the beginning of this year; a journey full of challenges, frustrations, joy, and remarkable achievements while bringing a totally new work to the stage. I must thank Thom Hofrichter and Joel D. Scribner for this amazing opportunity. These two gentlemen gave me a chance to showcase my perspective on Christmas and they were supportive of the whole process. I owe them a lot and I look forward to working with them on other shows at First Presbyterian Theater. Over 1000 people came out to see the show over its run and saw a plethora of talent. We had 30+ people in the cast, ages ranging from five to 70-something. We had members of five different families within the cast, a wide range of Christmas songs to sing, and each member of the cast gave it their all every night on the boards. To my fellow cast members, thank you so much. I go...

FINAL PERFORMANCE TODAY! If you live in the NE Indiana / NW Ohio area and want to see a Christmas revue like no other you've ever seen, then this is your LAST chance! Come on out! Call the number on the poster to reserve your tickets! If you've seen the show, leave us a comment and tell us what you thought about it! See you on the stage! Rob aka Capt

What is today? Saturday... okay. I've lost track of time! For the past several weeks, a bunch of local Fort Wayne actors (myself included) have been furiously working on an upcoming Christmas production I had previously mentioned back in September. It's under two weeks now until we are in front of an audience and the whole production is beginning to gel. It's been an amazing process and the cast is having loads of fun getting this on its legs. I've been meaning to post some pictures that I took at rehearsal the other night... it SEEMS like it was the other night... Gee, a guy with a white beard and a kid sitting on his lap - I wonder what this could be all about? The staging of a large group sketch that leads off our show. Another staging of a musical number. Note another guy with a white beard in the center. Forgive the silhouetted foreground figure - he's the director and I couldn't very yell at him to stay out of the shot. During a rehears...

Yeah, really! Let me see if I remember how to do this... Several months ago , I decided to make a few changes in my life. I wanted to work less behind the computer, get into a diet and exercise regiment to lose some weight, work on ten different projects that I have neglected for far too long, and participate in two special projects with two lucky rolls of the dice. My batting average so far: 3 for 14 = .214 average. I succeeded in working less on the computer and did start working out at the gym right before school ended and summer began. Have you ever tried to take your three kids to the gym for a workout? It ain't pretty. However, a month ago, my youngest daughter began kindergarten and I've been hitting the gym pretty regularly. It's a work in progress. The ten projects I wanted to accomplish are mundane things like what to transfer to DVD from my 1,500+ VHS tapes in my collection, etc.. There were a few Christmas projects on the list as well: transfe...

From time to time this Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube . I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it. Earlier today, I posted two albums with connection to my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Continuing with that theme, I scanned the YouTube dial to find any videos with a similar connection to the Summit City and came up with quite a few vids. The first is of a well known and loved three-story tall Santa Claus that's been hanging in downtown Fort Wayne for decades: This mammoth display used to hang off the Wolf & Dessauer department store in downtown Fort Wayne eons ago and was rescued from the trash bin two decades ago - click on the links for more info. Our n...

During a vinyl bin search and rescue mission here in Fort Wayne, I came across not one but two copies of this album still sealed! The West Creighton Christian Church was looking for an activity for their youth back in 1963 and came across an advertisement for handbell ringing. They ordered a set and a tradition was born. They toured all over the country with their handbells between 1963 and 1965. This album features Christian music, one patriotic song ("America"), one popular song ("Moon River"), and four Christmas songs! The four Christmas songs on this album are presented here. On the back cover of this album is a list of all the bellringers - I would love to hear from any of them about this album, memories of travelling with the handbells, etc. Last June, the West Creighton Avenue church closed after 110 years of ministry in the Fort Wayne area. No word if the handbell tradition was kept to the very end or to the fate of the handbells themselves. ...

Many times I've come across this album in thrift stores, online vinyl markets, and even eBay and Amazon.com. Two silouetted harps in black and white tell the story. What I didn't know was the connection this album had to my hometown of Fort Wayne until I had a copy in my hands. It seems not only were one of the harpists (Escosa) had deep roots in Fort Wayne but it was actually recorded here as well on the Carriage Records label. Side one is The Christmas Story according to St. Mark. Written and narrated by Longstreth, this full 15 minute story is interspersed with lovely music for solo harp (Escosa). Side two has the harpists trading off each other as they go through ten different Christmas carols. Nothing fancy but it's well done Christmas harp. One free day this past summer, I went looking for the location of the recording studio listed on the back cover. Located in a iffy part of town, I managed to find it - an empty lot full of grass and trees. Nothing to...

Last night as we slept, ol' man winter decided to pay us a visit. We got around 1" of snow followed by thunderstorms (ever awake to thunder in the middle of December) that froze everything and anything in its path. Schools were cancelled, power outages were everywhere, and thousands of broken limbs scattered streets and yards. Put your ear up to the screen and you'll probably hear the drone of the chainsaws outside my window. I grabbed my purchased last year, already obsolete digital camera and took a few snaps of the view from my kitchen into my backyard. We did lose power for a brief time but it's fully restored. Compared to some of the areas in town that could be without up until Christmas, lady luck smiled on us. What a way to start Christmas vacation for the kids! Capt

With eight days left before Christmas, I wanted to spend today looking at several new Christmas albums on the shelves this season - perhaps a last minute gift guide for those who love Christmas music. This is review number eight today - my final one for Review Tuesday. You've probably never heard of this gentlemen so let me take a moment to introduce you to him. Larry Pestor is well known throughout the music and advertising scene of my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is a man who wrote and sold a radio jingle to Saudi Arabian Airlines right after the Iraq war began! And Larry don't speak Arabic! I first became aware of Larry when an article was published in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette back in April of this year. The line of the article that stood out was " Pester will even turn your 78 rpm records into digital files for you. " Armed with a small stack of 78s, Larry has helped me immensely this year; the transfer of the "Dragnet" Chris...

December 25th has finally arrived! Thanks for taking time out of your holiday to visit us at the yuleblog - especially to all of our first time visitors who are looking in today! Earlier this morning, I woke up, got dressed quickly, and ran quietly downstairs past the bedrooms of my kids. I wasn't heading to see if Santa came and left presents under the tree. I ran past the tree, past the fireplace where the stockings were hung and bulging with flair, and past the fridge (a major accomplishment for me in the AM). I headed outdoors like a kid running to see what was under the Christmas tree. I braved the Christmas cold to retrieve my copy of the Journal-Gazette , the morning newspaper of my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Emma Downs has been writing for the newspaper for several years. Last week, she called me about my annual Christmas CDs and my Christmas music obsession after receiving a copy of my annual Christmas CD. A phone interview was arranged, I supplied seve...

  "It's a shame we have to go to Miami, we should just go to Fort Wayne and play this off." Tony Dungy , Indianapolis Colts coach quoted on January 21, 2006 No reviews will be posted over the weekend. Bet you already knew that. Duhh . Ever since Coach Dungy spoke those words on that wonderful Sunday, the city of Fort Wayne has been beside itself. The Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce sent Dungy a gift basket (the "I HEART Fort Wayne" mug probably didn't make the trip to Miami) and voted him "2007 Man Of The Year" with eleven months left in the year. The enormous sense of pride Fort Wayne always possessed now needs a trailer for the extra amounts of vainglory thanks to a flip quote. Two years ago, the city was named " the dumbest town in America " by Men's Health Magazine - a supplement / Viagra catalog wrapped around the same four or five rotated articles they wrote back in 1983.   They run stupid polls lik...