Lovely Sweetwaterdog pix up in Alan's Gallery
Look closely in picture# 13 & 16 and My big old face made it into the shots. It's like a family album because the Machetunim also made it into a picture or two.

A benefit mention was in

Leah Garchik's column this morning:
Benefit made it into Leah's column

The sound system at Sweetwater in Mill Valley went kerflooey last week, and so Monday night neighbors and friends rallied for a fundraiser that made about $10,000 for a new one. Bob Weir and RatDog were surprise guests, as was Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, who in 20 years had never performed at Sweetwater.
Meyer Sound donated three pieces of sound equipment. The new system will cost about $21,000; more moola is sought.
P.S.: As to other interpretations of "West Side Story,'' Brian Andrews wrote to say he's the proud possessor of a benefit CD, "The Songs of West Side Story,'' on which Little Richard sings "I Feel Pretty.'' http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/garchik/


Here's a nice morning read:
http://www.aikenstandard.com/news/291070635832911.php


Scholar juggles family, school
Wed, Apr 11, 2007


By ROB NOVIT

Senior writer

As she marvels how young USC Aiken students arrive on campus with dedication and purpose, Heather Davis readily admits she couldn't have done that at 18.

But Davis, 29, has found her own resolve as she manages a full class load as a junior honors student and as a wife and mother of three daughters.

She also has received from the University of South Carolina a Magellan Scholar Award, a prestigious program which funds a major research project. Over the summer, Davis, a history major, will visit New Orleans to capture oral interviews with area musicians and document them in relationship to Hurricane Katrina.

"People talk a lot about pre- and post-Katrina," Davis said. "Since music is such a large part of New Orleans, I want to see if some of the music is reflecting the hurricane, such as changes to the words of 'When the Saints Go Marching In' and any anger toward the response (following Katrina)."

Davis, an Aiken native, has long had an interest in history and music. She attended Aiken High School for two years before transferring and graduating from Brenau Academy in Gainesville, Ga. She decided against enrolling in college and started traveling throughout the country with friends, following the Grateful Dead and other groups part of the time.

"It's a culture within itself and has its own economy," Davis said. "I embrace that memory, just the freedom of traveling and meeting a lot of different people and hearing a lot of really good music."

She married young and within a few years returned to Aiken, got a much-needed divorce, she said, and as a single mom went into the workforce. Then at 25, Davis astounded herself by enrolling at USCA but felt she had developed the drive to succeed. Now happily married to Justin Davis, she had a third daughter in 2004. When Molly was born, Davis was back at school part-time a week later for two classes.

"I have an intellectual curiosity but didn't really know how much information I could retain," she said. "I couldn't do this without the support of my husband and family and an extraordinary group of friends. Sometimes I have to let the laundry go for reading or spending quality time with my kids. It's a juggling act for sure."

Davis appreciates the opportunity to join USCA's honors program, which brings in students from all disciplines — the sciences, education, the humanities and the social sciences. Now she will receive $3,000 to work on the New Orleans project this summer. Her advisor, Dr. Maggi Morehouse, has been supportive of her ideas and her personal success. Morehouse will serve as her mentor on the project.

"Musicians from New Orleans have displaced or have lost instruments," Davis said. "Many of the places where bands played and practiced are no longer there. Perhaps they've lost faith in the state and federal governments."

Music from The Big Easy is based on improvisation, and Davis plans to improvise with her own work. The best people to interview may be random but possess a lot of real knowledge and perspective on the Katrina disaster.

Her history professors have been gracious in letting her incorporate music into her work. For an earlier class, Davis did a project on slave songs of the U.S. She researched the question of how much the African culture was influenced by the involuntary move to the U.S. The music eventually incorporated Biblical references and led to the blues and spirituals that are still sung today.

"It was a very emotional project that really moved me," Davis said. "That's when I knew I wanted to do more projects on music in a historical context."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.