One of the big bonuses to being on the artist run label Spotted Peccary (aside from the occasional royalty check Yay!) is getting new discs in the mail from a fellow label artist. Yesterday I received a copy of Deborah Martin’s “Between Worlds” collaboration with Erik Wollo, and it’s really beautiful. When Deborah passed through Redding a few months ago, she stopped by and played me some preliminary tracks, and I was really impressed. What was really fascinating about the project was that she was given permission and access to use extremely rare recordings of Native American songs recorded in 1894 on metal cylinders! She and Erik used songs from those ancient recordings along with their modern instrumentation to make a really unique hybrid of music that spans more than a century. You can link to her project HERE, or listen to a sample of the title track, which is my favorite track, “Between Worlds” HERE. The ancient recordings of voices and melody lend a ghostly quality to some more modern and very spiritual music. Both from a technical and emotional standpoint, I found the music very moving. Highly recommended!

In my individual circle of life, there’s no shortage of this particular talent. But this person felt compelled to announce on the back of their car that it’s their only talent. Well, it pays to specialize, one supposes. As seen in a Redding parking lot.

Really Redding

Airshow. Homeshow. Craftshow.
We stuck around the cave this weekend, for the most part. Much like this critter. Sometimes it just fits.



Really Redding.

This year Redding’s airshow features the Navy Blue Angels. They always put on a spectacular show. Today they were practicing, and even though I live many miles away from the airport, I took a couple shots from out back.

The show runs Saturday and Sunday. I understand the Saturday show is sold out. Pretty cool stuff, and a big community fund-raiser.

Tower Mart v2 opened in the Buckeye part of Redding yesterday. It’s a nice upgrade to the area.

Gas prices look attractive. And it has an automated Car Wash.

I know they are concerned about the competition over at nearby locally owned Variety City, so be sure to patronize them as well if you go out to see the new store. Variety City has a lot to offer too. We wish great success to both businesses.

I wonder if the time hasn’t come to consider something a bit more radical for nascent Stillwater than just waiting around to see who might show up. Redding is in need of turning a retail economic base into a manufacturing base. We don’t need shopping malls, we need factories. Is there a natural resource here that we can leverage into a finished good? That was key to our past success in mining and lumber. What can we do now? Is it possible to turn our industrial park into something that produces value now and in the future? How about a center for renewable energy products? Maybe software, or games production? These things have great value, and basis elsewhere, but what if we put our minds and hearts into becoming the new nexus for these high value products? What can we offer if we WILL it to be?

I just don’t see why we have to wait for ’something” to come along. We can make it happen. Just us. Local people working together. I believe that.

We meet a lot of Bethel Church folks at our Mall Kiosk. This rapidly growing church attracts people from all around the world. They posted this video about a prophesy for Redding that I found interesting. With thanks to blogger Marc Beauchamp of redding.com for the tip:

Coming tomorrow, Saturday Sept 19 at the Redding Dragstrip. Just $10 for a day of Jefferson State style entertainment. Watch the video and click on the ad for more. Be there!

Summer Schappell is the granddaughter of my colleague Bill at C&C Properties. She’s an up and coming singer who has performed here and recorded in Nashville. She and her band gave a terrific performance for an appreciative audience and I took some photos. We were told that many of the drive-thru customers heard the music and got out of their vehicles instead of just driving through for food. The weather was perfect, the food was really good, and there was lots of it. I have some more photos of the BBQ to post later.

Folks you just can’t make this up. This is in Craigslist today under barter items. Not sure if he wants to trade a nice car or truck for a wife, or the other way around:

Hmm, well if he’s trading his wife for a car, he ought to at least include a few pictures. Well, its a unique idea. Say, I wonder what I could get for…uh, nevermind.