Holiday Road

Ms. Luverne Dozier, at Balthrop, Alabama practice last night at Castle Anthrax.

Towards the end of summer, I started thinking about Christmas. This year, there were candy canes hanging in my head before they hit Wal-Mart.

Well, last night Balthrop, Alabama had its first practice for A Very Balthrop Christmas, the show we're doing at Joe's Pub on December 12. Nearly everyone in the band has penned a new holiday tune and last night we all got to sit down together and take them out for their first spin. And it was stupid fun to eat some pizza, drink some wine and play a bunch of great new songs. It was cold and rainy outside and there was an unexpected chance of snow but the holiday cheer at Castle Anthrax kept us warm like a cliche with a mission.

There's a lot of promise in the air nowadays, something new in the wind. It's election season and the end of a long hard year and it's been a while since the idea that things could get better seemed like anything other than a quaint notion.

But maybe, maybe, maybe . . .

I dunno. I can't speak for everyone. It looks like we've got a lot of hard times coming and things may get a whole lot worse before they get better. We may even be on that roller coaster that only goes down. Our hair might all fall out cause the wind from the downward plunge plucks and pulls. Our eyes might water and we won't be able tell if we're laughing or crying. We might look like pale prunes by the time it's all done.

But, I'm optimistic and happy beyond all reason because I'm on the ride with some good folk and we're doing the best we can in hard times. We even built a store (well, Jemison did) and hung up an "Open For Business" sign.

We're cleaning house and working hard. We're tired but singing. We're heading in to the next with new tunes and new dance partners. This ain't no Band on the Run. What we got here is a village on the move.

And it's Holiday Season.