I must admit I am fascinated by kudzu. This confession will make a lot of people laugh, especially those who live in the South and up along the Eastern States.
I am fascinated because most of my life, I never knew what kudzu was. I had never heard of kudzu.
People will laugh because they’ve lived all their lives around kudzu and to them, it’s a major pain in the grass!
For those of you (like me) who didn’t know: kudzu is a vine that was introduced by the Japanese at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. It was heavily promoted as a method of erosion control and as a fast-growing feed for livestock. “Fast growing” is an understatement! In optimal conditions, a kudzu vine can grow 1 foot per day, up to 100 feet in length. Kudzu was classified as a weed in 1970 and was placed on the list of Federal Noxious weeds in 1997. I wrote a blog about Kudzu several years ago. I received the greatest number of comments from people about kudzu, more than any other blog posts (the runner-up was about scrapple, but that was another story).
This year, the kudzu we observed on our summer tour seemed particularly lush and green. It must have been enjoying those ideal conditions mentioned earlier. In some areas, it had everything around it (plants, trees, houses, telephone poles) covered up in a blanket of flowing green leaves, making spooky shapes in the woods. I knew it was still summer, but it made me think of the coming fall and Halloween.
I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to travel and to make friends through our mutual appreciation of the music of John Denver. I’m also happy to share what I’ve seen in my travels, even something as simple as a noxious weed, because I KNOW people love to share stories and lore about this crazy vine, and I KNOW people love to read your comments!
I invite you to share your Kudzu knowledge here in the comments:
It’s been so hot this summer! All across the states we are experiencing hot, humid weather, and additionally, there are a lot of wildfires burning, adding smoke to the overall miserable human experience.
It got me to thinking….what were some of the hottest performance experiences we’ve ever had? WELL, we’ve had some hot ones! This one in 2018 comes to mind first – maybe because JoLynn was there and took some awesome photos (Thanks JoLynn)! This photo is one of my favorites of all time because the audience is in focus and the band is blurred, a visual statement of the actual truth in entertaining.
In JoLynn’s photo I was blurred…..and that is how I felt arriving at this venue. It was mid-day in middle America and in the mid 90’s when we arrived for setup and sound check. It was hot and it was getting hotter! There was no audience yet, they would start arriving later with their lawn chairs and their picnic dinners. No one was there but the sound guy, bright red face and dripping wet. He had already set up his gear and was ready for our arrival. I was blurred, my brain was dulled by heat and humidity.
We set up quickly and sound check began. Take a moment and look at the photo. This is exactly where we were standing during sound check. Take a look at the banner on the wall behind us…..much earlier, some hornets decided that the space between the banner and the wall was an excellent place to build a nest, but nobody knew they were there. Larry (our drummer) didn’t have much room to get behind his drum set, the drummer’s stool was already pushed back almost all the way against that wall. Larry squeezed himself in, adjusted his seat, sat up straight and his head bumped the banner behind him.
Hornets started flying!
They were swarming! A man came from nowhere and jumped onstage with one of those aerosol cans that shoots 50 feet in the air (really, how did he get there so fast with ammunition?) He proceeded to try and hit every flying insect with his 50 foot spray (it was like blowing out birthday candles with a fire hose). We all ran off the stage, Larry ran for his life! We all scattered like roaches at a tap-dancing competition!
I was blurred, I WAS….. but the sight of liquid poison dripping off my guitar cleared my mind considerably. I ran back onstage to get my guitar and mandolin, Jim ran for his guitar, and Diane ran for her flutes. Tom (ever so cool) had already walked off the stage with his bass. The man was still trying to pick off insects one by one, so Chris and Larry started looking for something to cover the keyboard and drum set.
By the time the audience arrived, close to sunset, everything was calm, the instruments were wiped off, and we were ready to play. The temperature continued to climb over 100 degrees, but the sun was setting soon, and the evening promised some relief.
It was so HOT, but we had a fantastic audience, which means we had a fantastic (hornet-free) show!
Anyone who has traveled to New Orleans knows of its rich history and heritage. Heck, even if you haven’t visited NOLA, you probably have heard and seen a lot about it. New Orleans is well known for unique food (creole), music (jazz) festivals and parades (Mardi Gras and many others).
In one of my more recent trips to the city this past April, I noticed the beaded necklaces. It seemed to be an important part of a visit to New Orleans to be walking the crowded streets with several necklaces around your neck and a drink in your hand. Did I want beads? Did I need beads? How do I get them? Well I did a little bit of research over coffee and beignets at Café Du Monde.
Here’s what I learned about the tradition of “earning” beads:
During Mardi Gras and other parades, social groups (called Krewes) ride the parade route in very large, decorated floats. Most of the floats are 2-tiered, 16 to 18’ tall, and about 50 feet long. The Krewes on the floats throw candy, beads and trinkets to parade spectators. Beaded necklaces are by far the most frequent item thrown from a float. Catching a thrown item symbolizes good luck and joy!
Here are the best ways to “earn” beads:
Make eye contact with a Krewe member and say politely, “Throw me something mister” or “Throw me something lady” Most likely you will have to SCREAM politely…the music blasting from the floats is extremely LOUD!
Bring a child – children are favored for throws from Krewe members.
Buy them at a store – No parade? No problem. All the local stores have loads of beads for sale.
I discovered another way:
If you look up into the trees, you will see many beads growing at their source. Most are ripe and ready to pick and just a little bit of effort will bring rich rewards. If you don’t believe me, look at the close-up of the tree in the photo. You might have to zoom in, but you should be able to see the beads growing on the tree. You will need a ladder or a very tall friend, but the beads are there, they are organic and they are free! Getting them this way will still bring you joy and good luck, as long as you don’t fall off the ladder!
That is how you “earn” beads .
For those of you “Naughty Nellies” that thought I was going to tell you another way to acquire beads… I’ll have you know that it is mostly frowned upon (and still illegal) to “flash” for them.
Lee Holdridge is a legend! He has a wonderful talent for composing music and arrangements for film, television, opera and recording artist. One of the major stars Lee composed symphonic arrangements for was John Denver.
As life-long John Denver fans and long-time tribute artists, you can imagine how thrilled Jim and I were when we first met Lee! It was difficult not to behave like giddy school kids, but we did our best to act like grown-ups and hopefully we didn’t embarrass ourselves too much.
Since our first meeting, Lee has honored us by conducting many of our John Denver symphony shows, featuring Jim singing John Denver’s music with major symphony orchestras. It is always a surreal experience performing with the original arrangements Lee wrote for John, never in our lives could we imagine that we would be doing a tribute performance on that level. But thanks to Lee’s kindness and willingness to work with us in our efforts to preserve and present John’s music, we have a new friend, and we are living a dream come true!
Another major recording star Lee worked with was Neil Diamond. Neil and Lee collaborated on many projects, including the music in the movie “Johnathan Livingston Seagull.”
Now, imagine a show that would put Lee Holdridge and the music of Neil Diamond and John Denver together with members of the La Mirada Symphony Orchestra in one amazing concert…..and you will be imagining the show we will be presenting this May 24 in La Mirada, California! Tribute artists Jim Curry will be singing John Denver, tribute artist Jay White will be singing Neil Diamond, backed by a band and Lee Holdridge conducting the Symphony!
Join us for this exceptional ensemble of musicians and performers that will bring an unforgettable afternoon filled with timeless classics, rich orchestration, and powerful performances that honor the enduring legacy of these American music legends.
One of the very best things that can result from a performer’s hard work is a sold-out show! It means that the work we do is still in demand, and that WE are still in demand!
Lots of people think that we are the actual ticket sellers, but that is almost never the case. We are the hired band, and before we get hired, we are thoroughly vetted in every way…..but most important is our potential to bring in ticket buyers (aka “the audience”). Thankfully, we have a long history (25 years plus!) and we perform the best music in the world! (Yes, we are biased, haha!) AND we have the best audience on the planet!
So, hearing that a show is sold out is MUSIC TO MY EARS! And I am very happy to say that the band and I are looking forward to some sold-out shows coming soon! Bookings are still happening, so if you’ve missed your opportunity to get a ticket to one of our shows, be sure to check our website tour calendar often, because new concerts are added throughout the year and we may return somewhere nearby. OR sign up for our monthly newsletter and you will get a tour schedule emailed to you with updates every month.
The newsletter sign up is on our website front page: https://jimcurrymusic.com/
How can you help a band succeed? Here’s how to support the band you love:
Attend the shows when you can.
Bring your friends and family.
Comment on social media as much as you can….algorithms are based on activity, popularity is based on algorithms. Comment on blogs, posts and ads, even if the show is not going to be in your area.
Let your local theater know the band you would like to see.
Lastly, I cannot overstate how much we appreciate the love, support and prayers of the wonderful people who continue to stay engaged. Music to our ears (sold out shows) will continue to bring music to YOUR ears for many years to come!
"It was an amazing evening. We have had many different performers at our conferences; The Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, Three Dog Night, America. Jim Curry ranks among these acts. I would book Jim and his band again in a heartbeat."
Daniel Young Corporate Function, Keystone, CO
"I have to tell you I don't know when we've enjoyed a show as much as we enjoyed yours. It just swept us away and we did not want it to end! You are all so gifted. And the music of John Denver speaks for itself. It touches the heart."
