Riffs, Roams and Raves uncovers the creative, noteworthy and accomplished in the Wimberley Valley and beyond with tips on who to hear, where to go and what to see from managing editor Teresa Kendrick.
Our eagerly anticipated date with the Pub Choir arrived September 3 and we were about 200 people gathered inside The Parish, an Austin venue on Fifth Street, east of I35. Astrid Jorgensen, an Australian vocalist, conductor and former teacher promised to turn non-singers into a three-part harmony choir. As we waited, we sipped drinks for the “group activity that doesn’t suck, even if your voice does!”
Projected onto the stage were instructions on where to stand in the club. The highest voices were to stand left, middle voices center, and deepest voices to the right.
At 8 p.m. on the dot, Jorgensen bounced onto the stage and immediately started handing out assignments, slamming us with good-natured insults to pay attention to her and to look at a screen where easy-to-follow pictorial instructions waited.
Everything we heard and saw for the next hour was rapid and wickedly funny. Even when we learned we were to sing “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles, (who?) Jorgensen moved us past our objections.
She sang each part for us as we learned the song. For the deepest voices, she used software connected to a microphone that allowed her to sing the bass part one octave lower than she normally sang. The result from the magic microphone was not unlike being onstage at “The Birdcage,” starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.
AFTER OUR PUB CHOIR PERFORMANCE, THE AUDIENCE ERUPTED IN HEARTFELT APPLAUSE.
WAG VOLUNTEER JANA KRAMER, GIT IT INVENTOR JEROME MCLAUGHLIN AND THE RESCUE CENTER’S SHANNON DAVIS GET ON BOARD WITH THE NEW TOY.
WAG RESIDENT, CLEO GOT IT!
WAG RESIDENT, AUSTIN, GOES FOR THE THROW.
Each voice group practiced sections of the song until we got the gist, aided by arrows on the screen that angled up or down depending on where the notes led us. If we were lost, she told us to cozy up to someone in our voice section and latch on to them. For those who sang so badly and loudly off key, she suggested we find somewhere else to stand.
Once the instructions and practices were over, it was time for the performance. She gave us about ten minutes to relax, get a drink of water, or go to the washroom.
With the cues, the instructions, and a wave of her hands, we got up and sang. It was thrilling. The room hummed in complete accord. Strangers became a unit. No one was left out. We were unified and balanced. For an hour, we found middle ground and together we made something beautiful.
Before the final performance, Jorgensen told us to pocket our phones and to actually participate in the experience. What an antidote to the technologically- fueled isolation of our time, the immature blather and emotional trash that constantly jams our signals, and worse, the divisive content of unprincipled voices who shout louder than everyone else.
It’s no surprise that Jorgensen was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her outstanding service to others. Her mastery of teaching a simple song proved to be a very big lesson.
Roams: WAG and Git it My roam this week took me to the Rolling Oaks community about eight and a half miles from Wimberley. I met up with Jana Kramer, the Wimberley Adoption Group and Rescue’s public relations volunteer at the group’s rescue center for abandoned, neglected and surrendered dogs.
We were joined by Jerome Mclaughlin, the inventor of the Git It dog toy, who generously agreed to demonstrate its merits to a couple of canine residents. Under the direction of the center’s Shannon Davis, two female dogs by the name of Austin and Cleo were selected to try the toy. In no time, Austin was chasing, jumping and ecstatically running after the blue ring launched by McLaughlin. Soon it was young Cleo’s turn. Both gave Git It their unequivocal endorsement.
Before leaving, McLaughlin offered to provide a discount on Git It toys to new WAG adopters which Kramer readily accepted on behalf of her canine charges. It was a win-win all the way around.
Raves: Sonder Coffee Lounge in Driftwood Ken Vargas, the new editor of the Dripping Springs Century News, tells me the Sonder Coffee Lounge in Driftwood, at 580 La Ventana Pkwy, is a great place for coffee and connections.
Owners Matt and Brandy write on their website, sondercoffeelounge. com, “It all began with a desire to bring people together. A hope to inspire others to slow down and make real connections with strangers so that a true sense of community could be built within these walls. An idea to create a space that made you feel like you belonged. Coffee shop wasn’t the dream, it was simply the way. And as we tied these threads together, Sonder Coffee lounge was born. She is unique in every sense; and we invite you to come and experience Sonder for yourself.”
Sonder hours are Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
