A Mad, Mad World

We play several cool, local, affordable shows this month. So put on your dancing shoes and step on out to hear some crazy live music. October 3 – Saturday 8PM – Black Rose Irish Pub, Santa Rosa — No Cover October 4 – Sunday 4PM – Castro Street Fair, San Francisco — donation at the gates. You’ll find us at Max Barnaby’s World of Wonderment on 18th Street, between Hartford and Noe. October 11 – Sunday 2-6PM – Oktoberfest at Speisekammer Restaurant, Alameda — No Cover. Best schnitzel, best German beer selection. October 16 – Friday night – Sleeping Lady Cafe, Fairfax. An "Accordion Babes Revue". Line-up includes: Amber Lee, Susie Davis with some of Those Darn Accordions, Nada Lewis and Renée de La Prade. We’ll have calendars for sale and signing. And this just so happens to be my birthday. Hurray! Another revolution around the Sun. October 17 – Saturday late afternoon – Music in the Plaza, San Rafael — Free. yours in a mad, mad world, Mags

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Gary met Alice when she was two weeks old. She was a loving friend for 24 years and 5 months. She was an amazing cat who definitely had more than 9 lives. We were both with her when she passed naturally last night, September 19th. We will miss her greatly.

Rest in peace, Alice B.

Alice 1985-2009

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September 19th is Talk Like A Pirate Day — one of those wonderful absurdities that has taken hold of many a lover of piracy legend and lore.

For an entertaining collection of real and fantastical English pirate language read “The Pirate Primer – Mastering the Language of Swashbucklers and Rogues” by George Choundas.

The stereotypical pirate speech pattern is based on the English coastal dialect made famous by actor, Robert Newton in his role as Long John Silver.

Truth is, the languages spoken by the pirates who plied the waves of the North Atlantic seaboards and Caribbean during the 17th & 18th centuries were as diverse as the mariners themselves. Sailors spoke Scottish, Irish and Manx, Welsh, Breton, French, Spanish, many African languages, indigenous tongues of the people in the new world, and many more, all laced with nautical lingo and a salty twist. I imagine many sailors were polyglots by sheer necessity especially on pirate crews.

Luck t’ye and a fair wind,

Mad Mags

“They vilify us, the scoundrels do, when there is only one difference, they rob the poor under the cover of the law and we plunder the rich under the protection of our own courage.” — Captain Bellamy

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As the token Indie Rock Chick I am happy to announce that Muse and Placebo have stunning new albums.

OK, they don’t need me to endorse them as they have a huge  following for good reason. So why am I commenting?

Because (never start with a because) part of what makes The Mad Maggies so great is our love of music.

Adrian and I love Pendulum and Placebo and dnb (drum and bass).GDub lent me Fela Kuti.

JB and I share a love of disco – hey if you want to know what 120 bpm sounds like- any classic disco track will give it to you- Funky Town is a good example.

We love music in all its manifestations. It is an organic entity and needs to breathe and grow.

Music sets us free and shows creativity in so many ways. It can cheer us up, excite us and calm us down- much like The Mad Maggies. Come see us soon.

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We’ve got several crazy good shows coming up. Hope we can entice you out to one or more!

September 25 – Friday – 5-8pm – Marin Brewing Company, Larkspur Landing. Enjoy delicious, locally brewed, award-winning beer on a beer-garden patio. No Cover.

September 26 – Saturday 2-4PM – Taste of Petaluma, downtown Petaluma at the Helen Putnam Plaza. This is a foodie event that benefits the local performing arts theater, Cinnabar (which just so happens to be where GDub and I first met.) You can buy "dine-around" tickets to sample food from 60 eating establishments. There are several locations where musicans will be playing free to the public.

Then, later that same day –
September 26 – Saturday 8PM
Toad in the Hole – Oct-Toad-berfest, Santa Rosa. There will be a cask opening and contests. Wear your polka best and be ready to "Ein, zwei, g’suffa! Toad Pub is located in the historic 5th Street district of Santa Rosa and is a favorite local watering hole. Great beer and food. Only $3 cover.

Babes, Bellows & Beer

Several of the Accordion Goddesses from the 2010 West Coast Accordion Babes Pin-up Calendar will be playing together at these upcoming revues. You have a chance to meet and hear these talented local musicians. I’ll be there with some of the Mad Ms. We will have calendars on sale and are happy to autograph. Pick up one or more for gifts!

September 20 – Sunday afternoon – Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma with Amber Lee, Renée de la Prade, Roxanne Oliva, Kitten on the Keys and Mags with several of the Mad Maggies. Enjoy the new Lagunitas "Beer Sanctuary" — a lovely outdoor beer garden.

September 22 – Tuesday night at Toad in the Hole, Santa Rosa with Amber Lee, Renée de la Prade, Roxanne Oliva, Salane Schultz and Mags with GDub. Tuesday nights are "Real Ale Nights" at the Toad.

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Rest in peace.

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What can I say? I love to dance and I love watching good dancers.

James Brown was one of the very best! He was in his body completely.

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West Coast Accordion Babes Revue will be on Sunday afternoon on September 20th between 3-6pm at the Lagunitas Brewing Company.

5 accordion goddesses from the 2010 West Coast Accordion Babes Pinup Calendar will be playing:
Amber Lee,
Kitten on the Keys,
Renée de la Prade,
Roxanne Oliva
and yours madly (with several of my musical cohorts).

We’ll have calendars for sale & will happily sign them.

Come spend a Sunday afternoon listening to live music and drinking delicious locally brewed beer. Then pick up a few calendars as gifts for your accordion goddess loving friends!

More upcoming Accordion Babes Revues:
September 22nd at the Toad in the Hole Pub, Santa Rosa
October 16th at the Sleeping Lady Cafe, Fairfax

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A great big tip of the porkpie to GW for a mid-day alert yesterday to last night’s Brave Combo show. Brave Combo is one of those handful of bands I’ll see any time I can. The first time I saw them was in Wyoming. To close the show, they capped off the Duck Dance by going out into the parking lot in sub-zero weather and the entire audience followed. They’re that sort of band. The second time I saw them was shortly after I moved to San Francisco. Polkacide opened for them at the Great American Music Hall. So many people were so joyously dancing that I thought the floor would collapse, and I thought, I’m living in the right place now. The next time I saw them the Mad Maggies opened for them on a Monday night, and they still put on a show of non-stop rock-&-roll polka love-drug joy. Honestly, I can’t imagine what sort of person would not enjoy a Brave Combo show.

Last night in addition to Maggie, Gary and polka stalwart Sean Pete were polka royalty known and unknown to me. I resisted the dance floor for a few numbers, but when the band played a twist I could no longer hold back. One of the most inspiring things about Brave Combo is their ability to keep a happy dance beat going apparently forever. The word indefatigable does not seem out of place here; Gary quite straight-forwardly calls them pitiless monsters. Due to the closure of the Bay Bridge, I gave my driver the night off and took public transportation, and thus had to leave Slim’s after a mere hour-and-a-half of Brave Combo, though I’m told they continued for another half an hour.

I hope to see Brave Combo back in the Bay Area soon, and you, the devoted Mad Maggies fan, at the show.

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