Creative escapes–The Brew

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?  ~  J. B. Priestley

Owner Rebecca Magierski and DJ Tim Franks welcome you to The Brew.

There is nothing quite like the first snowfall of the season, especially when it happens on or near Christmas. Almost quite as nice is the first snowfall that sends children and teachers on their first break from school. There’s plenty of reading, writing, sledding, and Facebooking to be done on these legitimate days of leisure when we teachers and students can thumb our noses at our lessons and not get detention—or fired.

But after a few days of the white stuff, our infatuation fades away, and we long for what we Southerners were made for—t-shirts, flip flops, sunny skies, and water, H₂0, in its liquid form, definitely not the frozen stuff.

Sorry, folks. It’s still January. You’ll have to resort to Plan B for your creative escape. But I have an idea.

If you can brave the ice and the cold and make it to our town square, you’ll find a nifty little coffee shop that provides just the right amount of buzz—be it caffeine, creativity, or fun.

I’m talking about The Brew. It’s easy to find with plenty of free parking. Look for it next to The Saturday Independent and across from the Manchester Arts Center.

My students were the first to introduce me. “You’ve GOT to go,” they said. “This place is all YOU.”

They were right. It’s cozy. It’s quaint. And it’s quirky. I love it. Where else can you find DJ Tim Franks teaching line dancing on a Saturday night? Did I mention that there’s no cover charge—even when live music is in the house?

I’m an acoustic junkie. I can listen for hours. Hook me up with a night of music at the Blue Bird Café, and I’ll be your friend for life. The Listening Room in Nashville is also a great venue.

But Nashville is over an hour away. The Brew is just around the corner.

Songwriters Bard Fisher and James Bell perform at Brew's Alley.

I can tell you this. In the last month I’ve had the pleasure of hearing James Bell, Bard Fischer, and Stephenson Road. I’m hoping to catch Fairweather Friends soon. I’ve heard hundreds of top-rate musicians in my life time. These artists found on the Brew’s Alley stage rival many of those found on the Nashville stages.

Don't miss Stephenson Road's next performance at Brew's Alley.

Another reason why I’m keen on The Brew is that it is FAMILY oriented. All ages, young and old, are welcome. That means I won’t feel like some out of place fuddy duddy, and my eleven-year-old son won’t be carded at the door.

I hear Trivia and Karaoke nights pack the house. I’ll have to check them out.

So, yeah, there’s quite the buzz about the quality of entertainment and fun here, but let me tell you about the buzz I enjoy—COFFEE!

Call me a little frou-frou. I can take my coffee black if need be, but when I’m at The Brew I prefer coffee with my chocolate. That’s right. I like mochas. But Mr. Barista himself, Rance Solomon, will prepare your drink the way you like it. It’s delicious local fair trade coffee.

Like many of you, I’m trying to purge myself of this winter weight gain, so I go with skim milk and no whip topping. Hey, chocolate’s supposed to be good for you, right? If you ask me, my little coffee concoction is just the right health food. It satisfies my emotional needs.

The Brew is a coffee shop, not a café, and that’s the way Rebecca intended it. If your appetite is a little more than a drink but not quite a full meal, check out the pastries, the sandwiches, or the soups. As I said before, I’m watching my calorie intake, but should I decide to celebrate my success, I might be tempted to sneak a nibble of one of the delectable brownies.

I am a writer, and when I look for a creative escape, the key word for me is CREATIVE. I ventured out on one of our snow days—yes, it was an adventure. I almost slid into a ditch trying to get there, but thanks to a friendly driver who came along, took my keys, and drove my car up our ice-covered hill, I was able to make it, lap top unharmed.

I found a little table with a lamp and sat down to write. Creativity surrounded me, from the drawings on the wall to the hand-crafted pottery on the tables. And DJ Tim was on hand to loan me some head phones so that I could listen to music online via the FREE Internet access. (And thanks for introducing me to blues artist Gary Moore, Tim. Very cool.)

As I paid for my drink, I noticed another touch of local flavor. More music. Just to the right of the cash register is a basket of CDs, featuring homegrown talents, Trapper Haskins and the Bitter Swill, James Bell, Riley Jackson, and more.  

Call me anytime. I’ll be glad to meet you at The Brew.

All of your "Java Dreams" come true at The Brew.

Limelight

For someone who absolutely hates being in the limelight, I sure did pick the wrong profession.

I am a teacher in a small town. I have taught for many, many, many years. Not only have I had almost every kid in the county in my class, I have also had his mama, his daddy, his sister, his cousin, and his next-door neighbor.

I’m not saying that teachers are treated like celebrities in a small town, but we tend to be “noticed.” It can be rather awkward at times, especially when shopping in the local Walmart.

I was once stalked in the local Walmart—in the underwear aisle. Now before you should think anything weird was going on, let me reassure you that my three stalkers, all students in my newspaper class, thought it funny to see their teacher in this part of the store. I think they were taking a bet on cotton or nylon. (This incident happened YEARS ago.)

I wouldn’t have known if one of them hadn’t confessed the next day. She was practically in tears, describing their devious acts of espionage.

How many times have other incidents like this happened?

The thought scares me. Needless to say, I’m quite cautious now. Even buying toilet paper in public makes me nervous.

You would think we’d get used to it. Everywhere we go, there they are, our students, our watchers. But it’s not all bad. Sometimes when you least expect it, these precious souls have a way of re-appearing, and we get to watch them.

Tonight I planned to head over to a neighboring town to catch my friends play music. One of my former students was in from college, and we thought we’d share a cup of coffee while she caught me up on her plans for her upcoming missionary work and current student teaching. But the place was packed—not a single place to sit.

So we decided to head to another venue known for its great live music. And sure enough, when I walked in the door, I saw familiar faces. But what caught my attention was the two performers. They were fantastic! I looked closer and realized I knew one of the two.

The performer who caught my eye was a former student and a very special friend of our family. I had known him for years. Quiet, unassuming, extremely witty, and multi-talented—these are just a few words that describe him.

I should also add extremely humble.

Up until this point, I wondered if he would ever get the recognition he deserved. An amazing musician from a multi-talented family, he always seemed content playing in the background.

But I always saw something more.

Tonight he took center stage. His voice rang strong and true. His fingers glided effortlessly along the neck of the guitar. Applause boomed after each of his songs. Call me sappy, but finally seeing him get the recognition he deserved brought tears to my eyes.

Our students watch us teachers. They see our every move, note our every mistake. And we teachers see our students. We see their flaws, and we see their potential for success.

Tonight I saw a soul shine. What better reward could a teacher receive?

Cooler than the flip side of my pillow

All right, class. School is back in session. I have to go to bed at reasonable hour tonight. No staying up until 4 a.m., no sleeping in until noon. So, I’m going to make you do a little work for a change. I’ve got a little assignment in creativity for you. I believe in catering to the individual, so I’ll let you choose from three opportunities to express yourself.

1.  Imagine you are the star of your own show, sitcom, drama, romantic comedy, action-adventure. You get the picture. Now imagine you are in control of the soundtrack. What music would play in the background of your life?
2. Not comfortable talking about you? All right then. Many of you are involved in your own writing projects. Tell us a little bit about your characters and the music that fits their lives.
3. Maybe there is a song that takes you back to a certain time, just as Kenny Chesney sings in “I Go Back.” What song holds a special meaning for you? Tell us why.

While you’re at it, add a link to your blog if you like.  Share your talent!

There is nothing that motivates me more than music. In fact, much of my book was dreamed up on road trips with Kenny as I rode shotgun, listening to either country at the Big 98 WSIX or the Rock 105.9, depending on my mood. I like a song that communicates feeling as well as story. I think Taylor Swift does an amazing job of connecting with her audience. She adds that third dimension of imagery, in addition to visual and auditory. She really makes the listener FEEL the emotion.

Okay, I’ll admit it, there’s a minor character in one of her videos that inspired a minor character in my book. I won’t say which one. But her song “Fearless” could easily serve as a theme song for my female lead character, Megan, although I wouldn’t describe Megan as a country music fan. She’s more of an eclectic music fan, focusing primarily on music with a positive message that reflects her Christian beliefs. TJ, the male lead, is a hip hop fan.  Plus, he likes the blues, thanks to his Memphis roots. What do I know about hip hop? Nothing. If I had to choose a song for TJ, I’d choose “Smile” by Uncle Kracker even though TJ is definitely NOT a country music fan. TJ is just the type of guy who would tell the girl of his dreams that she’s “cooler than the flip side” of his pillow.  Yeah, that’s right. TJ possesses the same quirkiness that serves as the backbeat to this song.

It’s too bad that dreams rarely come true over night. If a movie were made of my book, I serendipitously discovered a song that coincidentally complements the theme of my story. If you get a chance, take a moment to listen to the song, not for the sake of my thoughts, but rather for the chance to hear a truly inspiring song with a great message. (Be sure to click on “The Edge.”)

http://www.cherryheartmusic.com/demos.html

So, what are you waiting on? Get to work. Chop, chop.

PS—EDGERS, check your Facebook messages.

Close enough for rock ‘n’ roll

 “If you are not doing what you love, you are wasting your time.”  ~ Billy Joel

Many, many years ago in a galaxy far, far away, I was a very shy and timid little thing who worked really, really hard at holding back an extremely adventurous spirit.  I was the princess of self discipline. I mastered the art of being nondescript, boring and bland.  It’s easy being unnoticed if you put a little effort into it. (If you’re unnoticed, you’ll never have to experience rejection.) I will admit there were times when my corpus collosum had difficulty mediating the arguments between my practical left brain Miss Logic and my creative right brain Miss Impetuous, but it wasn’t always like that.

There was a time when I was a little kid when I was free to be whatever I wanted to be, a writer, a musician, an artist, a photographer. If it had anything to do with creativity, I was into it. I had an unbelievable passion for music. The one thing I wanted most of all was a guitar, and when I discovered my first cheap acoustic under the tree one Christmas morn, I thought my life was complete. My parents found me a guitar teacher, and I learned the fundamentals of…bluegrass. Nope, it wasn’t the rock music I preferred, but it was music. And even today I enjoy bluegrass.

As I became a teenager, I knew very little about God, and I tried to do everything myself. It didn’t take me long to figure out I wasn’t perfect. That’s bad news for a perfectionist. I became very self conscious, and I avoided taking a risk. I wanted to take band and play drums in junior high, but an acquaintance talked me out of it. Miss Logic chimed in. “Why, do you want to do that? Girls can’t be drummers. Act like a lady.” Miss Logic also told me girls don’t play guitar.

By the time I entered high school, I was a closet guitar player and a great admirer of drummers. Miss Logic kept my passion hidden until my senior year until my friends talked me into trying out for the color guard. How the shyest girl in the senior class ever made the flag corps, I’ll never know. But it was serendipitous event because through band I re-discovered music. I also discovered a group of people in a real band (rock and roll….shh, don’t tell Miss Logic), and they let me tag along. One of these rock and rollers even taught me a little bit on guitar and another was so kind to lend me his sticks, and I was forever hooked even though Miss Logic has tried to hold me back ever since.

But the best thing that ever happened was the encouragement of our band director, who could see through my fear to my love of music. During this time we had perhaps the best drummers in all of the world—I still believe that. And every now and then, I would sneak their sticks and mallets and play some of the easier pieces while they were sneaking away into some sort of trouble, which they were prone to do. (Drummers, you gotta love ‘em.) Eventually, however, our director caught on and encouraged me to play. He must have hog-tied Miss Logic so that Miss Impetuous could experience the joy that music brings.

 What is the point of his left brain-right brain rambling, you might ask?

My point is simple. We all have left brain and right brain traits. Far too often, however, we allow our logic and practicality to lord over our creative instincts, and we miss out on of the most wonderful aspects of our human nature. Our Creator made us in His image. There is a creative part within us, and we shouldn’t let fear keep us from enjoying that gift. Fear is NOT from God.

I will forever be grateful to our band director and to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Drum Section for their encouragement. I have never forgotten that feeling, and it has been my mission as a teacher to encourage all my students to explore their talents, to conquer their fears. The best reward a teacher can experience is  to see a student realize his or her own potential.

Though many years have passed since high school, I still hang on to my love of music—and Miss Impetuous still battles with Miss Logic. But I have decided it’s time I walk boldly into the creative unknown and taste what the Lord has in store. In the last month God has placed wonderful people in my life, encouraging me in my love of music and my love of writing. I have tasted, and I can tell you, yes, the Lord is good. So good I can barely comprehend it.

But I also want to say that the key word here is encouragement. I could take this gift of encouragement and just hold on to it. But that’s not how it’s supposed to be. I have to share what has been given to me. My dreams may not come true, at least in the way I imagine, but I know I will always find joy in encouraging others as they purse their dreams.

How about you?