Earlier this month, I posted a quick news item about STORY LAURIE, and some free tracks that were made available for download from her new GROOVIN’ IN THE GARDEN album. After running that item, Laurie McIntosh got in touch and we exchanged some emails… and then a package arrived here last Friday. Inside that package was a CD, a nice note, and a packet of special seeds.
When I added my Gardening Blog to The Rock Father™ site, a few people didn’t really get it. By now, it should make sense to all. I honestly can’t think of two things that I’d rather share with my children than music and gardening, and there’s plenty of parents out there that feel the same way.
Receiving an album in the mail is a pretty frequent (near daily) occurrence here at Rock Father HQ, but receiving seeds in the mail along with an album? That hasn’t happened until now. But there they were, wrapped in purple construction paper with a note:
“Mandan Bride Heirloom Corn Seed – Given to me at a potluck dinner/jam with Pete Seeger, from a woman who lived on a ‘commune’ in the Woodstock area. Please plant, or share w/someone who will!”
On the back it read “No GMO here!”
I couldn’t resist. So I planted a dozen of them that very night. With Organic Jiffy Mix, I started some of the seeds.
Not even five days later and the first sprouts have emerged…
So we’ll have a small block of Mandan Bride Corn out in the garden very soon. This is an “Indian Corn” often used for decoration, but it’s said to make great flour and meal. I need to find someone locally that grinds there own. This is pretty awesome, so thanks to Laurie for sending these our way.
As for the album?
STORIE LAURIE AND FRIENDS’ GROOVIN’ IN THE GARDEN is a really good record. Produced by Dean Jones of DOG ON FLEAS (check out their new music video!), there’s a surprising French-Cajun jazz vibe happening here – something that weaves throughout the album like a connecting thread, emerging fully on “L’Alphabet.” I wasn’t expecting that from an album with roots in the Catskill Mountains, but surprises are good. My wife and I both having spent time studying French, and eventually bestowing our first daughter with both first and middle names from French ‘Lore, the “French connection” of GROOVIN’ is appreciated. The entire 16-track affair clocks in around 35-minutes, making for a well-paced album that avoids the bloat factor.
Thematically, ‘GROOVIN is about Community Gardening, and there’s plenty here to pique the interest of the little ones. “Homegrown Tomatoes,” “Wonderful Wiggly Worms” (my daughter actually carried on a conversation with an earthworm today), and the title track (which features Laurie’s husband Ira, as does “Sandcakes”) are great for moving and shaking.
Now I need to get one of those wireless speaker systems for my Garden, though.
The Rock Father™ Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
