May 21, 2020

Hello Sageheads! 

Miss us?  We miss you!  We’re sorry we dropped off the radar, and yet, of course, we didn’t really go anywhere since COVID19 came to town.  All our gigs were cancelled of course, but still we feel we got off lucky compared to the many thousands of people who have lost their lives, the many more thousands of their surviving family members, those in recovery, people who are still sick or on respirators, and the 30 million people that lost their jobs and the ability to feed their families. 

We wanted to do something to make people feel better, so we created a little “sing along” that we live-streamed on Kathleen’s facebook page. It was called “Live at 5:05 Hold the Phone and Sing Along from Home.” We did it on our front porch. It lasted for about 7 weeks before the well ran dry.   It actually first started at 5 until we realized the Brisbane Shuttle Busses drove by right on schedule at 5:01 and 5:03. We mostly played cover tunes we thought would resonate with the situation and that people could sing or dance along to at home. Most days, there were socially distanced people out in front of our house, sometimes the cops drove by, and there were frequently motorcycles, as well as the relentless Brisbane wind. Every so often props or costumes were involved. It wasn’t really supposed to be about us so we mostly did not do our original tunes and we never pre-recorded anything.  It was just for fun.  

We were sometimes joined by socially distanced neighbor musicians Jerry & Melissa, or Dave & Big Lou. One time the Keller Sisters showed up and sang harmony from the curb on After the Gold Rush. 

We thought you might be amused by our song selection. Most of them are posted on Kathleen’s facebook page, and a select few are on the Flying Salvias facebook page, too.   You can view a "highlight reel" of some of the tunes here.

March 16         You Are My Sunshine (Davis/Mitchell 1939) 

March 17         When Irish Eyes are Smiling (Olcott/Graff/Ball 1912) 

March 18         Dairy Queen and Beer (ours) 

March 19         Happy Song  (ours) 

March 21         Puff the Magic Dragon – with Jerry & Melissa (Peter, Paul & Mary) 

                        Get Together – with Jerry & Melissa (Yongbloods) 

March 22         Three Little Birds (Bob Marley) 

March 23         Let It Be (Beatles) 

March 24         Lean on Me (Bill Withers) 

March 26         I Been Working on the Railroad (traditional) 

March 27         Rocket Man (Elton John) 

March 28         Oh, Wayne (ours) 

March 29         Sleepy Armadillo (ours) 

March 30         Spanish Pipedream (John Prine) 

March 31         Mambo Italiano (Rosemary Clooney) 

April 1             Nyquil Blues (Alvin Crow) 

April 2             Antontonilco (Flaco Jimenez) 

April 3             Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond) 

April 4             I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor) 

April 5             Alcohol (Kinks) 

April 6             She Don’t Worry (ours) 

April 7             Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) 

April 8             Holding Things Together (Merle Haggard) 

April 9             Living on a Prayer  (Bon Jovi) 

April 10           Will the Circle Be Unbroken (everybody who ever played in a country band) 

April 11           Ripple (Grateful Dead) 

April 12           Someday Soon (Ian Tyson) 

April 13           Freebird (Lynrd Skynrd) 

April 14           White Rabbit  (Airplane) 

April 15           Happy Together (Turtles) 

April 16           Different Drum (Linda Ronstadt) 

April 17           Living in America (James Brown) 

April 18           The Happy Song (Pharrel Williams) 

April 19           Bobby McGee (Kris Kristofferson) 

April 21           No, No, a Thousand Times No (1930’s melodrama) 

April 22           Dave and Lou – Woolly Bully, Beer Barrel Polka 

April 23           Ain’t Got No Home (Clarence “Frogman” Henry) 

April 24           Bohemian Rhapsody redux 

April 25           Without You (Nillson) 

April 27           Subterranean Homesick Blues (Dylan) 

April 28           After the Gold Rush (Neil Young) 

April 29           Blind Man’s Bluff (ours) 

April 30           Stand By Me (a lot of people) 

May 2              Witchdoctor (David Seville & The Chipmunks) 

May 3              Why Get Up? (Mavericks) 

May 4              Breaking the Law (Judas Priest) 

May 5              How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away? (Dan Hicks) 

May 6              Down to Seeds and Stems Again Blues (Commander Cody) 

May 7              I’ll Be Your Mirror/Love is All Around (Velvet Underground & Nico/Troggs) 

May 10            To Where You Are (Josh Groban) 

We’re thinking of starting up again soon, improving on the sound, and making the stream available by other means than facebook, but the focus will still be on one song a day aimed at making you happy or comforted.  We just want to do something to connect us all, a pleasant diversion, a way to go someplace for a few minutes without getting in the car….  We’ll save our concertizing until such time as we can all be together in the same room again.  For now, stay healthy, keep calm, and know that we miss you.  We’ll be back in touch soon. 

Kathleen & Henry 

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