Almost Country Music

October 31st, 2008 by JudyLynn

Howdy,

I went down to East Dixfield,Maine to Larry Bisbee’s Countryfolk Music Theater on Wensday to see what projects he is now working on. Wow!!! He truely is fixing his place to look like a country village . I was very impressed. He has lots more to do but I could share in his vision while I visited with him.

One new thing he has added is “The Rockhound Cafe”.  You see, one thing he is very interested in is prescious gems and mineral rocks. Being so close to where gold was panned and rocks were mined it makes sence to me that folk driving through on Rt. 2 would be very interested to stop by and see what his place is all about.  He almost always has the coffee pot on and loves visiters. When there, you feel the pressures of life just melt away.

His writers cabin, the Pen-Aw-Tha  is taking on a new look. I can not do it justice by trying to discribe it. I do know that next summer I hope to book a 3 day period to lock myself away there and write. It is still a work in progress and in the winter months constrution comes to a halt.

Just so you (the reader) understands, this project is not a big production. It is one man with the “dream and the drive”  to get and keep youth of Maine interested in the Maine way of life and encourage them to pursue their dreams in country music. He also encourages “seasoned singers” like myself, who likes to sing but was held back by differant circumstance in life. I can say that for me, while I was there 2 years ago nearly each week-end singing , I felt more alive than I had felt for years. Altho my first love is singing for, to and about my Lord Jesus as part of the trio “Serenity,The National Hobo Gosple Singers, singing solo for fun about situations in ones life, good or bad, for entertainment is a whole new experiance. Scares the day lights out of me but sure is fun! As the name of my site suggests, I am “almost country music” but not quite. The president of the Maine Songwriters Association told me he does not know what to call my style other than good. He said it is almost country. Whatever it is, it is me.

I hope this input encourages those of you who can, to visit Larry, down there in East Dixfield. Share a cup of coffee and a song. You won’t be sorry.

JudyLynn

October 30th, 2008 by JudyLynn

It seems to me that I wake in the morning with a new song in my heart. I just want to grab my guitar and note book and pen and start writing. Then I get out of bed. Five cats greet me at my bed room door meowing their fool heads off. So it is feeding time right off. Then of course there is the litter box. I live in town therefore my cats are indoor cats. They are not all thrilled about that but I can not bare the thought of finding any of them dead in the road. If the traffic flow would go the speed limit then I would reconsider. 25  miles an hour gives them a chance to scat! 45 gives them a chance to die! Then after the cats are tended to I tend to me. Then I need to tend to house hold matters. I get so busy tending to what screams at me I rarely have the chance to sit and write. I can not give it my full attention. When I go to the “Pen-Aw-Tha” in East Dixfield, Maine,I am closed off to the demands of my life and the song lyrics flow. I am happy and free to be expressive. I like it! Are my songs “top notch?” Well, I do not have an answer to that other than ‘if songs are an expression of the inner person” then I think I have a shot!  I am very interested in how other song writers find their time to write. Tell me your story.

JudyLynn 

October 26th, 2008 by JudyLynn

Traveling the states when my son was young, we went coast to coast at least three times. We had some experiences that were grand! One was a stop at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where I got myself a job at the Whistle Stop cafe in Dolly Wood. Un-fortunately the job lasted only 3 days for me for I got very sick and had to get done. But in that time I saw Dolly! As sick as I was , I did not want to go to the concert she gave to her employers, but I knew that when I felt better I would hate myself for not going. So I went. My oldest son was on the road with me that time as well as  my youngest. My oldest worked at the 50’s restaurant in Dolly Wood  so he was at the concert with me. I told him ”I will not be cheering  or anything when Dolly comes out.I feel to sick.” Hah! As soon as she came out I was overcome with the excitement and was on my feet screaming ‘WE LOVE YOU DOLLY!!!” I nearly knocked myself out! My gosh …was I glad  I went! After her concert she had group pictures taken. I never got my copy for they figured I was not there long enough to deserve the postage ..perhaps. My son got his photo tho.  It was a thrill to meet her. She is so beautiful! What tiny little hands she has! I was so shocked. Don’t worry…I was not contagious.

Anyway, our stay there was nice and it was a good experiance for me and my boys.  Their step father was with us, but that came to a stop very abruptly at the Eagles Nest Camp Ground, in Pigeon Forge. It was for the best for all of us. Many blessings come disguised as sorrowful things in our lives sometimes.

One place I would have liked to have gone to while in Pigeon Forge was the theater there on the strip where there are many country singers and talent shows and such things. I think that would have been much fun to have seen.  Perhaps some day.

We had been in Pigeon Forge two differant times. One of the times I worked at Burger King.I can not say that was fun. Oh my goodness! It was so busy all the time I never got one break untill my 3rd week there. Because no one was available to get my 50 pound box of burgers from the freezer, I got them myself. Against the policy guess but hey…people were hungry and workers were few. Later that day the boss came out. This was the first time I met him. He apologized for that but he was far to  busy to be concerned about meeting the new girl in town. Ha ha   He said I looked un-comfortable. I was !  I told him why. He told me to go take a break and did not want to see me for 15 minutes. See, I hurt my back on the 50 pound box of burgers. The next day I could barely move.  So my job for the king did not last long.

Do you have any Pigeon Forge experiances you would like to tell me about?  I would love to read them.

Thanks and I will write more later on.

October 26th, 2008 by JudyLynn

I awoke this morning with the song of Johnny Cash  I Walk The Line running thru my mind. Then I got thinking a very unusual thought. Therefore I thought I would ask opinions about it. Here is the allegory:

I am walking on a fence between good and evil and it is my choice which way I fall.  My silly question is this.  What side of the fence would the general public think of as the good side? The left or the right? Please tell me what you think.

Thank you, it is things such as this that new songs are written from. Hee Hee

JudyLynn

October 23rd, 2008 by JudyLynn

Howdy…..fall is here and time has come to get ready for the cold winter days and nights.  The time for song writers to put their mufflers on and sit with pen and paper and perhaps guitar or whatever instrument you play, and start working on new songs from the heart. I am hoping to work on a few new tunes this year. I also am hoping to learn a few licks on my banjo. I have had it for a few months now and have not had time to learn anything on it. 

One thing I hope to do at some point is get involved with the  Maine Song Writer’s Association. I think they would be helpful and encouraging. They have a lot of talented  people with them. I have heard some of them while in East Dixfield for the writers work shop. It was fun.  I do not know the last place they met for I was out of state .  One can get on line and join with them and get updates on all the things Maine song writers have to offer.

 As I have written before, I am part of  Serenity, The National Hobo Gospel Singers,that goes to Hobo gatherings across the state. We have lost many Hobo friends this year and there are many broken hearts. For  those of you who would like to know more about the Hobo family go to  Fran’sHoboPage If this does not open for you please let me know.

Have any of you reading this ever met Rik (Totum Pole) Palieri? He is not full country but more of a folk I guess you could say. He is good and travels abroad. He recently returned home from South America. Argentina! Wow is all I can say about that. He also goes to Hobo gatherings and the National Hobo Convention in Britt Iowa.

My friend Larry Bisbee from the Countryfolk Music Theater is soon heading est for the winter. Oh how I envy him. Well, not really but to be out of the cold..oh yes! He winters there and comes home with the birds.  I am planning on singing more there in East Dixfield, Maine this next year more than I had the chance to this year. I hope the gas prices continue to decrease so that traveling is not so costly. For a starving artist gasoline costs can be an issue.

Well, Sometime soon I am hopeing to put a vidio on here of my own. I do not know when however. These things do take some time.

Please let me know you read this by leaving a message. Thank you.

JudyLynn