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July 2012 - Anne Feeney's Fellow Travelers' Advisory - VOLUME EIGHT #1
Welcome to the July Fellow Travelers' Advisory!
If you'd like to have it delivered directly to your email inbox, visit https://annefeeney.com/newsletter.html
If you'd like to buy or download some CDs or single songs, you can get them by calling 1-800-BUY-MY-CD or clicking on https://cdbaby.com/all/unionmaid
My official website is https://annefeeney.com
IMMEDIATE DESTINATIONS:
Gavle, Sweden
Malmo, Sweden
Copenhagen (Valby), Denmark
Virksund Festival Nordjylland, Denmark
Hordrum, Denmark
Svendborg, Denmark
Stockholm, Sweden
Pittsburgh
State College, Pennsylvania
Seattle (I hope)
Sidney, BC
Victoria, BC
Vancouver, BC
Burnaby, BC
Bellingham, WA
Complete information at https://annefeeney.com/calendar.html and https://www.facebook.com/groups/41333373696/
THE HARD TRAVELIN' TOUR - 3000 miles, 20 shows, 20 days, 3 birthdays, 1 picket line
On June 27th I flew from Pittsburgh to San Francisco. I was so full of energy and excited. The three hour flight delay didn't dim my enthusiasm. When I arrived at SFO 3 hours late and my luggage wasn't there, I was little peevish. By the time the luggage arrived, an hour and a half later (1:30 am), I was able to trudge over to the car rental counter and pick up the car. For the past month I'd been mailing packages to my pal Amy Newell in Watsonville - camping gear, a 40 x 44" box with a cot and the signs we made on Earth Day with the chorus of "This Land is Your Land" letters on it, lots of CDs, DVDs, music boxes, IWW schwag, and 100 tee shirts and size 24-month baby onesies. Amy assured me that the three of us weren't going to fit in any car with all this gear, but the van upgrade was an extra $375... bringing the auto rental to $2000+. Then I got to drive 90 minutes to Watsonville through a construction labyrinth that felt like a crazy video game. Even at 1:30AM I had a great visit with my friend Amy Newell. The next day we devoted to whale watching - breathtaking! Lots of humpbacks and dolphins. To finish the day we folded, sized and bagged 130 tee shirts. What a pal.
All our shows were wonderful. Terrific folks, no audience disappointingly small, the venues lovely, hosts and producers all outstanding. Taking a trio on the road for three weeks is pretty risky financially. I knew if I sold all the tees that we'd be okay, but as it turns out, I still have plenty (too many) tour shirts left, so I'm going to have a big tour schwag sale.
Surely y'all know a baby who'd love to be soiling this oh-so-soft onesie! and s/he can show off her sophisticated musical taste at the same time!
I still have a dozen of these adorable onesies, all size 24 mos. I sold them on tour for $20 - You can get one now for $15 including shipping! Send a check to Anne Feeney, 2240 Milligan Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218. or you can use paypal to [email protected].
And I made two adult shirts. Both men and women will look snazzy in this brown tee with gold lettering - on the back, in black, are all the tour dates of the "Hard Travelin' Tour." You can vicariouly
support the tour and also have a very esoteric folksy keepsake! I have 30 Medium, 48 large, 18 XL and 2 XL shirts.
And especially for all my women pals I've got the Fallopians 4:13 shirt in hot pink with black lettering.
I have 6 medium, 18 large, and 14 xlarge on hand (I'm considering ordering more, and also reversing the colors - i.e. black shirt with pink lettering)
The shirts were selling for $20, but I'll sell them now at 2 for $20 (one for $15) and I'll throw in the postage!
Anne Feeney
2240 Milligan Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
or Paypal to [email protected]
The tour looked like it might be grounded. I woke up in my tent at 5:30AM on July 15th too weak to get off my cot, but with searing pain in my back and intense nausea. By 7AM I figured out I had passed a kidney stone. By 10AM I was feeling a little better, so I cleaned up and the three of us rode over to the Hoarse Chorale Stage at Oregon Country Fair and turned in our last set of the festival to an enthusiastic crowd. I retired to my cot afterward and Mark and Adam got to enjoy the last night of the Fair.
As we're walking, she looks at my blood pressure on the monitor (see above) and she says, "Can we go back to your room now? I've never seen anyone with blood pressure like that standing up." (The nurses there were amazing... and they had been working without a contract since June 30). It became apparent we weren't going to be sleeping in Black Butte that night. I called Ron and told him with great regret that we wouldn't be in Black Butte on the 16th or Reno on the 17th. The Reno show was probably going to be our most successful event -the IWW folks there are fabulous and we even had a film crew lined up to do a video.
Even though there was no way to do Reno, I had my heart set on making it to San Francisco for Labor Fest on the 18th - the last gig of the tour. And we did it. We drove 8 1/2 hours (528 miles) and then did our show.
EARTH DAY 2012 VIDEO OF "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND"
The final Earth Day 2012 video is edited and up on Youtube. It's very sweet. Thanks to Hali Hammer for dreaming up this project, making it happen, and following it through!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hGGf7G9W_s&feature=player_embedded#!
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Please hold my cousin Terry Riley McCahill and my friends Karen Brandow and Jerry Tucker in your hearts and thoughts. Terry and Karen have both had major surgery, and Jerry has just completed a grueling radiation regimen.
My daughter's wedding plans are moving along. She and Mike Meadows will tie the knot on December 15th. You can peek at the plans at https://amysueandmiketietheknot.com
FRIDAY'S LABOR FOLKLORE
I know your inboxes are full to bursting, but for me, Friday wouldn't be Friday without Saul Schniderman's "Friday Labor Folklore." Saul (aka Con Carbon) won the Joe Hill award this year (and deservedly so!). He's a real labor history buff - It was in one of Saul's Friday posts I got to hear the voice of Mother Jones. Sometimes moving, sometimes hilarious, sometimes thought-provoking - but always short and to the point!
You can subscribe by sending an email to Saul with "subscribe" in the subject line mailto:[email protected]
I promised I'd get this out by midnight so I can send you another newsletter from Sweden in August.
Happy Summer. This issue marks the beginning of my eighth year sending out the Fellow Travelers' Advisory. I've sent it out in sickness and in health, richer and poorer (this time poorer!) I hope you enjoy the newsletter. Drop me a line and tell me what you'd like to see here.
You can still donate to my recovery fund. I hate to come to you again, but I need to. August is the beginning of my benefits year with my health insurance. The next $2500 in health care expenses come out of my pocket. It's been two years since I've come to you for financial help. Honestly, I was pretty sure I'd be dead by now. It seemed inevitable. Now that I'm a medical "anomaly," "outlier," - I'm hoping to be able to be a respectable mother of the bride and to meet all my other obligations. So far, my last two tours ended with hospital stays. I'm going to keep trying, but I still need your help. There aren't enough words to thank you for all your past support, and if you can't help this time, I totally understand. Once again, please don't send me more than $50 ... I don't want to become anyone's dependent, I just need a little help.
Love and solidarity
Anne
If you'd like to have it delivered directly to your email inbox, visit https://annefeeney.com/newsletter.html
If you'd like to buy or download some CDs or single songs, you can get them by calling 1-800-BUY-MY-CD or clicking on https://cdbaby.com/all/unionmaid
My official website is https://annefeeney.com
IMMEDIATE DESTINATIONS:
Gavle, Sweden
Malmo, Sweden
Copenhagen (Valby), Denmark
Virksund Festival Nordjylland, Denmark
Hordrum, Denmark
Svendborg, Denmark
Stockholm, Sweden
Pittsburgh
State College, Pennsylvania
Seattle (I hope)
Sidney, BC
Victoria, BC
Vancouver, BC
Burnaby, BC
Bellingham, WA
Complete information at https://annefeeney.com/calendar.html and https://www.facebook.com/groups/41333373696/
 |
| Performing "I Ain't Got No Home in This World Any More/Grapes of Wrath" at the 2012 Oregon County Fair L-R (Harry Levine, bass; Adam Moss, violin; Chris Chandler, poet; Anne Feeney, guitar |
On June 27th I flew from Pittsburgh to San Francisco. I was so full of energy and excited. The three hour flight delay didn't dim my enthusiasm. When I arrived at SFO 3 hours late and my luggage wasn't there, I was little peevish. By the time the luggage arrived, an hour and a half later (1:30 am), I was able to trudge over to the car rental counter and pick up the car. For the past month I'd been mailing packages to my pal Amy Newell in Watsonville - camping gear, a 40 x 44" box with a cot and the signs we made on Earth Day with the chorus of "This Land is Your Land" letters on it, lots of CDs, DVDs, music boxes, IWW schwag, and 100 tee shirts and size 24-month baby onesies. Amy assured me that the three of us weren't going to fit in any car with all this gear, but the van upgrade was an extra $375... bringing the auto rental to $2000+. Then I got to drive 90 minutes to Watsonville through a construction labyrinth that felt like a crazy video game. Even at 1:30AM I had a great visit with my friend Amy Newell. The next day we devoted to whale watching - breathtaking! Lots of humpbacks and dolphins. To finish the day we folded, sized and bagged 130 tee shirts. What a pal.
All our shows were wonderful. Terrific folks, no audience disappointingly small, the venues lovely, hosts and producers all outstanding. Taking a trio on the road for three weeks is pretty risky financially. I knew if I sold all the tees that we'd be okay, but as it turns out, I still have plenty (too many) tour shirts left, so I'm going to have a big tour schwag sale.
Surely y'all know a baby who'd love to be soiling this oh-so-soft onesie! and s/he can show off her sophisticated musical taste at the same time!
 |
| In the bright sun on my deck the light plays tricks |
 |
| this more closely represents the colors |
And I made two adult shirts. Both men and women will look snazzy in this brown tee with gold lettering - on the back, in black, are all the tour dates of the "Hard Travelin' Tour." You can vicariouly
support the tour and also have a very esoteric folksy keepsake! I have 30 Medium, 48 large, 18 XL and 2 XL shirts.
And especially for all my women pals I've got the Fallopians 4:13 shirt in hot pink with black lettering.
I have 6 medium, 18 large, and 14 xlarge on hand (I'm considering ordering more, and also reversing the colors - i.e. black shirt with pink lettering)
The shirts were selling for $20, but I'll sell them now at 2 for $20 (one for $15) and I'll throw in the postage!
Money laundering...
Making matters a little more complicated, I accidentally laundered (and ruined) all the checks we received between July 11th and July 15th. The Fair has already replaced our paychecks, but if you wrote us a check between July 11th and 15th, please look to see if it was cashed. We could really use the replacement checks. If you wrote us a check (or even if you didn't ;-}) please send a check to:Anne Feeney
2240 Milligan Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
or Paypal to [email protected]
The tour looked like it might be grounded. I woke up in my tent at 5:30AM on July 15th too weak to get off my cot, but with searing pain in my back and intense nausea. By 7AM I figured out I had passed a kidney stone. By 10AM I was feeling a little better, so I cleaned up and the three of us rode over to the Hoarse Chorale Stage at Oregon Country Fair and turned in our last set of the festival to an enthusiastic crowd. I retired to my cot afterward and Mark and Adam got to enjoy the last night of the Fair.
July 16th
On Monday morning I wasn't feeling as improved as I had hoped I would, and we made tracks to the home of my dear friends, Madalyn and Bliss. Our original plan was to do laundry, nap, and drive to Ron Kaminkow's Hobos' and Railroaders' Camp in Black Butte to spend the night, something we were all looking forward to. Once I got to Madalyn's and laid down for an hour, I got up to go to the bathroom and suddenly I was so weak I couldn't stand up, or even crawl. Over the next few hours I laid on Madalyn's bathroom floor moving in and out of consciousness. Somehow I summoned the strength to get to the top of the stairs and get Madalyn's attention. She rushed to help me, I ended up in an ambulance and was admitted straight to the ICU. After 4 liters of IV fluids and medication to raise my blood pressure I felt a little better and asked the nurse if we could go for a little walk. 
As we're walking, she looks at my blood pressure on the monitor (see above) and she says, "Can we go back to your room now? I've never seen anyone with blood pressure like that standing up." (The nurses there were amazing... and they had been working without a contract since June 30). It became apparent we weren't going to be sleeping in Black Butte that night. I called Ron and told him with great regret that we wouldn't be in Black Butte on the 16th or Reno on the 17th. The Reno show was probably going to be our most successful event -the IWW folks there are fabulous and we even had a film crew lined up to do a video.
Even though there was no way to do Reno, I had my heart set on making it to San Francisco for Labor Fest on the 18th - the last gig of the tour. And we did it. We drove 8 1/2 hours (528 miles) and then did our show.
EARTH DAY 2012 VIDEO OF "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND"
The final Earth Day 2012 video is edited and up on Youtube. It's very sweet. Thanks to Hali Hammer for dreaming up this project, making it happen, and following it through!
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
 |
| My wonderful cousin Erin Brown's wedding to Kevin Stock in Brooklyn two weeks ago! I went from San Francisco straight to the wedding, and had a wonderful weekend with all my cousins. |
 |
| my wonderful Eugene host, Madalyn Patterson |
Please hold my cousin Terry Riley McCahill and my friends Karen Brandow and Jerry Tucker in your hearts and thoughts. Terry and Karen have both had major surgery, and Jerry has just completed a grueling radiation regimen.
My daughter's wedding plans are moving along. She and Mike Meadows will tie the knot on December 15th. You can peek at the plans at https://amysueandmiketietheknot.com
Birthdays
Suzanne Beers, Jul 3; Patrick Mitchell, Jul 3; Michael Grefenstette, Jul 8; Kristen Grefenstette, Jul 9; Judy Lane McCahill, Jul 10; Duncan Triplets, Jul 16; Erin Grefenstette, July 18th; Monique Murad, Jul 23; Hilary Chiz, Jul 23; Jim McCahill and Karen McCahill, July 25; Susan Lewis, Jul 27, Marlo Mary Henninger, Jul 30;Jeanne Clark and Steffi Domike, Aug 4;Cathy Weldon, Aug 7;Judy Wolfson, Aug 10;Janet Stecher, Aug 12; Julius Margolin remembered, Aug 16; Gun Magnusson Forsberg, Aug 16; Windy Cooler, Aug 28; Jonas Engstrom, August 31FRIDAY'S LABOR FOLKLORE
I know your inboxes are full to bursting, but for me, Friday wouldn't be Friday without Saul Schniderman's "Friday Labor Folklore." Saul (aka Con Carbon) won the Joe Hill award this year (and deservedly so!). He's a real labor history buff - It was in one of Saul's Friday posts I got to hear the voice of Mother Jones. Sometimes moving, sometimes hilarious, sometimes thought-provoking - but always short and to the point!
You can subscribe by sending an email to Saul with "subscribe" in the subject line mailto:[email protected]
A PERSONAL APPEAL
Happy Summer. This issue marks the beginning of my eighth year sending out the Fellow Travelers' Advisory. I've sent it out in sickness and in health, richer and poorer (this time poorer!) I hope you enjoy the newsletter. Drop me a line and tell me what you'd like to see here.
You can still donate to my recovery fund. I hate to come to you again, but I need to. August is the beginning of my benefits year with my health insurance. The next $2500 in health care expenses come out of my pocket. It's been two years since I've come to you for financial help. Honestly, I was pretty sure I'd be dead by now. It seemed inevitable. Now that I'm a medical "anomaly," "outlier," - I'm hoping to be able to be a respectable mother of the bride and to meet all my other obligations. So far, my last two tours ended with hospital stays. I'm going to keep trying, but I still need your help. There aren't enough words to thank you for all your past support, and if you can't help this time, I totally understand. Once again, please don't send me more than $50 ... I don't want to become anyone's dependent, I just need a little help.
Love and solidarity
Anne
THE TOUR
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