http://andinaandrich.com/blog.html Andina and Rich: Blog Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Thu, 10 Mar 2011 10:47:51 -0800 http://andinaandrich.com/blog.html/making_a_joyful_noise_for_justice I’ve been doing what I could by remote control. I’ve been passing along information from one sub-group of protesters to another and trying to help keep them in contact with one another in the hope that what little I could do would help to create a more focused and powerful effort for the whole. It has troubled me that I could not do more. I felt as though I was missing a great moment in history.
While driving home last night I got a call from my wife, Ingrid Fances Stark. She has been on the Square through most of the past few weeks. She was out there last night to protest against the idiotic and illegal end run that the State Senate had tried to make around the Wisconsin 14. She called me to tell me that she might not be home when I arrived. She also told me about the motorcade around the Square. When she said that I knew that, although I had driven that far from Wauseon, Ohio yesterday, I had a bit more driving to do before my own arrival at home.
By the time I arrived Uptown the motorcade had been moved from the Square to the Outer Ring. People were driving in a huge circle honking out the rhythm of the statement “This is what Democracy looks like.”
“Honk, Honk, Honk, Ha-Honk, Ha-Honk, Honk, Honk!” is how it sounded. When I arrived on the Outer ring the car horns were a cacophony. As we all pulled up to the first stoplight the sound evolved into a wonderful call-and-response pattern.

One horn would sound, “Honk, Honk, Honk, Ha-Honk, Ha-Honk, Honk, Honk!”
Dozens would respond, “Honk, Honk, Honk, Ha-Honk, Ha-Honk, Honk, Honk!”

As traffic moved on the honking would again dissipate into cacophony only to reorganize at the next stoplight.

One horn would sound, “Honk, Honk, Honk, Ha-Honk, Ha-Honk, Honk, Honk!”
Dozens would respond, “Honk, Honk, Honk, Ha-Honk, Ha-Honk, Honk, Honk!”

At times I was the caller. At others I was part of the response. It didn’t matter which. If one caller missed the cue there was always someone ready to jump in. We were all making a Joyful Noise for Justice! That was what was important.
I’ll be at the rally surrounding the State Assembly’s hearings @ 9:00am. The battle isn’t over. The Political Right is busy waging this war against us in many other states the worst and most draconian of which is in Michigan. The link below will explain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53BkWfyb9n0
The one thing that I have been telling people as I have traveled in recent weeks is that I have never been prouder of the State of Wisconsin and its people than I have been since this all began last month. I tickled that I am finally able to be an active part of it. Better late than never, I suppose. This whole effort proves what was written on a sign held by one of the protesters in Michigan.
“Divided we beg. United We DEMAND!”

Solidarity Forever!
Stephen Lee Rich]]> http://andinaandrich.com/blog.html/making_a_joyful_noise_for_justice Thu, 10 Mar 2011 10:47:51 -0800 Family-Friendly Americana and Comedy - Andina and Rich - Blog http://andinaandrich.com/blog.html/the_national_anthem Ms. Aguilera is not the first singer to stylize our National Anthem half to death nor is she likely to be the last. Over the years we have all heard singers run that song through vocalizations which, if translated into physical action, could turn an Olympic Gymnast inside-out. That has become the way of these things. Those events that still present the National Anthem at all do so by hiring one singer perform it.
Is it just us or does this practice defy the very nature of such a song? When was the last time that you attended or watched an event in which EVERYONE stood up and sang the Star Spangled Banner together? Isn’t that the point of such a thing as a national anthem? Isn’t its purpose to have us all rise and express collective pride in our country; to, for that one moment, loudly proclaim that despite our diversities of language, cultures, and ideas that we are one people as Americans (or, at least, hope that we can live as one people)? Does that one moment not in some way make us feel more united as part of a greater whole? Do we not, as a group, experience what patriotism truly is; the pride in the power of the collective soul of a nations citizens?
What does it say about us, as a culture and as a country, that we are perfectly willing to let someone else take our hope for and pride in our nation and bury it beneath their vocal gymnastics?
We don’t claim to have any answers. We're entertainers not a social scientists or philosophers. We're just asking out loud the questions that occur to us every time someone like Ms. Aguilera sings that song.

Be well,
Sandy Andina
and
Stephen Lee Rich]]> http://andinaandrich.com/blog.html/the_national_anthem Thu, 10 Feb 2011 02:20:20 -0800 Family-Friendly Americana and Comedy - Andina and Rich - Blog http://andinaandrich.com/blog.html/what_a_summer It’s been an interesting summer, so far; full of touring, a new CD, knee surgery, and radio comedy.
Knee surgery? Yes, Sandy’s knee went wonky on her just after we came back from Hays, KS. She had the procedure done last week and is recovering swiftly. She is slowly beginning to brave stairways again. She’ll be fine by the time we get to our big event later this month.
BIG EVENT? Yes, we have finally done it! Our new CD, “Two Guitars, A Dulcimer, and an Attitude”, is ready to roll. We’ll be holding our Wisconsin CD Release Party on August 12th. Here’s all the info:
CD Release Party
Brink Lounge 701 E. Washington Madison, WI
Thursday August 12th
Showtime: 7:00pm
Cover: $10.00 (it includes a copy of the new CD)
If you bought a copy of the CD in advance, bring it with you. We’ll waive the cover. If you bought a copy of “Appetizers” (The sampler of six songs from the new CD), bring it with you. We’ll cut the cover in half.
We’ll have special guests Norm Siegel on bass, Julia McConahay on fiddle, and Nancy Rost on keyboards.
The CD is now available at CD Baby.com. You can get the CD itself or download it at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/andinaandrich .
For our friends in Chicago, Sandy is beating the bushes to find a venue for a Chicago area CD Release Party. We’ll tell you the details when we’ve got them nailed down.
Allright! Enough ad copy! News Time!
We’ve had one heck of a busy summer. We’ve been touring from Minocqua, WI to Hays, KS. Here’s some of the highlights:
Woolpy House in Minocqua, WI
We stood out on a dock singing to several tourboats full of people. It was great fun. Tara and Jerry, who run this occasional house concert series, were wonderful hosts and treated us like family. We thank them for their kindness and hospitality. We’ll post some pictures of it on the website soon (including pictures of Jerry passing the tip jar to the tourboats from a kayak).
The French Market in Lisle, IL
This is an outdoor farmers’ market that happens every Saturday near the train station in downtown Lisle, IL. Somebody there had corn that was so sweet you could eat it raw. It was raining when we started and clear but very hot by the time we finished. We had a wonderful time anyway.
Café Semolino in Hays, KS
Café Semolino is a lovely little place in, we happy to say, thriving downtown Hays, KS. Several of Stephen Lee’s relatives came up from Witchtah (and a couple all the way from Oklahoma) to see the show.
We’re looking forward to getting back out that way next Spring.
KOPN 89.5 FM in Columbia, MO
We made a stop, on our way back north, to make some music on KOPN’s “Sunday Morning Coffeehouse” (9:00am-noon on KOPN) program. We talked, laughed with host, Steve Jerrett, and even did a live version of Stephen Lee’s weekly comedy show “Penguin Shoeshine Theater”.
“Penguin Shoeshine Theater” (PST)? That’s the new, weekly, three-minute comedy spot that Stephen Lee does every week as feature of “Sunday Morning Coffehouse” on KOPN 89.5 FM in Columbia, MO. PST comes on at about 10:00am. But, you just might want to listen to Steve Jerret’s whole show. He has great taste in music (we’re not just saying that because he plays us). The program can be heard each Sunday on line at http://kopn.org/ You can hear one or two individual episodes anytime on Stephen Lee’s website at http://www.stephenleerich.com/music.html
One other thing. We’re planning a tour around the East Coast and place near it in late February and early March. We’ll be starting in Pittsburgh and going from there. We’ll post the details as we get them.
More later.
Be well.
Sandy Andina and Stephen Lee Rich

http://www.andinaandrich.com]]> http://andinaandrich.com/blog.html/what_a_summer Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:56:49 -0700 Family-Friendly Americana and Comedy - Andina and Rich - Blog