Writing these weekly columns is really a 3-step process. Step 1: Identify a subject individual who contributes to the creative fabric of our town, musically, artistically, or just intrinsically. Step 2: Interview the person, preferably in person but over the phone in a pinch. Step 3: Write the column and submit it to my editor at the Courier.
Believe it or not, Step 1 is by far the most difficult part of the process. This week’s column marks Number 358, so finding someone new and interesting is sometimes a challenge. Don’t get me wrong, we have probably several thousand cool folks who would merit a good story. It’s just not always easy to find them. (If you have a cool idea for a column, hit me up at [email protected].)
So a couple weeks ago, I’m sitting at Analog Coffee getting ready for an interview subject to show up for a chat. I’m having a nice coffee and talking to the barista as I wait. And then I get a text from my subject that they have car trouble and can’t make it. I’m lamenting out loud, disappointed about the lost story … when I hear a voice from a neighboring table.
“You know, I used to be in the music promotion business, I did it for many years up in Carrollton.” I look up to see a nice older woman, somewhat familiar, sitting at the window seat with her little dog at her feet. I said, We’ve met before, right? She said, “Yes, I’m Jarrett Boyd, I live on Third Street right behind Red Bicycle Hall.” Yes of course, she and I have talked several times about her participation in Music on the Porch Day and other things.
Come on over and join me at my table! I exclaimed, delighted to have a possible column subject drop right into my lap. So over she came, and she laid out a most delightful and interesting life story for you, dear readers, to enjoy right now.
“My husband and I were both living in the Baltimore area many years ago,” Jarrett explains. “I was teaching school and he was a restoration carpenter. He was actually a bit of a hippie to be honest, into unconventional lifestyles and living off the land. We made a trip to Kentucky one time to visit Wendell Berry, the environmental activist and poet-novelist, who lives upriver from Carrollton on the Kentucky River.
“We were admiring Wendell’s country lifestyle, and he says, You know, there’s some property for sale right now just about a mile up the road. We bought the land, and that’s how we came to live in Henry County, not too far from Carrollton.
“We built a place to live in, and things were pretty idyllic. But my Hippie husband wasn’t really big on regular employment or steady paychecks. So I went to Carrollton and got a job as the librarian there to pay the bills. That’s how I came to be involved in staging the very first festival at Point Park, where the Kentucky River meets the Ohio. It was called the Point in Time Fest originally, and it was focused on history in those early days. But that experience started putting me in touch with various musicians.
“In that same time frame we were coming over to Madison quite often to hang out at Lacey’s Bar, which is now the Taproom. Lacey’s was hosting a lot of blues music back then, and I was getting to know all those musicians. That’s how the Point festival evolved into Blues at the Point, which I started about 2001. We had so many great players … Coco Taylor, Kenny Neal, the Hair Farmers, Lonnie Mack, Dumpy Rice, and of course, Jordan Wilson got his start there. The festival is still going I think, but it’s called something different now.
“I got divorced and moved to Madison after I retired from the library, and I have to say it’s one of those ‘right thing at the right time’ situations. Madison has been the perfect place for me, living downtown with all the energy. I can walk to the Red Bike for shows, which I often do. I got to know Jane Vonderheide … in fact, I think I might be the one who bugged her to get the whole Music on the Porch thing started.
“I sponsor music on my porch every year, and I think the Porch Music event pretty much encapsulates what’s special about living downtown. It’s so community focused and fun and joyful. Life is pretty darn good here, with my dog and my friends and the neighborhood coffee shop. I feel blessed to be playing a small part in this amazing town.”
HOT TIP OF THE WEEK:
My first tip is not music related. Get your hands on local author Robyn Ryle’s new book “Sex of the Midwest” and read it! (It’s not about sex at all, if that matters to you.) It’s about the joys and sorrows of life in a small Indiana river town, not at all unlike our dear Madison. The book is deeply affecting and thought provoking. Get it, read it, report back to me what you think! As for music, this week looks pretty typical for Indiana’s Music City. Which is to say, there’s plenty going on and some of it looks to be pretty special. The Doctor’s Band tribute show at Mad Paddle Friday might be a good one, with plenty of nostalgia and great music. And there’s something going on at Central on Saturday, although I’m not entirely sure what. Bleeding Kansas? It’s worth popping in there just to see what it’s all about. Oh, and Radioface at Timeless LIVE is pretty much a Madison All-Star experience, with some of our best players on the stage together. The weather will be warm again, so get out there!
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