Kristin Lems: News & Reflections

hi People - looking forward to the free Mother's Day family concert at Niles Public Library this Sunday. Here is a brief article about it in the Pioneer Press:
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/parkridge/entertainment/934184,dc-famfriendly-050808-s1.article

Here's the address: http://www.myspace.com/kristinlems

OK everybody, slouching toward the millennium here...I was just gently nudged into starting a myspace page! It is quite bare bones right now, but you are welcome to go and leave your footprint there. There are two things myspace does that this site can't do: play songs when you arrive at the site, and make artists able to be found by the entire universe! - I love that. This is still my home base however - I love hostbaby!!

We really had fun last night in the Wilmette Theatre, in the grand evening called Ladies' Night Out. After hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar, we moved into the classy 150 seat theatre, where Producer "Sam" Samuelson served as the genial MC. I opened the show as a soloist, with guitar and piano, singing my original tunes, with the biggest Powerpoint ever known behind me on the Big Screen. It culminated in the audience singing along on the chorus of "Mammary Glands," which was displayed on the screen (the words, not the glands!) behind me. Most amazingly, the winner of the raffle before my set was MY MOM!! When they asked her her name, she was very reluctant to say it because she was sure it would look like an "inside job," but finally did, and everybody cheered. Poetic justice indeed!

After my set the hilarious, witty and hyperkinetic Boomer Babes did a set to the brilliant keyboarding of George Howe. They did a "time lapse" medley of how two women changed over a 30 year period, all with song bits, funny dialog and a whole lot of props. My favorite was when they sang the theme song from the Patty Duke Show!

Finally Stephanie Rogers and her band brought us to the end of the show, with rockin classics and some originals, and we all came up on stage for "I Will Survive," which was also on the Big Screen. When I say "We all came up on stage," I mean "we ALL came up on stage" - not just the performers, the organizers, and their families and friends, but everyone with even a smidgen of stardom in them - it was delightful!

The whole evening was professional, varied, and high-spirited - just exactly what all of us needed as to combat the winter doldrums. This is a real attempt to revive live performance in a theatre that has been "movies only" for many years, and I hope it makes it. Downtown Wilmette is definitely showing signs of life despite all its competition from mall-ville. It was great to be part of the revival!

Here's an article in the latest Evanston Review about the upcoming CD release reception!

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/evanston/entertainment/595170,dn-lems-101107-s1.article

Yes, all of my original songs are now ready and waiting for your legal downloads - they even pay me a few pennies of royalty for each download. Your favorites are now available "piecemeal" (or is it peace-meal?), without buying the whole album. A couple of the CDs already had this capability, notably, Oh Mama- plus! which has registered dozens of paid downloads of "Mammary Glands" - whenever it gets national airplay - but now ALL of the albums have this capability. You can stream them first to see if you like them, and then download. You can sculpt your own album of Kristin Lems songs! Now that I have entered the water in this brave new digital world, I can only rejoice that so many new listeners will have a chance to sample my collection of songs. You can find my songs at all the standard places people download songs - including ITunes and many other sites, and can also download them through CD Baby, my main distributor, just by clicking on the album the song is on at the "Time to Buy" link. TOO COOL!!!

The weekly Freethought Today radio podcast is including a feature on Kristin Lems and her new double CD, Equality Road, 11-12 AM CST today, June 30. It can be accessed through the following website: ffrf.org/radio. It is possible to hear the show in the archive for the week following the broadcast.

Yes, the double CD has arrived and is now available here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/kristinlems6!!

Get ready for an infusion of inspiration when you reacquaint yourself with these songs, or perhaps hear them for the first time. They are quite outspoken and spirited, and represent both a decade of women's rights at its zenith and also point the way to future actions.

Yes my friends, old and new, the much talked about "ERA album" and the long out-of-print second album you've all been asking about will be released this spring as a double CD called Equality Road. Just in time for the reintroduction of the Equal Rights Amendment! I'll be putting up the ordering information very soon. It's at the pressing plant right now....it's very exciting. I hope you'll come along on Equality Road...it's a long hard road but it will bear your load, we'll all get together on Equality Road.

www.annefeeney.com is the website of dynamic singer Anne Feeney, who tours the world with feisty and funny shows. Her new CD, If I Can't Dance ("...I don't want to be part of your revoltuion" - a quote by Emma Goldman) includes my song, Days of the Theocracy, in a great version. If you can't wait for my rerelease of the song, Anne's new album is the place to get it (and a whole lot of other stirring selections). I'm proud to be part!

As I prepared my performance for the Imaginative Education Conference in Vancouver, I realized none of the songs I planned to sing were recorded. They're all about creativity in education -- and in life! So I went in the studio, recorded them, created a book of lyrics and suggested classroom activities at two levels for each of the 14 songs, and it's coming to Canada with me. In a week or two, it will be available to order online. Teachers will love it -- many funny and all too true songs which I've sung for many teachers in the past few years. Keep watching this site for the ordering info on the new project!

It was great to be told by people all over the country that my song "Mammary Glands" was aired as part of a Mother's Day segment on NPR's Morning Edition! To purchase the song (not available as a download), click on the purchase icon and then the "Oh Mama!" CD.

When Cindy Sheehan and others at Camp Casey in Crawford Texas broke camp, they decided to fan out over the country in several paths. One came to my town, Evanston, and an outdoor evening event took place on the lawn of the Unitarian Church. The large audience, holding candles in vigil, was drained dry by the stories of those who left and never returned, the lost young lives and the futility of this war. I sang songs between speakers, and was glad to be a small part of the event. What if they gave a war and nobody came? This ill-conceived and bloody war in Iraq has got to end. Bring em home now!

Singing with Peggy Lipschutz at the easel, at a midday program which also included flute and piano music, selections from a wonderful book by Ada Kahn, and lunch, was just about enough to make me want to sign up for the Presbyterian Homes myself! The speech by the organizers talked about how one can think of retiring instead as "rewiring," a chance to try new things. Many heads were nodding in agreement. I also saw many eyes dabbed with Kleenex when we performed "Wrinkles." When one thinks of wrinkles as something to be proud of, as badges of honor, it changes the whole paradigm. Did you know people who play music together have more fun? well, of course you did!

OK, so I was at my restaurant gig a couple of weeks ago, and while I was sitting and singing at the piano, a man sauntered up and dropped a $100 bill on the piano, saying, "It's a Wonderful World, please." I was mid-syllable and couldn't do anything but nod and smile furtively. What I wanted to say was, "WAIT! I don't know that song!" but by the time I had finished, he was back at a faraway table, conferring with his friends.

A table full of friends was nearby, so I quickly rushed over to them and said, "If you love me, get me the words to 'it's a wonderful world' in the next ten minutes!" As they stared at me in astonishment, I climbed back on stage and started a new song. I saw them furiously strategizing, then using the cell phone, talking animatedly, then writing on a napkin. Within just about 7 minutes, they brought the words up to me, and with no further ado, I launched into a decent rendition of the song, to the satisfied smile of my benefactor in the back!

They had called a friend at home, who did an online lyrics search, and then read the words back to them while they wrote them down. Luckily, I did know the tune already and could figure out the chords, more or less.

Certainly one of the most extraordinary performing experiences of my whole life!!

Somebody said, "You always have the same big smile in your photos. Are you always smiling?"
Answer, no, but when I'm performing, usually, because I absolutely love what I do. It's so much fun, so exhilerating, and so meaningful and varied that it's almost unbelievable I get paid to do it, too. Many musicians feel exactly like I do. When asked, "Why do you stay with the music?" we can only say, "Because I can't even imagine life without it." So I smile.

Friday Feb. 11, from 3 - 4:30 EST, there will be a longish interview with me on WRUW 91.1 fm, Cleveland, on a show featuring women musicians, recorded live in their studio. At this address, http://www.wruw.org/guide/show.php?show_id=177, you can reach the website, which has streaming mp3, enabling you to hear it on your computer. Hope you'll tune in....

I had a fabulous time in Cleveland, singing alone and with others....learned a lot and also had a lot of fun.

Here is the webcast made of our roundtable the first evening. There are three musical groups, and we each speak a few minutes and then sing a song. Enjoy!

http://www.case.edu/artsci/dmll/roundtable.html

first it was singing for a school board candidate in a noisy bar up a snowy flight of stairs with the p.a. hanging off my arms. Not enjoyable to realize that when I struck my opening chord, the volume level of the guests went UP, not down! A few sympathetic faces looked at me, trying to listen, but didn't read lips well enough to get anything. Then the restaurant gig the following night....first canceled due to snow, and then, suddently reinstated, when both the restaurant owner and some friends called me at home to say, "Where the heck are you? We're waiting for the show!" I hurriedly rushed out the door and navigated my way through drifts and forts of snow made by plows and shovels....the atmosphere was as warm and welcoming there as ever. Moral: things that look good sometimes aren't, and things that look grim often make a turnaround. Life's many surprises!

Winter 2004
I have allowed my reflections page to moulder....time for some new ones! I realize now that what I was trying to do when I started this in 1996 was really "blogging;" it just didn't have a name at the time. I have since seen how those with fluent writing styles write voluminously, and readers from around the world hang on their every word. I certainly have from time to time. I doubt I'll get to blogging level, but I'd like to kind of bring you along in my guitar case, and let you see some of the things I've seen, and the places I've been (or places I've seen and things I've been)...

The most interesting recent development was appearing in two different shows this past fall as an actor/singer. In both cases, I was selected by the playwright because of their prior knowledge of my singing. I have never intended or expected to be an actor and do not have formal training in it beyond the high school level. However, I share with actors and classically trained singers a certain comfort level with stages and audiences and programs, and besides, I always like a challenge. So I accepted the offers, rehearsed, and performed.

The first show, The Witch of Ferndale, by Kenan Heise, is an adaptation of some short stories written by the talented Heise about his aunt from the Depression era, who never spent a "single dime, nickel or cent." Her willingness to find ways to outsmart the system while still helping those she loved earned her the exasperated admiration of those around her. Some who didn't understand called her a "witch" - like so many nonconformist women have been called! I played the narrator and sang at several points in the piece. (I had previously appeared in a backer's audition for another piece Kenan wrote, called Songbird of the Wobblies, about Joe Hill's traveling companion and possible girlfriend, Katie Phar. That show was basically composed of a lot of the great old Wobbly songs).

Kenan's show was a one night staged reading at a local theatre, as part of a playwriting festival. As actors and composers know, there's quite a gap between creation and production, and it's back to the drawing board for some more changes, and some more attempts to find funding. I'm at the ready for the next time it's mounted!

The second show, by playwright Joann Koch and composer James Lucas, is a musical comedy called Hearts in the Wood. The title comes from the heart shapes carved in mountain dulcimers, which figure prominently in the play, a fictionalization of a real dulcimer maker Lucas knew while living in West Virginia. His attempts to make a new life performing his old time music to a Chicago audience, and his granddaughter's realization that she can't get the country out of her city lifestyle, form two plots full of songs and snappy dialog.

I played two challenging parts, the "love interest" of the old guy (!) and one of the ensemble members of the old timey group back in West Virginia. It was staged in a big, barny theatre in Three Oaks, Michigan, which used to be called The Featherbone Factory, where corsets were made. Now they've got huge theatre organs which make the whole building into a kind of living organ, vibrating from the huge pipes. And there's a fine stage, a set of bleachers, and some cafe style tables.

We rehearsed a lot, but hadn't been able to be in the room until the day of the show. The other actors and singers were a blast, and I learned a lot watching and listening to them. Hopefully it will get another run sometime in the future in the Chicago area.

I have consolidated all the previous journal entries into this one long one. For the die-hard fan or researcher only! (Actually, some of this was used in somebody's doctoral dissertation, believe it or not!)

May, 1999
Well, it's been a while since I sat down to write you a letter. Whoever you are! I'm glad you're interested in hearing these thoughts. I'm getting lots of web traffic these days, despite the utter lack of glitz at my site, and I'm hoping people enjoy the actual writing of the pages.

The O'Hare Gigs
I did five performances at O'Hare Airport's International Terminal last fall and winter, and they were some of the most enjoyable gigs I've done in ages. It was part of a promotion by the City of Chicago and the Airport to give passengers something to listen to and look at while they waited for flights during the holiday season, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was offered my choice of any O'Hare Terminal, or Midway Airport, and I immediately grabbed the International Terminal. The booking agent was surprised and said it had not been a hot ticket! For me, however, it was a clear preference.

I love singing and speaking in other languages, I have loved traveling abroad on the occasions I've been able to do it, and I teach ESL, too, so I'm in touch with many immigrants and foreign students. I'm kind of a "romantic type" when it comes to the great human family and all its diversity - I groove on it. Part of the fun of the performances was all the "people watching" I got to do from the stage. So many people decorated in fantastic, bright, colorful costumes representing their cultural heritage and their belief systems.

I saw huge Mexican sombreros next to Sikh turbans next to Afghan prayer caps - beautiful women in flowing silk saaris, long braids, bristling afros, and everything in between.

The first time I performed, a flight was about to leave for Japan, and a large group of Japanese was accompanying an older couple to the gate. They all formed an adoring circle around the couple and put their hands together and bowed in unison to show their respect. The amount of reverence and respect for the couple was striking, and I wondered who they were. Fortunately, I was able to sing one song in Japanese, which pleased the group very much!

The second time the main group consisted of Indians waiting for a flight to Delhi. Many children were hopping around and enjoying the affectionate indulgence of their families. A number of elderly relatives were leaving to return to India, and there were many tears and kisses. I sang a song I know in Hindi, from an Indian film, and hundreds of surprised Indians stopped everything and listened with beaming smiles, then applauded loudly!

Later, when I sang "500 Miles," an Indian man told me it had been translated into Hindi, and right on the spot, wrote down a transliteration of the words for me. By the time I sang for the third performance, there were many Indians again, and I added the translation to my performance - giving me not one, but TWO Hindi songs! It was quite a sensation. I'll continue to sing the Hindi verse back in coffeehouses.

At the third gig, I met a delightful musician from Germany, a computer scientist just returning from a computer convention, carrying a guitar. We exchanged information and he gave me a CD he was about to release with his group, called Shiggabei. It's wonderful - and I sent him my CD in return. And then, at the fifth and final gig, a fascinating musician from Norway who plays in a punk band.

And I sang Spanish Christmas carols, as Guadalajara-bound Mexicans waited on the eve of Las Posadas. There were grins all around.
I've always known music was the universal language of friendship and fellowship, and these wonderful gigs just reminded me once more.


A Gig from Hell
To counterbalance that, I'll tell you about an absolute disaster in which I took part about three weeks ago. I was hired to sing one half hour of "inspiring, singalong songs" for a high priced dinner to honor a distinguished doctor who has fought for social justice for many years. I shall omit the good doctor's name on principle! There was supposed to be a stage, and a donated p.a. system, but the stage wasn't set up, and the p.a. system was not up to the job (beware the donated p.a. system!) As a result, half the audience was completely unable to hear the speeches toasting the honoree.

I was supposed to do a half hour just before the doctor came up to give his remarks. Then the organizers rushed over to me and said they'd changed the program order and wanted me to do one song before the dessert, then resume when everyone got their desserts. I was suspicious because the half of the audience that hadn't heard anything was unlikely to want to come back for more of the same, but the kiss of death was when they decided to move the doctor's speech up to the spot before my music, instead of after it.

The famous m.c. left after introducing the doctor, the doctor warmly thanked everyone for a wonderful time, wished them well, and sent them on their way! My mouth dropped open as I saw 500 people pouring out of their seats, heading for dessert and the exit door.
By the time I did get up there, about 470 people had streamed down the stairs behind me to the coat room, and I sang three inaudible songs to the "stage crew," my mother, and a few diehards. The group might have consisted of 30 people at the most, and those 30 couldn't hear me anyway, because of the poor p.a. system and the din of all the others leaving!

People, don't do this to your musicians! Remember, they're not an afterthought, to be moved around at will - they're just as important as the speeches (if not more so)!
The fee consoled, but I'll tell you, I wouldn't knowingly do that again for any fee under the sun.
That's all for now.

all the best, Kristin/*


December 7, 1997
For your enjoyment, I summarize a few gigs from time to time. Here are thoughts on a few programs I have done this fall.
I sang three gigs this fall at the onset of bronchitis, during it, and at the tail end of it. "What, me worry?" All three audiences forgave me in full, but it was exasperating. Musicians, like actors, have this "show must go on" mentality which probably prevents us from taking care of ourselves in a timely way. Sometimes we're right, and "not dignifying it" is the best way to treat it. Other times, life is telling you to slow down! Luckily, my treatments (Chinese herbs, constant tea, and, eventually, antibiotics) did the trick, but it did cramp my style for more than a month. Do you have any terrific cures for URIs (upper respiratory infections?) Share them!


When my new song "Union ABCs" debuted early this fall, it caused an absolute sensation. No matter that I said from the stage, "It's not available, it's brand new;" everyone rushed up and said, "Well, we just have to have that song." I sang it for the UPS strikers victory rally, then again for the University Professionals of Illinois banquet, and once more for the Illinois State AFSCME Convention, and by the end of these gigs, it was pretty obvious that I had better rush into the studio. I think those of you who are union members are really going to like it!

The older I get, the more convinced I am of the healing properties of music. I wonder if orchestra members live longer and more healthfully than other professions. Teachers tell me their students perform better on tests with serene music in the room. I know that something magic happens with music. I don't want to analyze it too much; I just want to live in its power and help use it for creating human happiness.

Here are the links to Volume 1 and Volume 3, if you'd like to see what I was thinking some time ago!

November 20, 1996
For your enjoyment, I summarize a few gigs from time to time. Here are thoughts on a few programs I have done this fall.

It was moving for me to be part of a memorial service for AFSCME member, DCFS worker and feminist activist Jane Fitzgerald recently. She died in her early fifties from complications from cancer. I didn't know her personally although she had been at a gig I did just a month earlier. People at the service just couldn't say enough great things about her - I was so struck by the way her strong vibrant personality crossed racial and ethnic lines and enlivened everyone around her. The weird thing is, I missed her a lot by the end of the service - even though I didn't know her!

Singing for the University Professionals of Illinois banquet was a blast - they had a retrospective to celebrate their twenty years of collective bargaining and everyone hooted at the pictures of their great leaders' changes of coif, etc. These folks really have the spirit!

I traveled to Iowa and sang for a conference of Women in Higher Education, called Way Up! At the preceding dinner, I sat at a table with one woman, a distinguished professional, who had recently joined the Rotary International - after so many years of being excluded. She said a lot of men still had problems dealing with her, but she kept on pitching, so that she could pave the way for other women to come. She also revealed to me how much of Rotary is not charity, but business networking, and how much benefit members get in terms of contacts.