Revisiting a Friend’s Previous Work

Millicent Cummings

  Watch and listen

I met Millicent several Christmas seasons ago and ended up compiling her Christmas CD from various old Porta Studio cassettes and a CD or two.  A little audio clean up, some mixing, editing and burning and she had a nice family gift that met her deadline.  She left me some cookies a card and with a kiss and a hug vanished out my rickety old door and was off.  She struck me as one more of many women artists I’ve met.  Hell bent and  undeterred from her creative dreams and goals.  It was almost as if I was supposed to liken her presence to a historic personage. 
I always thought her work would go over better in Austin, Texas.  She plays and sings with full roof rattling dbs and then dynamically drops to a whisper,  She plays her big-bodied guitar as though she were striding; a pilgrim getting close to their destination.  She also has the East Coast thing going on.
I’ve recently had the chance to give her CD, Island Rose some serious listening.  I have become rather fond of several of the tracks, finding her lyrics quirky but with a unique sense of relevance to living on a rock in the Pacific Ocean, what we want and what we need. She expores relationships and uses skillful analogies and lush imagery in many of her compositions.
Give her CDs a listen and hear what I was missing.
Blessings from Kauai.
T.Dogg

Resurrecting A Pineapple

Last year I worked several hospice cases. One of my clients was a great Hawaiian lady who was confined to her bed and a wheelchair as the result of a major stroke. She had also lost the ability to speak conversationally, but she could still sing and did so whenever the mood struck her. She was limited by her disability but was able to convey warmth and affection through her beautiful eyes and winning smile.

The family had an old Koa Kamaka Pineapple Ukulele on top of a display case in the living room. It was dusty, cracked and had come apart at the joints. I asked the family if they had considered restoring the instrument. After a bit of conversation, Guitars Kauai got the project.

This vintage piece was just the kind of challenge that Tero loves. The neck was intact and there was still enough wood to stand up to the sand that follows the joinery. Tero dove in and was soon completely immersed in the revival.

My client passed away during the holiday season of that year. Before her passing I was able to show her her restored ukulele and to play a couple of tunes for her. Her smile and eyes told me she was pleased with the work and the family now had an heirloom they could not only proudly display, but play as well! Tero’s skill had preserved a tuneful treasure for a generation to come.

Hawaii Kamaina please sign up for your discount code at www.GuitarsKauai.com as gear is arriving daily. Until next time,

Tyler "T.Dogg" J. Barnes