Three Questions

I'm playing the Three Questions game for the Brewmistress of Chicago, Leah of Lakeline. She's asked me three questions, which I will attempt to answer here. If you'd like to play, send me an email or leave me a comment, and I will ask YOU three questions. Don't worry. I'll make you look good.

1. Who are the coolest bands you've seen/spent time with?

Wow. And Leah told me she was gonna go easy on me. Okay, for the most part the bands I list will be bands I've only seen live, not actually hung out with. Don't want any of y'alls thinking I was like a Band Aid or anything.

Wilco. I saw them live for the first time at Bumbershoot Festival in September of 2002. It was a short set, but sweet (and in Seattle! Doubly sweet!). It's probably why I fell in love with a drummer (Glenn Kotche kicks ass forever!). Although Ted's not a heavy metal drummer (yet) except in his dreams. I saw them again when the band came out for the encore of Jeff Tweedy's solo show back in January of 2003. The band's gotten so popular that I don't even bother to go to their shows any more, but I did get one last taste in February of 2005, thanks to my beloved boys in the Detholz! who invited me to photograph their show in Urbana when they toured with Wilco.

The Detholz!. I love these boys. Like I said, they let me see WILCO for free. Plus, they will rock you ruthlessly while on stage, but they're totally sweet and cuddly backstage (esp. if you give them something alcoholic and share your cigs). If you live in Chicago and have never checked out a Detholz! show, you are seriously missing out. Plus, they're my favorite band to photograph. My previous camera had a serious crush on Jim Cooper, the frontman. Here are some of my favorite shows I photographed for therm:
@ The Metro, 5/29/2003
@ Cornerstone Festival's New Band Showcase, 7/5/2003
@ Subterranean, 11/21/2003
@ The Hideout, 8/23/2004

Ian Moore. I just posted about him a few days ago, so you know what I'm talking about. I met Ian when he played a show at Schubas back in July of 2002. I approached him after his set because he did a Mojave 3 cover (probably Yer Feet) and I wanted to share my love of Neil Halsted with him. This may not sound all that unusual except for the fact that I don't normally approach musicians or bands at shows. I just don't get into the whole groupie thing. With Ian, though, it turned into a really sweet friendship, so I'm glad I made an exception and bought him that shot of Bushmills. I have also seen Ian with his full band in all his Rock 'n' Roll glory in his almost hometown of Austin, TX. He is a rock star there, and it was kinda strange walking with him around town and having people come up to him and stuff.

Denison Witmer. I've been a fan of DeniWit's since 2001. He's the reason I started this whole blog thing. He may seem so mild mannered and sweet on stage or in recordings, but in "real" life, he's a raucous stand-up comic/storyteller. We used to stay in touch more back before he got uber popular with the college kids. He still has a really special place in my heart, and always will. I still love going to see him play, and just saw him a month ago. He'll be back in April with Rosie Thomas, another one of my faves, and I can't wait!

Death Cab For Cutie. One of my first indie rock shows ever. I cannot tell you how much I love Ben Gibbard's voice. I totally want to go see his solo show at the Metro in May, but Ted's playing a show that night too, and I don't know if I'll be able to make it. There are two shows that night, and the first one is already sold out, so by the time I make up my mind, the 2nd one will probably be sold out too. Yeah, I'm lame like that.

Guided by Voices. Drunken rock 'n' roll at its very best. I swear, I never saw beer and liquor flow so freely on stage before. I think the first thing Robert Pollard (the frontman) did was to lay down an entire case of beer onstage. I debated on going to this show back in May of 2002 because, well, it was like two days after my dad's funeral, but my friend Caleb convinced me to go. Good choice. You definitely get your money's worth with these guys. I was taking photos at the show, and some dude back stage who was either w/ security or the band, came out and told me to stop. But the bass player intervened and told him to leave me alone, so that was cool, and I ended up with these photos.

Anyhoo, I could go on and on about bands, but I'll stop now, or this will never get posted. I do have concert photos of some shows I've seen here: http://www.sarahjanerhee.com/concertphotos.html

2. What three baby things did you find were indispensable?

That would be my arms, my boobs, and my voice. As for versions of these things separate from my body, here they are:

My collection of baby carriers. From the simple ring sling, to my Ellaroo wrap, to Ted's Lexus of Baby Wraps, the Didymos, to our Babyhawk Mei Tai, we've used a variety of ways of giving ourselves "extra arms" while keeping Cadence close to us. They've helped us to put a fussy baby to sleep, given us no excuse for not doing the dishes, enabled us to give Cadence a running commentary of the world she was seeing, let us maneuver through crowds without getting dirty looks from People Who Hate Strollers At Crowded Festivals, kept Cadence in a secure, warm place close to our hearts. Babywearing has been one of the most practical and attachment conducisve things we could have done as parents.

Snack-Traps. "Because Kids Spill Things." These handy dandy contraptions make it easy for toddlers to feed themselves without creating too huge of a mess. It works great with time-tested toddler staples such as cheerios, raisins, peanut butter-filled pretzel nuggets, grapes, bunny crackers (organic version of goldfish), and any other bite sized morsels toddlers love to munch on throughout the day. This was a real lifesaver for long car trips. We really don't go anywhere without them. You can buy your own at Be By Baby (or Babies R Us).

Mix CDs. Specifically, there are two mix CDs that I've made for Cadence that get played on a daily basis. One is a collection of children's songs recorded by Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton (the wife-husband team of Ida). This is the CD we play in the car. Occasionally, Cadence will put up with some WLUW or NPR, but usually, she's demanding "Sunshine Song! Sunshine Song!" (by which she's actually referring to This Little Light of Mine NOT You are My Sunshine). The other mix CD is a lullaby mix I made of songs by some of my favorite bands. Cadence asks for her "Sleepy Songs" every night before bed, and often for naptimes too. If you find yourself suffering from insomnia (or your kid does), here's the list of songs I used on the CD. You'll probably never make it past Track 6. Cadence seldom does.

1.I'm In Love With A Girl (Big Star--Radio City)
2.Promising (Wilco--Chelsea Walls Soundtrack)
3.Bird Stealing Bread (Iron & Wine--The Creek Drank The Cradle)
4.Love Songs On The Radio (Mojave 3--Ask Me Tomorrow)
5.Birds And Ships (Natalie Merchant--Mermaid Ave South Vol 1)
6.Songbird (Denison Witmer--Recovered)
7.Healing Time (Denison Witmer--River Bends EP)
8.By The Mark (Gillian Welch--Revival)
9.Dear Someone (Gillian Welch--Time The Revelator)
10.One Little Song (Gillian Welch--Soul Journey)
11.Mansion On The Hill (Bruce Springsteen--Nebraska)
12.Softly And Tenderly (Robert Sean Leonard--Chelsea Walls Soundtrack)
13.Nothing Is Over, Not Yet (Clem Snide--You Were A Diamond)
14.Ghost Of David (Damien Jurado--Ghost Of David)
15.Radiator (Ida--Will You Find Me)
16.Summer On The Westhill (Kings Of Convenience--Quiet Is The New Loud)
17.Yer Feet (Mojave 3--Out Of Tune)
18.High Hopes (Neil Halsted--Sleeping On Roads)
19.Place To Be (Nick Drake--Pink Moon)
20.Things Behind The Sun (Nick Drake--Pink Moon)
21.Brown Eyes (Red House Painters--Retrospective Disc 2)
22.October (Rosie Thomas--When We Were Small)
23.You And Me (Rosie Thomas--Only With Laughter Can You Win)
24.Someone Else's Song (Wilco--Being There Disc 2)

3. What is your favorite thing about nursing a toddler?

First of all, as much as I support extended breastfeeding, before anyone thinks I'm a nursing superhero or anything like that, let me admit that sometimes I DON'T like nursing a toddler at all. Most of the time, however, it's really one of the few relaxing things I can count on during the day (well, actually, it's usually at night). What I really like about the first nursing session when I come home from work is just how close I can be with Cadence. I can smell her hair, feel her body snuggled close to me, stroke her face, and think back to the not-too-distant past when she was actually small enough to cradle in my arms.

Lately, as I watch Cadence run around and do Little Kid things, I can look to the future and envision her as a Big Kid doing Big Kid things. It's scary and exciting and a little sad all at the same time. I want to cherish this stage of life when she still loves being in my arms and allows herself to depend on me in such an intimate, tender way.