Martha Bassett

from Surry Living Magazine - December 2021

HOME, FARM, & GARDEN p.8 OUT & ABOUT p.16 SIMPLY DELICIOUS

When you think about Christmas, it’s hard to separate the holiday from the music. Whether you like a jazzy rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” George Michael singing “Last Christmas,” or a traditional “O Holy Night,” the radio waves are abuzz with seasonal music before Thanksgiving even arrives. It’s a soundtrack for our lives during what can be a sublime or a stressful month, sometimes both. The hustle and bustle of the season is a perennial theme of holiday songs, the endless shopping and cooking and parties and family gatherings are both a welcome reconnection to our loved ones and an exhausting time of doing too much. Every year we try to strike a balance, followed by New Year’s resolutions about how we’ll take better care of ourselves in the year to come.

On Christmas Eve my tradition for the past couple of decades has been to sing for an 8:00 p.m. service at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, head over to the 11:00 p.m. service at my church, followed by a late-night dinner at Finnegan’s Wake Pub downtown. Last Christmas Eve was the first since I was a child that I didn’t sing, and it gave me a new appreciation for the ways the music of the holidays holds us together and comforts us with its ritual. Although things are not completely back to normal this year, there are plenty of opportunities to soak up some live music this December. At the Reeves Theater in Elkin, Joe Newberry and April Verch will bring a folky holiday offering to us on December 12. On December 3, during the Light Up Elkin Festival, the Elkin Big Band will have its annual Christmas concert featuring the wonderful vocalist, Teresa Jasper. On December 16, I’ll be performing sacred Christmas carols in the sonically exquisite sanctuary of Shallowford Presbyterian Church in Lewisville. If you check the calendars of any church or music venue near you, you’re sure to find special musical offerings to suit your style.

I think music is perfect for gift giving. All year long I look for new North Carolina releases that fit the tastes of the folks on my Christmas list. During the long period of dormancy for live music in 2020 and 2021, the number of artists who spent their time recording is higher than ever. Check out what your favorite bands have been up to and give them a financial boost by buying their records. For folks in our region of the state, let me tell you about a new release called Elkin & Alleghany Line: Stories of the Foothills by Elkin singer-songwriter Caroline Noel Beverley. I met Caroline earlier this year when her old-time band, Gap Civil, played on the Martha Bassett Show. Upon hearing this disc, my first impression was of the beauty of the songs, the superb performance of the players, and production that allowed the warmth of the vocals and instruments to be at the forefront. On the second listening I opened the little booklet inside the CD to read the lyrics and origins of the songs, all taken from local tales and perspectives. Caroline spent time with folks who recounted histories of storms, ghosts, beloved creeks, and enterprises such as Chatham Blankets and Klondike Farm, and she turned those stories into songs rich in local lore and steeped in the sounds of Surry County old-time and folk music. I highly recommend this disc for your folk music loving friends.

In the meantime, as you rush about preparing for all of the events ahead of you, I hope you’ll stop every now and then to become lost in music that soothes your soul. I wish you all a meaningful and balanced holiday season, and I’ll catch up with you again in January to discuss how we’ll do it all better next year!

Ukulele Carols

& MUSIC-NOTE COOKIES

Traditions at home. This is the first time I really get to tell you about myself and my family. My husband, George Smith, and I both played in concert band in grade school and never stopped playing some sort of music. Music is life in our home; it’s the soul of our house. We even named our child, Dorian Smith, after a music scale. Dorian is learning about many instruments. We always have new sheet music on the music stand – for either learning or performing. With music as our daily tradition, so it’s only natural our holiday traditions are wrapped with music. We like to spread joy, and it’s really the only gift we can give. Our December days are full of spreading cheer using happy ukulele music. This activity consumes our holiday time, although we do take time to bake music-note sugar cookies. Most folks’ family traditions go back generations, and while caroling is an age-old tradition, our ukulele caroling tradition is fairly new to us. We started playing ukulele together ten years ago when George gave me a uke for Christmas. Back then, we would record holiday songs and share them with friends to brighten their days. In 2013, I begged George to start a uke rock group. Mount Airy Ukulele Invasion (MAUI) is our pet project. We have invested many hours teaching students of all ages and skill levels, then planning and arranging events, and coming up with fun!

For eight years now, instead of videos from our home, our MAUI group brings holiday music to the surrounding community. We tour at several retirement facilities in Surry County, and we have played for Santa at the Mount Airy Parade, for the Mount Airy Library, and for the Mount Airy Christmas tree lighting. The holiday season has plenty of space for fun music like “Frosty the Snowman” and beautiful music like “Carol of the Bells.” The MAUI group is made up of creative and beautiful souls, and these musicians have become our village. We love that we can include our village in our own holiday traditions. When we perform, we like to be goofy – dressed in festive clothing and Santa hats. Our son, Dorian, accompanied MAUI for several years dressed as an elf or Santa. He was more like a mascot, but he has now taken to playing with us on percussion instruments. I encourage you to spread some music cheer! Get yourself a ukulele, tune it up, and try some easy chords. Voila, instant fun. It’s super easy to learn basic chords. No matter how well you may or may not sing, singing makes you feel good. And singing for others brings joy. Give a gift of joy! Thanks for reading a tiny story of my life and traditions. Come out to hear carols MAUI style on Thursday, December 2, for Downtown Mount Airy’s Tree Lighting at 6:00 p.m. We will also be at Golden Road Vineyards, State Road, NC, 2:00-3:00 on Sunday afternoon, December 5. You can find more about the music of our family at www.themusicofgeorgesmith.com and at Mount Airy Ukulele Invasion on FaceBook.

Happy Trails to you!

Great music!Galax virginiaFun for all ages!

Join us as we celebrate cHrIStMaS all month long

HIGH COUNTRY FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS Begins Thanksgiving Day – runs through New Years Eve. Lights go on at sundown and turn off at 11:00 pm. Light show is free and is located in Felt’s Park, downtown Galax CHRISTMAS PARADE Friday, December 3. Christmas tree lighting at 6:30 pm at the Galax Police Department, parade begins at 7:00pm. Parade theme this year- Favorite Christmas Movie. Prizes awarded for best float. (Grand Prize, then 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) After the parade, free movie “Christmas Vacation” will begin at 8:00pm inside the Rex Theater. MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL Saturday, December 4, 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm. Main Street, Galax. 70+ Homemade/handmade craft vendors, food vendors, with Main Street shops open late featuring festival-day specials. Special music begins at 4:00 pm on the Grayson Street Stage. 4:00 pm – Marshall, McDowell, and Tate; 5:30 pm – Dori Freeman, 7:00 pm – Loose Strings Band. There will be Christmas Carolers at the intersection of Center St. and Main St.; a Galax City Schools luminary walk on Center St.; Family Christmas Portraits at the Gazebo on Main St. And much more! FAMILY CHRISTMAS MOVIES Saturday, December 11, at the Rex Theater. At 6:00 pm, enjoy the animated cartoon “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and immediately following at 6:30 pm, “Elf” with Will Ferrell CHRISTMAS BLUEGRASS SHOW Inside the Rex Theater on Saturday, Dec18. Show begins at 7:00, doors open at 6:00. $10.00 a ticket. Band: Echo Valley Bluegrass