Elliot Howard is heading for Western Washington U this fall, backed by the love of his family....

It’s a great way to end a high school career – to grow up on an island, and then go through graduation here and review all the teachers, parental love, and friends who help send you on your way. Saturday night was the 98th installation of the ritual for Friday Harbor High School, and it was cool to see our newly minted grads (nearly 80 of them!) one last time as a class.

Here are a couple of portfolios of photos from the evening – I tried to catch everyone I could, so if I missed you, it’s only because your class was so big! Thanks to Shay Byington for helping shoot the ceremony pix and helping catch the glow & all the smiles – and thanks to the kids, parents and teachers for a great night.

Photos of everyone after the ceremony

Photos of the grads walking in

Courtney Clark is congratulated by her buddy, junior Clara Brand after the ceremony.....

The Victoria Clipper is back this year after a year's abscence...here she's cutting through the waters off the east side of Cape San Juan.

Much to see, much to do, much to report….

• The islands’ sheriff’s race swelled to five late Friday, as 2002 candidate Jeff Asher threw his hat in the ring at a minute before 4:30pm on deadline day…he joins Lopez’s Rob Nou, and San Juan Island’s Felix Menjivar, Brad Fincher and Brent Johnson. in the race.

Jesse - headed for the Cup

• FHHS math & science teacher Jesse Visciglia is realizing a lifetime dream as he departs today for South Africa to see the World Cup up close & personal.

He passed up the chance to go earlier because he wouldn’t miss graduation Saturday night, thereby missing the USA/England match that day.

We’ll be watching for you!

• Over at Best Western, manager Janeen Jennings is moving on at the end of this month…she’ll be re-locating in Utah.

That's Chris & Bill Carli happily doing grandma/grandpa duty with Stell and Alden the other day....

She’ll be replaced by….well, she asked me to wait, so I will tell you when she OK’s it. (He said, coyly.)

• Yep, it was Whale Museum director Jenny Atkinson‘s birthday over the weekend. Many happy returns!

• The graduation season finished up on the island with Griffin Bay High‘s graduation yesterday – I have some pictures coming soon to share with you for the San Juan Island School District’s alternative school. Congrats, grads!

• Do you know about Barbara Angel’s bakery? Check here – now you do!

• You know that anybody with a cool website called Friendship Garden is off to something good – here’s a project by Kathy Eisenhauer. She says, “It’s really a joy to share the happenings of the growing season with others who may not otherwise be able to participate in such a fun adventure.”

Spring Street International School's valedictorian (and ace soccer player) Alex Freeman dropped in to see friends at FHHS' graduation Saturday night.

• More grad news: Claire Burke (FHHS ’06) graduated from The Evergreen State College this last weekend – way to go, Claire!

• OK, soccer nuts – here’s a gift from Piet in Andorra: Pele’s best 20 goals on YouTube.

• If anybody’s open at 7pm for the USA game on Friday, let me know & I’ll post it. (I think most of the island is gonna be late for work that morning….). See ya at the bowling alley for breakfast & football…

• Speaking of international good will & love, here’s a nice vid from former islander Chris Mikulesek – free hugs in Italy.

The peas are starting to come in at Heritage Farm...have you signed up for your CSA crop share for the summer yet? Jim has a few spots left. You'll be glad you did!

Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?

A. Father’s Day

In the air near Boundary Pass...

Jim Maya caught J30 in the air yesterday on a sunny day on the water.

You can tell - Shirley (left) and Mariko are pretty proud of each other....

This spring Shirley Hart & her daughter Mariko were both headed for graduation – Shirley wrapped up her nursing studies, graduated from nursing school in March, and passed her NCLEX exam, so she’s now a licensed RN (that stands for “registered nurse” or “really cool nurse,” I’m not sure. Probably both.)

Meanwhile, Mariko just graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. Wahoo! She’ll continue getting her helicopter training for her instructor rating and commercial pilot rating. (Note to Mariko: I love flying, but have never ridden in a helicopter. Just mentioning it, in case you have an empty seat. Really want to shoot the island from the air. Hint. Hint. HINT.)

Let’s see what’s up around here…..

Brad has his family's support....

• Today (Friday) is the last filing day for candidates for this year’s elections, and the  sheriff’s race has grown by one – Brad Fincher announced he’s running, bringing the number of announced candidates to four (Lopez’s Rob Nou, and San Juan Island’s Felix Menjivar and Brent Johnson.) After five pm today, we’ll see if anyone else is aboard…. for this and the other races.

• The Library has a trustee opening – the application is due today. Call 378-2798 if you can help!

• Tonight at the Community Theatre it’ll be a three-fer as Daniel Finn sings, Enso performs, and Saucerful takes the stage. You’ve probably see one or the other of these acts around town – now they’re all in one place.

• Speaking of singers – Britt Arneson (907Britt) is heading for Montana for the summer today – happy trails, friend! She explains how cool it’ll be to sing Continental Divide over there where they have one in her blog entry.

Here’s the song:

FHHS grad ('09) and University of Colorado soph Albert Strasser is back on island helping with that garden that's going in, across from the high school.

• The Soroptimist Club has a new program going – here’s the scoop from Barbara Sharp:

SOROPTIMIST DONATE TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WITH THEIR “100 MEMBERS PROJECT”

Francie, ready to write the checks....

What did the Friday Harbor Soroptimists do to commemorate reaching the 100-member mark?  The membership voted to donate $100 to ten local programs.  Our community has so many worthy programs, so chosing only ten recipients was very difficult.  However,  the following programs further the Soroptimist mission to improve the lives of women and children, and so each will receive a $100 donation:
The Prevention Coalition
Alateen
Head Start
Camp Eagle Rock
S-Club (high school Soroptimist club at FHHS)
Lighthouse Preschool
Planned Parenthood
coffee cards for the San Juan Eagles cancer mission pilots (cash donations not allowed by FAA regulations)
DVSAS
English As a Second Language Program
Island Museum of Art K-12 Program

Francie Hansen was chosen as the 100 Member Project’s administrator. For further information on Soroptimist activities, visit www.sifri.org.

The graduates (in red, from left: Jenny, Tasha, Heidi & Brittany) gather with school officials and teachers after the ceremony.

That’s the Class of ’10….

From top:Brittany, with her mom Kathleen; Tasha, with SVC-San Juan Center director Randy Martin; Heidi with proud mom Lee; and Jenny with Charlie & her mom, Cat Bordhi.

Yesterday’s graduation ceremony at Skagit Valley College-San Juan Center was touching, inspiring, and as is often the case at graduation time, a testament to the power of islanders who knuckle down and make good things happen for themselves, their families, and their community.

The Class of 2010 features eight grads: John Johnson, Noah Coyne, Brittany Kane, Jacob Ronhaar, Ying Cen, Natasha Frey, Heidi McEnery Kuheim, and Jennifer Bordi. Ying Cen had already participated in the ceremony of Mount Vernon, and three of the guys were away due to work & commitments, but there were smiles enough to go around.

The ceremony itself had nice touches – Tyler Schubert’s guitar version of Pomp & Circumstance led the procession in to start things. Robin Meyer had Joey Adams singing a song to go along with her poetry reading, while Tyler knocked out Man in Black as part of academic advisor Sandy Harold’s remarks.

Jenny Bordi received the President’s Medal from Skagit Valley College (only three are awarded among SVC’s four campuses and nearly 1300 graduates this spring), and her remarks centered on the importance of family to get you where you’re going – she credited the school with helping her get halfway to her goal of an accounting degree, as well. Her words left us pretty proud we were there.

As it happens, I got to be there when the San Juan Center was dedicated in March 1996, and it was a dream and a hope come true at that point. Now it’s on pretty solid ground – the school’s president tells me that SVC will finish paying off the 20-year note within the next year or so (five years early!), and it’s a good, student-friendly operation for the island with director Randy Martin and his staff doing a super job of helping academic students find their footing as well as providing community classes.

Our little community college is a treasure for the islands. Yesterday was a warm reminder of that.

Father Doug Simonsen

David Bentley wanted to let you & me know that St. David’s ceremony to install their new priest (who has been here the last couple of weeks) is next week – here’s more:

Celebration of New Ministry

The Right Reverend Gregory H. Rickel, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, will join the congregation of Saint David’s at 7 pm on Wednesday, June 16, for a Celebration of New Ministry as The Reverend Douglas Simonsen becomes the church’s third Rector.

The public is invited to attend this service which will include local and regional clergy from the Episcopal Church as well as clergy and representatives of other local churches and faiths. A reception will follow the service. Father Simonsen first came to Saint David’s in the fall of 2008, as Priest-in-Charge, to serve until a new Rector was called.

Prior to serving at Saint David’s, he had been part of a clergy team supporting a cluster of five Episcopal and Lutheran Churches in Anacortes, Mt. Vernon, and Sedro Woolley.  He has also served churches in the Yakima Valley, Lynnwood, and on Bainbridge Island. Saint David’s Episcopal Church is located at the corner of Park Street and Marguerite Place. For more information about the Celebration of New Ministry, please call 378-5360.

Tory at the Studio Tour last weekend....

I ran into Tory at Ann Walbert’s place on the Artists’ Tour & she told me about this series of three evenings she’s put together…and it sounds pretty amazing. Here’s the writeup from the Library, where the presentations take place…pretty sure you’ll dig this:

Join artist and educator Tory Raggett to learn about 20th Century painting at the library. Register now for this series of three, one and a half hour long, free art history classes that combines slides, lectures, and interactive discussion. Slides will include a variety of artists from Europe and the U.S. The course is designed to enhance participant’s enjoyment when looking at paintings, both in and out of a museum setting.

Here’s more – see you there!

Some are already writing....

Tawny from the Animal Shelter has a chance for the kids to do some writing as school’s over…here’s more:

APS-FH “Be Kind to Animals” Writing Contest

In celebration of the 95^th Annual National celebration of BE KIND TO ANIMALS Week and Month, the Animal Protection Society Friday Harbor announces their first BE KIND TO ANIMALS Writing Contest for children grades K-12.  Submissions are to be mailed or emailed to the shelter office and winners will be chosen in early July 2010 by the APS-FH Board with announcements of said winners in both the Journal of the San Juans and the shelter website, www.apsfh.org.

Each entry should be written in English with correct spelling and grammar, be an original essay or poem about an animal of their choice and should not exceed 1,000 words in length.  Essays will be judged on creativity, writing style, grammar, and spelling.  We are looking for stories that are entertaining and have a creative description of taking care of an animal or animals.

The contest entries will be divided into three age groups; 5-8, 9-14 and 15-18 with a “Grand Prize Winning Story” chosen from each age group receiving a grand prize graciously donated by the new owners of Ace Hardware Friday Harbor, Island Bicycles and the Art Department of the Office Center.  Two prizewinners will also be chosen from each age group as second and third place winners, which receive a complementary movie pass donated by a private individual to The Place Theatre in Friday Harbor.

To participate in the Contest, each entrant must visit the www.apsfh.org website to find an official contest entry rules, and each entrant must follow the submission instructions.  Good luck and happy writing.  For any questions please contact Tawny Martel at the shelter office at 360.378.2158 or by email at [email protected].

At Haley's after the Golf Classic - Lisa Moretti (center) gets her picture taken with a couple of her SeaGal pals....

You know, it’s happened every year since the early 1990s, and each year has a different feel to it.

I got a chance to say hey to former Husky & pro quarterback Sonny Sixkiller...

This year’s event was blessed with the best weather in ages – sunny & warm all day Saturday, into the warm evening. You could tell by the end of the day Saturday that the teams of golfers (folks are paired up with celebrities from all over the place) were having a great time – you could hear the laughing rolling across the verdant green of the Golf Club.

The salmon was prepped by John Vejvoda and his crew, and it’s nice to know you can’t undercook on the amount – the leftovers of the smoked salmon were auctioned off in the live auction. I heard that they cooked something like 650 pounds of the donated salmon…wow.

There were retired football players (Cam Cleeland, Chris Chandler, Sonny Sixkiller), radio personalities & announcers (including Delilah), one retired (I think) woman wrestler (islander Lisa Moretti, who went by Ivory back in the day), several of the Seattle SeaGals, and more.

The band was awesome....

The food was good, the golf was fun, the auction went well…and a good time was had by all.

Who does the money go to, that is raised by all this? Check here for the folks who are the beneficiaries.

Super job by a million volunteers, the FHHS Jazz Band (they rock), and organizers Maureen See, Ron Bates, Pat O’Day, and Becki Day.

The major business sponsors were: The Fairway Fund, Haley’s Bait & Grill, John L. Scott San Juan Island, CenturyTel, ValMark (Kings Market), Islander’s Bank, Kenmore Air, Trident Seafood’s, San Juan Air and the Journal of the San Juans.

Shoot, let’s do it again next year.

All focus: Bob Benz knocks down the putt for par at the last hole.

Never sounded better - the FHHS Jazz Band was tight as they entertained the people as they ate.....

Island golfers Jerry Price, Cody Price & Megan Cuomo had a great time in the Saturday sun....

Plenty of food for plenty of people, along with a beautiful island evening....

Devorah

I checked in with everybody’s favorite fireball of a singer, Devorah, the other day to see what her summer looks like, and she has a few surprises, as well as a wonderful achievement – getting her music presented with a symphony. Here’s what’s up:

Q. Good to get a chance to visit with you. I reported that you & Dick Hieronymus (click here for the story) had a couple of shows earlier this spring back east that he said went very well. Can you tell me about that?

A. I was invited to sing with two symphonies in January right after the NBC’s Al Roker appearance, and the private event with Bill Clinton…no, I couldn’t coax him to play his saxophone :-).  Dick created two fantastic arrangements, one from my first solo CD “Irrepressible,” and the other from my latest CD ‘5770,’ which is a tribute to my late parents who gifted me with a legacy of ancient Hebrew chants.  It was not only a thrill to work with Dick, but the two conductors loved his arrangements, and are helping connect me to other symphonies.

I cried during rehearsal the minute the symphony started playing “No More Goodbyes,” which has been my favorite song to perform for almost two decades, and I cried again, when the conductor of the Youngstown symphony and his entire orchestra stood up after we finished the finale….just didn’t see that one coming!!

The local Youngstown, Ohio newspaper did a superb article, and publicist Roger Neal put me on three television shows.  He is currently working on a July appearance on Channel 5, Los Angeles’ popular Morning Show seen on three continents.

Devorah, in action....

Q. So, I notice you have your wrist kind of wrapped up there – that’s your right hand. What’s the deal? Does that affect your playing?

A. No deal. I hurt it in the NY subway right before the Wake Up with Al Roker show.  In Yiddish, I was over-schlepping, and my forty-pound backpack, and big Guild guitar got away from me, and snapped my right thumb back towards my wrist. If you watch the one minute video of me with Al at  www.devorahmusic.com you’ll notice an attractive wristband that my family made for me to help brace it.

Even though my lineage is full of doctors, lawyers, and cantors, I never run to see a doctor.  Playing for the Port’s 60th, and over Memorial Weekend sent me running for an Xray….clearly the wrist was not healing correctly.  I’ve been referred to UW Medical Center, and am waiting for an opinion as to what’s next.

Q. Wow, that’s too bad….but can you still perform? What would that look like?

A. Yes, I can still perform but not with guitar. To help with basic money for survival, I had an idea to create a track show of up to three hours long that essentially becomes my backup band. I’ve focused on wildly popular Motown dance music, as well as all of the songs on “Irrepressible.”  It’s the firecracker dance energy, my voice, and great tracks,  that will be the focus of the shows this summer. As far as your question of what it will ‘look like’ versus ‘sound like’?  I’ll be changing clothes and wigs every other song!  🙂

I’m hoping that when people read this that they will email, or call me for shows and/or private events, and that local bands will allow me a spot to either serve as a warm up act or play between their sets. “If anyone needs a cantor for weddings…who ya gonna call?”  360.317.5612 or [email protected]. If you haven’t heard or purchased a copy or an individual download of the music, now would be a perfect time.

Q. So it seems like you travel a lot when you perform, but always come back to San Juan Island – where are you going to be this summer?

A. Since the 2006 decision to become an original artist, and two Cds later I have traveled  beau-coup… marketing and being consistent with each business contact.  Right now my plan is to be Here… where the deer and the rabbits roam! However, with an LA publicist pushing me to NY and LA, I never know exactly….other than this currently appears to be the summer to be between San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez.

Q. Good luck with your summer – it’ll be good to see you around!

A. Ian…a pleasure as always, and thank you for the chance to connect.

Chance, Merrily and Claudia – ‘rockin’ out on the 9th fairway!

Chance Earle sent me some pictures from last weekend’s event, with her team….it was a great & sunny day!

This was their team: Chance Earle, Merrily Smith, Tyler McKee, Megan Cuomo, Nancy Fiala (Celebrity Guest), Claudia Salquist.

Last Saturday Wally Weaver drove his 1915 Model T into town...he's done an amazing restoration job on this 95-year-old treasure.

Man, there’s a lot going on….let’s check in & check it out:

• This is the year you’ll do it: If you want to perform at the County Fair in August, you need to fill out an application & get it in…here’s the page. See ya on stage!

And…this year the Clumsy Lovers are playing! Love those guys!

• Just heard Deanna Banry has been named the new cheer coach for next year at FHHS.

The Brownies were out in force, painting the picket fence at Cahaill Park yesterday, including Piper & her mom Reagan.

• Or, maybe you were thinking about getting creative with words instead of song – cool. Barbara Bevens is looking for Island Writers for the Fair:

Calling All Island Writers! For those of you who have not heard, the former Written Word booth at the San Juan County Fair has a new name: Island Writers!

Island Writers wants YOU to write for us! So dust off the keyboard, tone up the fingers, ignite your imagination and start tapping those keys! Stories, poems, non-fiction; choose your favorite genre and share with us at the Fair.  Island Writers invites you to submit new, previously unpublished works for 2010.

Please visit our website www.islandwriters.weebly.com for specifics on rules and submission information, or access the information at the San Juan County Fair website: www.sanjuancountyfair.org. Click on the links tab to access our website.

Submission deadline is July 10, 2010. Submit works via e-mail to: [email protected]
Thank you!

Ann Walbert (she of the awesome paintings) and Keith Keyser (he of the awesome wood furniture) had a pretty good crowd drop by Saturday and Sunday for the Artists' Studio Tour.

• Possibly the best deal on the island: The Community Dinner at the high school. It’s tonight, along with community service presentations & an art walk. Here’s the scoop from Liz Varvaro, ’cause she & the kids are prepping the food:

This one will be great! It’s an outdoor BBQ (weather permitting, bring a blanket) Wednesday June 9th from 5:00-7:30. The students will be presenting their community projects, the jazz band will be playing and the Art Walk-A-Bout is in the halls and library.

$10 donation for dinner supports the Chef 1.0 and 2.0 Classes and the Food For Thought Program.
BBQ Baby Back Ribs
BBQ Chicken
Slow Cooked Baked Beans
Coleslaw
Cornbread
Strawberry Shortcake (made by the Culinary Arts Class)

Thanks!

• You heard about that helicopter that went down off Shaw yesterday? Everybody’s OK, according to Richard Rodriguez, who helped haul the ‘copter back (here are his pictures, and report), and according to this report from KING5 news.

• Craig at the oyster farm hope you drop by:

U-Pick Special Saturday this Saturday, June 12th at Westcott Bay Sea Farms from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.  All oysters off the beach $.75 each. We are located on Westcott Drive off the Roche Harbor Road. See you at the farm!

• It’s a big deal: Remember a few months ago when we heard that the operations and maintenance guys at the Friday Harbor Marine Labs (supervisor Fred Ellis and crew members Rick McCarthy, George Illif, Tommy Pieples, Jeff Seitz and Tom Campbell)  received one of this year’s distinguished staff awards from the University of Washington? Way cool – here’s the whole story, from the UW site.

Diana

• Hey, ya gonna live here, ya gotta deal with the ferries, hopefully with some grace & style. Longtime islander Diana Clark tells you how. Should be required reading for island newbies….

• Naturalist Katie Jones has an awesome photo of a fox on her blog – check it here.

• Speaking of which, naturalist Nan Simpson posted a bunch of wildlife in her blog yesterday, as a reminder of our animal friends whom we share this island with.

• If you like killer whale pictures, you’ll like Jeanne Hyde’s awesome shots from this weekend on her blog. She & her camera had a great weekend….

• Like you, I love hearing what people say about us – here’s a bit from Deanna’s Adventurous Wench site.

• Monday night was Jeff Hogan’s Killer Whale Tales presentation at the elementary school, and by all accounts, it was suberb. Here’s a report by Sandy Buckley, who loved it.

• Have you seen St. Francis Catholic Church’s new website?

The Frazer Preserve was dedicated last month....

• Letter to you & me:

The Land Bank and our community owe much to the incredible energy of the San Juan Trails Committee, Land Bank staff, and numerous volunteers who helped construct a 1.3 mile trail section that is part of the Cattle Point Road Trail eventually connecting Friday Harbor to American Camp.

The Frazer Homestead Preserve is now forever protected farmland, offers sweeping views to passersby, and provides a comfortable and safe trail that is an important link in our vision for community trails.We gratefully acknowledge the spirit and commitment of so many who helped to make this happen.
Amanda Azous, Land Bank Commission Chair
Cinda Pierce, San Juan Island Trails Committee Chairperson

At the Artists Studio Tour this weekend, classical guitarist Amanda Brast (left) played at Laurie Burns' studio.

• Over at Island Rec, there’s an opening on the Board because newly-elected Amy Windrope‘s resigned – her husband Brian got a job down-sound earlier this year. Want to apply for the Board? Click here for info.

• Speaking of Island Rec, Rebecca has tie dying slated for this weekend:

Join Island Rec for tie dying at the Farmers Market on Saturday, June 12th from 10:00 to 1:00. Bring something from home to tie dye or purchase a white t-shirt at the Island Rec booth for $5.00 the day of. The program is free and open to everyone. For more information you can contact Rebecca at 378-4953.

• This a way cool – Christine is teaching yoga now…here’s more:

My dear friends,
I would like to let you know that on May 2nd of 2010, I completed a 200-hour Yoga Alliance registered teacher training at the Anuttara Yoga Shala in Deerfield Beach, Florida. I first discovered Yoga and Mediation in 1977 at what is now the oldest active yoga studio in South Florida. My goal is to share Yoga – to guide and support, and to help others to build strength, balance, and flexibility from the inside out.

I have personally experienced the benefits of practicing yoga and its therapeutic impact on body, mind and spirit.

I am offering a free Yin Yoga Class on Thursdays at 12 noon to 1:00pm at the Yoga Path at 849 Spring Street #2 beginning June 10. Yin Yoga is for everyone. If you can get down on a mat and are willing to take a journey, this class will work for you. Please wear your most comfortable work clothes or quickly change into loose fitting pants and tops. Socks on feet OK.

Please arrive on time and try to car pool. Best not to come with a full tummy. See if you can have your lunch later at your desk.

I will be teaching two other classes on Thursdays: at 8am to 9:30am a beginners Yoga class and from 7-8:30pm an intermediate Yoga class, starting June 10. However all levels of students are welcome at all classes.

As many of you know I managed the San Juan County Fair for over 11 years and brought my heart and soul to every event. I will bring the same to Yoga.

You all deserve a break ….please come and take this free class on Thursdays! It’s designed with you in mind.

Sincerely yours,
Christine (Miller)

Ruth at waterworks gallery has new work by Cathy Schoenberg. Ruth says: "Since 1996, I have represented Cathy Schoenberg. Years ago, her paintings were all about active women, dancing woman, working woman and occasionally women at rest, sleeping with their cats, rarely a dog. Energetic woman portrayed doing what they love. These woman are now seasoned characters in Cathy's paintings in which she captures their inner spirit. For Cathy this is the source of personal power and creativity. She continues to inspire all of us with her personal magic."

Wanted....alive!

There’s been a general feeling of helplessness about that spill (or more correctly, gusher) in the Gulf amongst folks here on San Juan Island….what can we do?

Well, my friends Simon (sixth grade next year) & Lilah (first grade) have a pretty good idea – bring your old used nylons over to Compost-It on Nichols Street, and they’ll send them off to have them used to make hair booms (see the picture) with an outfit called Matter of Trust. Those booms are used to help soak up the oil…

Here’s the Matter of Trust website…

And the kids’ poster is below that!

Thanks, Lilah & Simon – great idea!

Filled with hair, this is where your nylons will end up - headed for soak-up duty in the Gulf.

Make a copy & let's get this thing going!

Enso on the rise: That's Colin Megill (left), Grisha Krivchenia and Chris Small - playing Friday at the Community Theatre

Sitting here, listening to Enso’s EP The Axioms, I find myself wishing you could hear it, too. One of those things…I keep the album in the mix of what I listen to during the day, partly because I like to hear it, partly hoping that the creativity that went into it will somehow rub off on me, and partly remembering how good these guys sound when they perform live.

Enso's EP: The Axioms

They’re tight – Grisha’s piano work provides most of the lead work for the pieces they play, while Chris’s bass runs through it to hold it together, as Colin’s inventive drumming matches up with places they go. Even the quieter, thoughtful parts are complex, which gives the music a chance to say more than usual.

You get a chance to hear the group playing live this weekend on Friday at the Community Theatre, or you can hear their work (and buy the album!) on their website. You’ll be glad you did.

Here’s a chance to hear them: