Citizen Bare

Last night we got together for the Gratton family Christmas at my Aunt Terri and Uncle Matt’s house. It was a great to spend time with the aunts, uncles, and cousins. We got to watch a video that uncle Matt created as a year in review, play some music, and do a gift exchange. This year the gift exchange was different than previous years…instead of picking a name from the hat and purchasing a gift for a specific person, we all purchased $20 gift cards or certificates and did a Yankee Exchange/Chinese Auction. It was all good because our get together is never really about the gifts, it’s more about getting together…but this exchange made it seem even more about getting together rather than about gifts. There is a part of me that thinks it would be just as good not to exhange at all; not because I’m cheap, but because I feel like that was the part of the night that everybody cared the least about.



The part of the night that stands out the most personally was receiving a gift from my grandmother. There was a part of me that felt guilty at first because I heard a few of my cousins comment on how grandma gave me a gift and they hadn’t received anything at that point. But after I opened the gift I didn’t feel guilty anymore. I felt honored to receive a double picture frame that contained a picture of my grandmother and me when I was somewhere between 12 and 24 months, and a picture of my grandfather and I when I was about 4 or 5 years old. It definitely brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes. Just a little while earlier that night, I had been reminiscing with dad and uncle Gary about grandpa. We even played his favorite song; Boquet of Roses.



As far as I was concerned it was a great night. My kids had a great time, I had a great time, I got to know one of my cousins from Connecticut a little better, and I got to talk with Lindsey (I think that’s how spell her name) about playing a song for her and my cousin Tyler’s wedding. I wish Jason would have been feeling better though. It would have been nice to rap with him a little more.



Peace



- JAG

Benazir Bhutto, Hero of Democracy Assassinated at 54



Check out this New York Times article about this tremendous woman. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/world/asia/28bhutto.html?ref=world



I am disgusted by the extremism that was executed against Prime Minister Bhutto today. Even more so, I’m disgusted with the way media was presenting this story in the darkness of defeatism in Pakistani democracy. Granted I only listened to NPR coverage of the story in conjunction with BBC (The World) today, but it was disturbing to hear a reporter say that this assassination was sure to keep democracy from moving forward in Pakistan.



I would say quite the opposite. I think that this assassination is a catalyst for true democratic change in the state of Pakistan. Bhutto was fulfilling her mission from God to bring freedom, equality, and unity to the Pakastani people even in the face of personal danger. And like the stoning of Stephen made him the Christian church’s first martyr, Bhutto is a martyr for her God and the cause that she was set on.



I pray that her death is not in vain and that the people of Pakistan will unify and swiftly proceed into an exemplary democracy that will be held in high regard throughout the world.



-JAG

I am going to go ahead and write down all of my original tunes that we play here. It’s possible that we may publish set lists in the future. If I get enough requests I may go ahead and publish the lyrics to my tunes as well

Enough

Imagining Everything Gratton/Patterson

Da Da Da

In His Eyes

Waiting For Gratton/Patterson

It Won’t be Long

American Dream Gratton/Patterson

The Game (we’ll probably go ahead and remove this one for the time being)

I Understand

Joyful Cry

John and I are working on new songs all the time, so stayed tuned to see what’s next…..

Citizen Bare played at the New Moon Café on Dec. 22, 2007 to quite the mix of friends and family. We definitely had a good time and thank them all for coming.



It was an interesting night for Citizen Bare. Starting with Go Tell it on the Mountain…. We never did get all the chords right on that one… We definitely were a little challenged by throwing together some Christmas tunes, but felt like it was important to try to do a few. Needless to say, we are looking forward to removing them from the list for at least another year.



Highlights of the Night
It was great to have so many people to help us with the 12 Days of Christmas. It took a little bit to get everybody on board, but once we got going, it was a really good time.

A Partridge in A Pear Tree – Everybody including Citizen Bare
2 Turtle Doves – Allen Gratton
3 French Hens – Matt Magnuson
4 Calling Birds – Elizabeth Patterson
5 Golden Rings – Mike Benevento
6 Geese A Laying – Susan Edelman
7 Swans A Swimming – Becca Baker
8 Maids A Milking – Kim Manley
9 Ladies Dancing – Stephanie Edelman
10 Lords A Leaping – Cheri Coleman
11 Pipers Piping – Myles Miller
12 Drummers Drumming – Pete Murphy

It was great to have Allen Gratton and his Mandolin join John on a couple of songs. Their performance of Dance, Dance, Dance by Steve Miller, and Heart in a Cage in the styling of Chris Thile was quite good.



Elizabeth Patterson added a wonderful harmony and excellent solo to the end of Nautical Disaster by the T-Hip.



Low Point of the Night

Andrew broke a string during American Dream. What a bummer…



Citizen Bare wants to thank everybody for coming out so close to Christmas and wish you all a warm one.



Citizen Bare

Hi Citizen Bare Heads.

Citizen Bare will be playing Live at the New Moon Cafe on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007 @ 7pm. Last time we played at the New Moon, Andrew and John had a blast. The New Moon was quite the warm environment with lots of friends and family coming in to check out our music. This is a family friendly environment that serves decadent desserts, stupendous soups, and exquisite espresso on their music nights. (John recommends the White Mocha espresso…) If you have never been to the New Moon, it’s very easy to find at 150 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05401. It’s right next door to the Outdoor Gear Exchange and just a few doors down from Ben and Jerry’s Scoop Shop.

This time, Citizen Bare will be performing many of the same tunes, plus they are going to attempt some Christmas Carol’s. If you are looking for a good reason to get out, listen to good music, eat good food, warm up near the fire, and get a laugh or two in the midst of some Christmas cheer come check out Citizen Bare @ The New Moon.

See you there!

Citizen Bare

Welcome to the blog of Citizen Bare!  While we are building the official CitizenBare.COM website we thought it would be cool to still give people a glimpse into the world of the Bare Citizens.  Andrew James & John Gratton will be posting about various topics that stir them to commentary.  Please come back often and comment on anything you would like.  If you enjoy the blogs, rants, and raves you can always subscribe to the RSS Feed for a category, or for the entire blog site.

Thanks for the visit!

Peace

Citizen Bare