I came across some photos online some time ago from British photographer Homer Sykes. They were taken in the early 1970’s and were images of traditional British countryside celebrations throughout the year. One in particular from Northumberland caught my eye. In black and white, it showed a group of people in capes and cloaks and all manner of costume carrying flaming short barrels as they marched. Without knowing anything about what or where it was from, you had the sense that this was derived from some sort of pagan ritual celebration. It piqued my interest.
Turns out it was from the village of Allendale and, while it has the appearance of some Norse festival of fire, dates back to 1858. It turns out that a band used to parade on New Years and used candles to light their music. But the winds of the season made this impractical and someone suggested using these tar lined barrels which would give off great light and be portable as well. Plus, it looked a pretty kickass thing to do to bring in the new year.
Over the decades it has turned into tradition. There are 45 marchers, called guisers, who maintain their positions hereditarily. They assemble early in the evening, adorned in all manner of costume,going from pub to pub in a Mummer-like procession. In the hour or so before midnight , they gather in the town square to have their annual roll call and prep their barrels. At 11:30, the barrels are lit and they begin their fiery march through the village, led by a small band of drums and brass. It is said to resemble a river of fire moving through the village.
They return to the town square and gather around a 14 foot mound of fir branches and with the words “Be damned to he who throws last” hanging in the air, they heave their 45 flaming barrels into it, setting it into a giant bonfire as the last seconds of the old year pass away.
Maybe this tradition doesn’t date back to the ancient times but the idea of of the old being burned away and the new rising from its ashes certainly is timeless. Set the past afire tonight. Have a happy New Year.
There was a now little known band called The Treniers that began performing in the 1940’s. Led by twin brothers, Cliff and Claude, they were known for their raucous live shows that featured their considerable talents as musicians, dancers and comedians. They were simply entertainers.
I wrote last week about this being the time of year when I examine where I am at the year’s end on my artistic path. In order to somehow chart a course forward, I look back at the work of this past year, trying to see what changes have taken place, to see what new paths were followed and where they might take me in the near future. I am at the same time looking to see what paths presented themselves and were passed by and never revisited.
I was flipping around the channels last night, the final Christmas specials winding down as the holiday came to an end. I ended up on an old Christmas episode of The Monkees from around 1967. It was a show that I had loved as a kid of 8 or 9 and it had Butch Patrick, the kid who played Eddie Munster on the also adored The Munsters TV show, as a guest. How bad could it be?
We call him Santa Claus mainly but sometimes we still refer to him as old St. Nick or St. Nicholas, who was actually a 4th century Greek who served as a bishop in Constantine’s church of that time. Called Nicholas the Wonderworker and sainted in the church, his fame spread throughout Europe through the ages and evolved in story and form into the jolly, bearded fellow that we call Santa Claus today.
And we thought that the commercialization of Christmas was a new thing. Here’s a great image from Victorian era England circa 1894 featuring Father Christmas as portrayed by the Brooke’s Monkey Brand Soap monkey. Actually, this simian huckster was quite a regular in the print ads of the time. If you 
Well, I got up this morning and, outside of a light layer of snow on the ground, it looked pretty much the same as yesterday. The world is still here and the Mayans have got some explaining to do for getting us all worked up. Or were the Mayans just pulling our leg the whole time?
I don’t think I’ve ever featured any music from NRBQ on this blog which is surprising because they are always rock solid. Consistency is a trait I really appreciate and NRBQ has been just that for over 46 years now, which seems like a crazy amount of time for a group that has went kind of under the radar of the pop charts for most of that time but has built a cult following that counts some of the biggest names in music as fans. They were even on TV as the house band on The Simpsons for a couple of seasons ( see Matt Groening’s drawing of the band above.) They are known as musician’s musicians with a real sense of humor and a huge playlist that enables them to pretty much play anything. I don’t know if they still do this but they used to have a milk crate with question marks painted on it that leader Terry Adams would stand on to take requests from the audience.
At this time of the year I normally take a little time and revisit some of my work from the past. I am typically beginning to look ahead to the coming year and am looking for inspiration, hoping to find a new path to follow and examine. By starting with my own work first, I look for pieces from the past that have a singular look for the time in which they were created. Perhaps I was doing something at that time, experimenting with color or the manner in which I apply the paint for example, something that was set aside and never revisited. Perhaps, now would be a good time to revisit this path.
I have always maintained that my work acts as a sort of pacifier for me, a soothing respite from the outer world. It gives me focus and brings me calm when I most need it. And in light of the tragic events of the past week, I found myself in need. I turned inward from the confusion of the outer world and centered on a new painting, one that was filled with color and light and a more optimistic outlook.
Redtree Times 