That’s right, I almost forgot. We’re doing another show at the Ironworks. If you haven’t already signed away your St. Patrick’s Day (Saturday March 17th), the band and I will be hosting a few special guests like super-cellist John Ames and DJ Jake DeNiro for an evening of mildly demented fun in a very comfortable atmosphere. All this for a mere $15 at the door. Ironworks can be found at the corner of Main and Alexander down in Gastown (Vancouver, if you’re reading this from elsewhere). But don’t believe me, believe the poster.
Although I mention St. Paddy’s Day as a marker, you should note dear reader, that persons seeking their annual dose of fine Irish culture may come away from a Legion of Flying Monkeys event both bewildered and unfulfilled.* For the rest of you, I hope you can come out. Hit me up if the fifteen bucks is an issue.
*And possibly deeply, deeply offended.
The Legion of Flying Monkeys 
My eyes are going. I thought it said, “The Curious Vitae of Mr. Fire-Man”. Truth in advertising…
Would ‘vitae’ refer to my innards? That would be curious. And tubular just to be topical.
David – just following an elderwood trail and found your curious vitae! What a blast to visit your site and see your horns. I’d love to hear them – imagining all sorts of tunes, howls, groaning, wail and swoon -. Did I miss a link to an audio clip?
Seeing your trove of elderwood lengths – I’m really interested in working with some lengths (4′-5′) for another project. Any suggestions on how to find it? Which types/species of elder, and what kind of eco-area to find it.
I’d also appreciate any heads-up tips/sources on cutting, curing and working it best. Not sure how to go – as I live in arid Southern Cal. But we have kids at Berkeley. The Bay Area may have some elder-sources similar to Van….thanks
Warm regards,
John
Hi John. Elderberry is prevalent in California, a natural part of the underbrush. I actually sourced some in Pasadena a few years back, growing in profusion around an offramp. If you want to cure it without it splitting, you’ll need to cut it once the weather is good and dry (best guess, I’m afraid), paint the cut ends with two coats of acrylic or latex paint and bag those same ends in plastic (once the paint is dry). Then stick ’em in a cool, dark place for a year at least. Check them every few months for mold, which should be scraped off.
Are you making horns, or something else?
If you’re feeling ambitious, you could burn out the sticks before you bag ’em. Use a length of coathanger wire, heat the tip with a torch (or in a fire) and stick it into the pith until you make it end to end. Then you double over the last inch of the wire and repeat, etc. until you’ve cleared most of the pith. A scraper made from the same wire can work wonders at removing leftover pith. Anyway, perhaps your project is something else. Let me know.
Cheers,
David
PS: The links on the right side of my blog will lead to a few songs with horns playing in them.