HARPER SPARROW and The Armory

Last Saturday, in the wee morning, our sixth band member arrived. Harper Sparrow, the long awaited and hoped-for baby of Curtis and Grace Romjue, has landed!!! We have LOVED getting to sit with her before her bass lessons start Monday.

This Sunday, we played at Seattle's historic Town Hall as part of the 2010 Seattle Poetry Slam GRAND SLAM, and had a slammin' good time. I felt like I was at the Denny's they closed in Ballard, eating a GRAND SLAM... because it was so delicious.

Seriously, what an honor! The Grand Slam is SPS's biggest event of the year, showcasing some of Seattle's finest spoken-word artists (with this year's feature Joaquin Zihuatanejo), and Sunday's show was no let down. I kind of 'have a thing' for this community. Many of the artists in the event continue to be good friends to me and have helped me exponentially as a writer and performer. We thoroughly enjoyed (and were thankful for) the opportunity to share our music and anti-slavery purpose as a group with such a warm audience. I even opened the event with a poem! Thanks again to the Seattle Poetry Slam.

The poetry that night was particularly heavy, with many of the poets sharing very deep, intimate thoughts and experiences about themselves. I was talking with world-renowned poet Danny Sherrard about vulnerability yesterday, and it made me think of Harper, as well as the slam - these two vastly different pictures of vulnerability. Harper has no choice. Her needs are so evident (and her parents are SO caring, by the way). But poet after poet took the stage, with every right to stay guarded and closed off, able to wear as much armor as they chose, yet many shared the most intimate of details about their lives. That kind of honesty scares me.

Why be vulnerable? Are you vulnerable with anyone? Why is it so hard? Leave your comments, I want to know what you think.

Skinny Jeans

Hi. Steven here.

So, most of my pants are singing The Fray these days. As a result, I'm out questing for pants today in Capitol Hill. In every store, my size has shrunk. Same numbers, same waist, but very, very tight. What's the deal? Is this a commentary on the de-emphasis of solitude and personal space in our modern day? Has fashion flattened into a mirror of the voyeuristic-internet-social-site movement? Tell us what you think. I am still searching for pants.

In Jubilee news:

-Curtis and I will be finishing up the drum tracks for our new album (!) this week, and we are SO EXCITED about this CD. Already. I have laughed, cried, and even endured a short stint of graham-cracker-addiction as a result of these songs.
-We are in our new rehearsal space (The Carriage House), which rocks and is the result of many hands' hard work. We are so thankful for all the effort that has gone into this room. It is awesome.
-AND arguably most importantly, Curtis and Grace be expecting a baby this week! Harper Sparrow should be here any day now. Join us as we chomp at the bit-of-our-lives in excitement.

Just in case I was misunderstood earlier, it's totally cool if you like skinny jeans. Maybe I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment yet?

Steven's so excited about our new practice space!!!!!!!!

UNBOUND conference coming up!

Hey you! Yeah, you in Seattle! There's this really cool conference coming up we think you should attend.

Unbound 2010 Conference (April 16th-17th) is a pretty cool experience if you want the best possible information regarding human trafficking and its contributing factors. You'll prolly get a better idea of how you want to respond to modern slavery. The cost is $15, or $10 for students, and all proceeds go to the WARN network. To register, and to see a detailed schedule, please visit www.freedominitiative.org. If you are not able to register in advance, you are welcome to register at the door (Cash or Check will be accepted).

See ya there!

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Harper Sparrow Update: As of 12:11pm on this Monday April 12th, Harper is still kicking around in Mama Romjue's belly. We're already scheming of ways to incorporate her little rattles into the next album! So exciting! The countdown continues...

Steven's new bartering system...

This month is National Poetry Month. In honor of that, our drummer, Steven Wilbur has written several poems to go along with the sentiment of poetry appreciation. The following is one of my (Emily) favorite poems he's written:

3/30

At Gordito’s, you might let your newborn lie down
next to a burrito of comparable size for its first photo,
and they will give you this burrito free of charge.
Here, a burrito the size of your child. Be our guest.

On one hand, you’ve lost,
but in the other hand, you have a free burrito
that takes two hands to eat, and therefore, not enough hands
to hold onto any sadness.

I would like to adopt this for a personal bartering system,
and announce my first purchase,
a small bear.

At the zoo, I will approach the zookeepers,
kneel down fetal-ly next to my new bear,
grant them a photo to commemorate our spacial similarities,
and take the bear home, free of charge.

Once I have obtained the bear,
this bartering system can be more easily enforced.
The bear will follow me everywhere, at all times,
with pause enough to remember each moment,
drying the cement in my requests amidst an unsettled world.
We will walk confidently upon
golden sidewalks built on the pretense of our volumes.

As a result of my ongoing discount,
everything in my house will be as tall,
or at least as awkward, as I, including the house itself.
The bear and I will take turns sunbathing in our one-person pool.
The salt and pepper shakers will have a 32-waist and faithfully
hold the volleyball net when we are not seasoning our nachos
from the closet-sized oven we have hidden from the children.

One day, if I am gifted with a daughter, I’ll take her to the leather-man,
who will craft a bear-saddle just her size, take a picture, and send us away
to parade her around on the back of a full-grown black bear.

I am not building an empire,
but if ever a baby is rewarded for its tenderness,
we should give them a gift they can conquer with,
or at least eat.