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Notes from the Road
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date: 04/30/00
It's a modest house in a neglected area of town. Songwriter J.P. Jones and artist Kerstin Zettmar moved here from Eastern Connecticut less than a year ago and are still renovating the place. Pieces of exterior molding lie on the ground by the outside stairs, and the kitchen has that just painted look. But the Vision Well already stands as a testament to their...well...artistic vision. Zettmar's textile artwork - embroidered pictures large and small with themes from Norse mythology - line the walls and the stair bannister is painted with Celtic knot designs and the posts sport purple gold and aqua rings. The small family room doubles as a studio where both the artwork and Jones' many self-released CDs are displayed for sale.
JP Jones and Kerstin Zettmar in front of one of her works.
My hosts offer a generous hunk of quiche and a delicious spinach salad for a snack as we get acquainted. I met them a couple of times years ago but this is my first chance to really talk - and I've been looking forward to it. I have a good feeling about this 4pm Sunday afternoon concert. The house invites people to a deeper level of experience, and people like J.P. and Kerstin (pronounced Sheshtin - a Swedish name) tend to have a very interesting set of friends and acquaintances. The crowd surpasses my expectations in every way. Among the 25 people who suddenly show up at 3:50 are a Hollywood director/producer starting a new project, a stained-glass artist whose natural scenes adorn several churches in the area, a URI radio DJ, and several nurse practioners and healers. Also, my website's tour schedule has paid off - half a dozen folks have driven in from New Haven and Boston.
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J.P. says he wants to feature local artists as much as possible, and the crowd appreciates it. The Vision Well offers a perfect intimate listening experience, old-style European hospitality, and new faces. Future gigs include Boston blues player Les Sampou in May and Jackie Tice in June. Then maybe we'll be ready for the onslaught of 10,000 screaming Indigo Girls fans in August.
Hugh Blumenfeld, Editor
hugh@balladtree.com
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