Abberly at West Ashley Blog

“I want every girl in the world to pick up a guitar and start screaming.” –Courtney Love

The guitar is a perfect instrument on which to start learning music. Kids LOVE guitars because they see so many of their favorite musicians strumming away as they sing. Seems like all the top artists today have a guitar when they perform–James Durbin, a crowd-favorite finalist on American Idol this season, for instance. Seems like every musician can play guitar, from strumming along a few chords as they sing, to jamming with some major skills.

Guitar gives teens an outlet for creative self-expression.

Kids should learn to play a musical instrument. Learning to play a musical instrument can be so rewarding for a child. It may start out awkwardly (and sometimes frustratingly), but playing becomes easier and more fun over time. Kids develop their fine motor skills  and acquire a better understanding of the structure of music. Developing these skills helps children gain confidence and self-esteem. Playing guitar offers kids an outlet for self-expression that is both creative and therapeutic–they can “sceam,” laugh, rage, cry, process emotionally–through their six string. Most importantly, learning an instrument early in life gives a child a huge head start on a skill they can enjoy for a lifetime. Guitar knowledge is transferrable to any instrument that one might want to pick up down the road.

Kids aren’t the only ones. Many don’t learn to play guitar until they are adults. The guitar is a great instrument to pick up as an adult for its immediate accessibility—you’ll learn chords quickly and can easily have a repertoire of songs to play in a short time. Then you’ll have a lifetime to practice, practice, practice and get better and better, adding to your song repertoire.

And no matter how good someone thinks they are, everyone can benefit from a few guitar lessons–from learning a new way to transition from chord to chord or a better way to hold the instrument to make chords easier to play.

1.7 miles from Abberly at West Ashley Apartments, Clelia’s Guitar Studio and Guitar Shop–locally owned and operated–is located at 856 Dupont Rd Ste B in Charleston. “Our shop is dedicated to guitars and guitarists. From the student to the professional, we provide all styles of guitars and lessons. We are fully staffed with experienced instructors for all ages, levels and styles.”

30-minute “One on One” sessions are by appointment. They offer private lessons for guitar and bass guitar. For more information and , call 843.556.6765. Clelia’s YouTube channel shows many performances by teachers and students and give you a flavor of the offerings at the Studio.

And if you want to get a jumpstart on learning, many online Guitar Lessons for Beginners are available. Start strumming and “screaming” through your six string!

photo: montessori

Coming up on Earth Day this Friday, April 22, everyone who brings in a reusable mug or tumbler gets a free brewed coffee or tea!

Bring in travel mug for FREE coffee Friday!

If you don’t have a tumbler or travel mug, Starbucks will be offering some for sale at 20% off on Earth Day. And FYI, ANY time you bring in your own tumbler or mug, you get 10 cents off your drink EVERY time!

As part of its Shared Planet initiative, Starbucks has set a goal to serve 25% of beverages sold in reusable containers by 2015. Last year 1.2 million people participated! Still, reusable serveware still accounts for only a small percentage of total beverages served. But the impact we could have if we carry in our reusable tumblers (and reusable bags into the grocery store and other stores) is huge when we ALL do it. Starbucks customers bringing in their own tumblers 32 million times (as they did in 2010) keeps nearly 1.45 million pounds of paper out of landfills!

Visit Starbucks near Abberly at West Ashley:

Fuel up on some delicious liquid energy for FREE on Friday—but don’t forget your travel mug!

photo: Starbucks

If you’re not familiar with Pure Theatre, get yourself acquainted this weekend, because Pure is something special. Audiences don’t just enjoy their performances. They are captivated. “Smart, stimulating theatre.” “This is what acting should be . . . a mind-bending, heart-bursting, beautiful production handled gracefully by PURE Theatre. It will leave you recognizing the power of theatre.” (Charleston City Paper)

Treat yourself to live theatre!

This weekend the amazing small ensemble cast is performing The Fool’s Lear.

A king called Lear surrenders his kingdom to his daughters and what follows is the tragedy of a king. But what becomes of the Fool who follows him? Is he doomed to share his king’s fate? The Fool’s Lear is the rest of the comic and tragic story of King Lear as the Fool helps him on his journey through the wilderness to Dover. Does the Fool belong to the king or does the king belong to a fool? Only a fool would dare to answer such a question. (synopsis from Pure Theatre website)

The Fool’s Lear is running Friday, April 15 at 7:30pm and Saturday, April 16 at 7:30pm. Tickets—available for purchase online–are $25 advance or $30 at the door.

Pure Theatre is located at 477KingStreet—7 miles from Abberly at West Ashley on US-17.

Treat yourself to a night of truly engaging performing arts—“Pure” goodness–tonight or tomorrow at Pure Theatre.

The shot on Fort Sumter 150 years ago that began the Civil War was a go ahead, but its reenactment next Tuesday April 12 may not be. Reenactors are awaiting word on government shutdown.

Chip Campsen of Fort Sumter Tours Inc. said the shutdown “really couldn’t come at a worse time.” (from Charleston Post and Courier online) The reenactors are making their travel plans now and were to arrive this Friday to begin preparations for the week-long events surrounding the anniversary.

Civil War Reenactors at Fort Sumter

At Fort Sumter, located in Charleston Harbor, re-enactors will present programs including musket firings and heavy artillery drills. From April 9–13, Union re-enactors will be on site. On April 14, flag ceremonies for the first five tour boats of the day will mark the Union surrender of Fort Sumter to Confederate forces. From April 15–17, Confederate re-enactors will occupy the fort. For information on tour boat availability visitors should contact Fort Sumter Tours, Inc. at (843) 722-2628 or visit their website.

The Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center at Liberty Square, located at 340 Concord Street in Charleston, will have daily programs focusing on the civilian home front at the beginning of the Civil War. From April 9–16 the visitor center will be open for extended hours from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Sunday, April 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no charge to visit the site.

Hopefully the show will go on! Bring the kids out to see history come alive at Fort Sumter!

Missionary Mary Proctor's message is "Swim On. Be Encourage(d)"

I met Missionary Mary Proctor, visionary artist, at the Folk Art Festival in Atlanta last year. Like many Visionary artists, she shares a clear message through her life and art. She freely spoke about her art and the powerful message behind it. “God gives me the message and I paint it. I paint on anything I can find. Paper, wood, tin. I’ve been through adversity. While grieving for her beloved grandmother and other close relatives who died in a house fire in 1995, the Lord told Mary to “paint the door” and that she did! She is a warm, engaging  person who is truly living to do “God’s Work” through her art.

I bought a fish cut out of a piece of tin and painted. On it, she painted the words “Keep Swimming.” “Life is tough and you’re gonna experience hardships and setbacks. But just keep on swimming. Swim through those times. It gets better.”

We like the word Visionary, because we feel the artists we work with know where they are going, even if we may not understand it. They are not lacking for ideas or a message. These are people who have a compulsion to make art, sometimes without knowing why, and often after a life-changing experience. They just start creating. (from Artistic Spirit Gallery website)

Outsider Art, Folk Art, Visionary Art. Whatever you call it, it’s art produced by folks with a big vision and little or no formal art training. It’s spontaneous art without boundaries or constraint. It’s at once fun and whimsical and scary or utterly shocking. Always real and delightful for its truth.

See (and purchase) Mike Schramer's art at Artistic Spirit Gallery

Enjoy an afternoon browsing the variety of Visionary Art at Artistic Spirit Gallery located at 10 Storehouse Row, Navy Yard at Noisette, Charleston, Call (843) 579-0149 or (317) 694-6085 with questions.

But a warning: You’ll want to break out the paints after your visit and start creating your own visionary art!

photos: imagehost and Artistic Spirit Gallery

Where would America be without it’s strong, committed working class citizens? They (we) physically build bridges and buildings, craft furniture, grow food, and care for children, stock shelves, deliver goods, fix broken cars and pipes, and so much more. Rightfully so, blue collar workers have been declared the “backbone of America.”

Mary Whyte tenderly captures portraits of America's working class.

An upcoming event you won’t want to miss at “Charleston’s best used book store five years running”is Blue Bicycle Books Author’s Luncheon Series featuring the work of Mary Whyte: Working South. The series continues this spring with a special appearance from renowned watercolorist Mary Whyte on Friday, Apr. 8 from 12pm – 2pm.

“Whyte will be discussing and signing her newest book, Working South, sketches and portraits of vanishing blue-collar professions from across the South.”

The talk and lunch will be at the new Osteria La Bottiglia restaurant at 420 King St. in downtown Charleston. A champagne and dessert book signing will immediately follow at Blue Bicycle Books located at 420 King St., near the corner of King and John. Locations are 7 miles from Abberly at West Ashley Apartments.

You will enjoy hearing Whyte discuss her inspiring portraits which are in the permanent collections of Greenville County Museum of Art, the Gibbes Museum, and numerous corporate, private and university collections.

Come browse the huge collection at Blue Bicycle Books near Abberly at West Ashley—and celebrate the Working South.

photo source: Blue Bicycle Books

Train for 5K alone or with a friend--even a 4-legged one!

Did you maintain your health and fitness over the long winter months? If you’re like me, you let it slip. Bad. The short days, the cold, and the demands of work, kids, home and my waistline is much lumpier than I’d like.

This blogger, named Brandon, shares his inspirational story of how he started running and lost over 70 lbs! He shares tips and encouragement in his helpful blogs, like these 5 tips from his article “Beginning Fitness: 5 Baby Steps”:

1. Create a Food Log. Record every meal and every snack that you eat.

2. Cut 500 calories per day. Over time they really add up. And that much won’t kill you.

3. Begin cardio you can stick with. Save high intensity for later. Start with 30 minutes daily (or 3-5 times per week) that gets your heart rate up and let’s you break a sweat.

4. Add strength training. Select a good variety of machines (6-10) and do 2 sets with 10 repetitions in each set. This accelerates fat loss.

5. Train for a race. Give your exercise a specific purpose.

If you’re like me, you are tempted to blow off that last step; however, he states that it’s a powerful motivator and a key step in the process.

If you’re willing to push yourself that little extra bit and get serious about your fitness, Charleston is hosting 5Ks and other races that might help you kick start your fitness goals—giving you that “deadline” that Brandon says was so beneficial to him. Here are a couple coming up. And how ironic the first one on the list! That’s exactly how I became so “lumpy” over the winter—those darned (delicious) Krispy Kremes!

Charleston Doughnut Run
Charleston, SC Sat 04/16/2011 5-K

Leslie McCravy Memorial 5-K Run/Walk
Folly Beach, SC Sat 05/14/2011 5-K

So hit the fitness center here at Abberly at West Ashley Apartments and start training for a 5K in Charleston! Happy Training!

photo credit: exercisemydog.com

Prince to "Go Crazy" at North Charleston Coliseum March 30

I didn’t “get” Prince back in 1984 and I still don’t “get” him, but I love his upbeat rocked out tunes and recognize his musical genius. His album “Purple Rain” stayed at number one for five weeks when it debuted in 1984 and took the world by storm. Since then he has changed his name to “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince” and simply the symbol shown at the right. (People still call him Prince, though.)

Prince is the artist formerly known as a symbol

You can see Prince (or the symbol at the right) at the North Charleston Coliseum on March 30. See the Post & Courier article for additional information about the show.

North Charleston Coliseum is located at 5001 Coliseum Drive—6 miles from Abberly at West Ashley Apartments. Order tickets online starting Tuesday, March 15.

My favorite Prince song is “When Doves Cry.” What’s your favorite? Share it here!

"Spring Awakening" is a love story just in time for Spring in Charleston!

Spring has sprung in Charleston and the birds and the bees are up to their usual amorous Springtime activities. Seems like all of nature is courting, doesn’t it? You may be catching a little of the fever yourself!

Love is in the air at the North Charleston Coliseum Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, March 15, and Wednesday, March 16 at 7:30 pm each evening when “Spring Awakening” hits the stage. The musical, winner of 8 Tony awards including Best Musical, explores “the journey from adolescence to adulthood with unforgettable poignancy and passion.” (from website)

The North Charleston Performing Arts Center is located at 5001 Coliseum Drive—6 miles from Abberly at West Ashley. Purchase tickets online. Or download the entire Performing Arts Center brochure.

More from the website: “This electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality, and rock and roll is exhilarating. Join late 19th century German students as they navigate teenage self discovery and coming-of-age anxiety in a powerful celebration of youth and rebellion in the daring, remarkable Spring Awakening. (Warning: Explicit Adult Content).”

Spring over to see “Spring Awakening” at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center!

photo credit: North Charleston Performing Arts Center

Whiskey 'n' Ramblin, Charleston's "good time" band, plays at Home Team BBQ

For a fun-filled evening out with friends in Charleston, pair up good food with good music at one of the many restaurants with live music in the area. Sample the foods and the sounds at one of these local hot spots:

Mad River Bar & Grill will feature live music all day March 12^th and 17^th for their St. Patty’s Day events. They always feature live music Fridays and Saturdays. A DJ rocks the crowd the rest of the week. They are located at 32B Market Street.

Obrion’s Pub hosts acoustic duos or full bands several nights a week. Enjoy their authentic Irish pub fare at 520 Folly Rd, Ste #A (in the Publix shopping center).

Silver Star has been around for more than 10 years at 478 King Street. Listen to jamming live music in one of Charleston’s trendiest nightlife establishments.

Home Team BBQ serves up BBQ rubbed ribs, chicken, and pork shoulders that will knock your socks off! They host open mic nights and weekly live local bands at 1205 Ashley River Road.

High Cotton offers the best lowcountry fare with live jazz every night. They are located at 199 E. Bay Street.

And finally, for Charleston’s freshest seafood, it’s Coast bar and grill. They are located at 39-D John Street and showcase live music Sundays between 7 and 10.

Music and food make a great pair in Charleston!

photo credit: Home Team BBQ