Deena Chappell - CD Release Party September 19th

Pompanuck Farm is proud to host a cd release party for Deena Chappell's new collection of songs titled, "Voices of the Archetypes" on September 19, 2009 at 7:00pm in the RoundHouse. Admission: $10

This cd is full of original and astounding music, beautifully produced by Eric Geoffrey Belcher, and with lyrics that will make you want to sing, dance and reflect...

Who knows what lurks beneath the surface of our consciousness? Deena Chappell set out on a journey to find out. Creating a framework built on the philosophies of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and famous mythologist, Joseph Campbell, Chappell created a delightful, insightful, and very listenable album of nine songs that track her progression through the quintessential search to meet and greet the Archetypes of the unconscious.

What are Archetypes? Well, that’s a question that can be answered in many different ways depending on who is doing the answering. Here’s one way of describing them. The Archetypes are images and experiences that we collectively share, although we more often then not undergo our encounters with them as individuals. An easily recognizable and understood Archetype is the Trickster. Trickster is ancient and exists in all cultures. A shape-shifter, Trickster can appear as a clown or a jester. In Native American traditions, he sometimes appears as a coyote or a raven. As do all archetypes, the Trickster serves a function. He shows up when we have taken ourselves too seriously. She appears when we are so distracted by our own drama that we’ve lost sight of the fact that life is but a cosmic joke. A popular incarnation of the Trickster in American culture is Bugs Bunny.

In her genre-hopping album, ‘Voices Of The Archetypes’ Chappell dances, cries and laughs her way down an enchanted path toward individuation. Brilliantly produced by Eric Geoffrey Belcher, this album pops with tasty audio bites that bring the story to life. The sequence of the enchanted tracks maps the journey. The story begins with a realization of the cost of living an inauthentic life for a false sense of security. Corporate marks a moment in time when a life-altering decision to jump off of the proverbial cliff is made. Big Green Bus speaks to the beginning of a wonderful, psychedelic-like journey to a new home. Song for Child, a piano based ballad, honors the child within and without. Cruel Mistake is a gospel-toned confrontation to blame and sorrow. Shadow Thing emerges in a pissed-off frenzy of screaming Sabbath guitars and Chappell spills dark, tortured sexually charged lyrics; parental guidance suggested. Shadow Aphrodite is a twisted little swing number that coaxes the ghost of the infamous man-eater. Reminiscent of the Beatles, The Only Time is Now is a lush, ethereal homage to the sacred voice that reminds us of our own divinity and keeps us on our path. The Trickster is a snappy, danceable tune with clever lyrics and a killer fiddle track. The album is summed up beautifully with an acoustic fairy-tale, Pandora.

Because there are so many different styles of music on this album, it would be difficult to categorize it. In a class by itself, ‘Voices Of The Archetypes’ is one of those pieces of true, honest art that comes along only once in a while.

reservations suggested. admission: $10

Beginning Mushroom Identification Workshop

Saturday August 22, 9 am - 4 pm.
Please join mycologist, Sue Van Hook, for a hands-on day in the field collecting fungi, making spore prints, and learning stature types for easy identification of the common edible and medicinal fungi. In the morning we will be introduced to how to collect mushrooms while we foray at Pompanuck Farm and the surrounding State Forest. Over lunch Sue will teach the major groups of fungi and we'll spend the afternoon practicing identification on our collections. Please bring any mushrooms or fungi from home, a collecting basket, a dull knife or garden trowel, waxed paper, a bag lunch, water and any sunscreen or repellents you desire. Please wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts for tick protection. Cost is $25

Sue Van Hook can most often be found on hands and knees in search of fungi in Skidmore's North Woods. She engages students in various mycoremediation projects as part of the first year biology majors course. Using fungal mycelium she and students have worked to restore segments of trail and degrade stable waste. She collaborates with researchers at RPI in Troy, NY growing fungi for "green" products. In 2007, Sue produced Treasures in the North Woods: a guide to the natural campus at Skidmore College in collaboration with students, staff and faculty spouses. As a Senior Teaching Associate, she currently teaches laboratories for Unity of Life (BI 105) and Diversity of Life (BI 106). She chairs the Campus Environment Committee, working on campus sustainability and stewardship of the North Woods.
Sue earned her M.A. in Biology and B.A. in Botany and French from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. She worked as a naturalist and preserve manager for the Nature Conservancy in northern California and as Stewardship Director for the Maine Coast Heritage Trust before coming to Skidmore in 1992.