music | Apothecary Shed

Oopstock 33

August 4, 2026

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33 years in a row? The felst, aka Oopstock, aka, Rhinefest is almost past the age of possibly being the messiah. Seems unlikely, but representation these days is very surprising. It was a great iteration…though short for us.

Rhine and April had just returned from their stint in South America and out West (skipping the Stick!) one week ahead of the big party. They are crazy.

Of note. Puppets. And crazy neighbor charisma and talent.

Nick would not like this aspect of puppetry.

Puppets even play the bass.

Rhine and April were in rare form (along with “Other Gary”…I being the nice one these days. We do need some spares in case of emergency though.). It’s like they practiced or something.

I didn’t record the new ones…boo. But Romey already knew all the words.

We were in and out with Spool again using Boston as a base of operations. Raffles for the win this year…a far sight better than the pool full of kids.

Romey made us thrift. LOL. This is her ancient friend of Yore Otto. Otto of course did remember Romey. Because everyone does.

We did jazz at the Mad Monk Fish as has become the tradition.

Summer Solstice 2026: A Musical Treat

August 4, 2026

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2026 presented us with a particularly fun iteration. The weather was balmy with only one slight rain delay. There was lots of music. The porch fest rocked on until 3:30am. Just really fun.

As we get older, the winter solstice has generally overtake the summer solstice in terms of audience participation. This summer was a welcome exception to the trend. I guess people were chomping at the bit since we skipped a year due to a death in the family in 2025. Thanks for joining us!

We’ve moved the party nexus close to the house, and it makes things swankier with Kitselman’s excellent patio in full swing.

Food is under Josie’s oak.

The garden is just ramping into production.

And off we go! The Charlottesville/NY contingent arrived early to get the party started. Early music!

And Leiden was the featured guest! Gonna keep him up…all night long!

Bubble?

John and Betty came as the ghost of wedding past.

Baby on the porch! Who knew that the dog gate doubled as a baby gate too?!

More early music on the patio.

It rained for a few minutes and we all temporarily raided the kitchen… but soon we were back outside where we belong.

At dusk, we lit the fire to turn the sun.

Woo hoo!!

This is my favorite picture of the party. Romey cooks a marshmellow.

Sure is a nice ritual.

Iulie obliterates a marshmellow.

Tunes around the fire followed. And after that, back to the porch for even more music into the wee hours. Special thanks to Gina, Allan James, the two Mikes, Emory, Chip, Linus, and all of the other musicians for a hella time.

Using a hay bale to block the heat…now that’s how to do it.

More fire pictures (thanks Dan).

Thanks to all who came.

YES at the Warner Theater in 2025

October 16, 2025

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Yes they were phenomenal. Yes their songs are interesting. Yes they have a very high cheese factor. Yes we still love them.

Yes, Steve Howe is 78 years old. And he’s starting to slow down.

Here’s what I said to Gina about the whole thing:
Amazing and awful. The younguns in the rhythm section (Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen) are astounding (and Jon Davison too). But Steve Howe and Geoff Downes have lost the edge and can’t find the groove. So it was both magical to see the songs we love actually performed, and also frustrating to feel the train car push and pull of a busted machine.

Lots of love on the stage though. And you have to be forgiving of a 78 year old stunt guitarist.

FWIW, the audience was definitely in worse shape than the band. A bunch of creaking hippies and OG dungeonmasters. But it was Yes, and that was a thing. The Warner Theater is almost a good place to see a show (VIP treatment is still not very V).

Regardless of all that. These songs stand the test of time. Wow.

Wondrous Stories

Roundabout

We Have Heaven

South Side of the Sky

And holy shit this bass.

Heart of the Sunrise

—-

A Beatles Cover? LOL

Starship Trooper

Writing Music at the Stick: Where’s Aubrey

September 18, 2025

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Where exactly does Where’s Aubrey music come from? Why The Stick of course!

2026 is going to be a music year. And there is work to be done to prepare. Working with Rhine is always a pleasure.

We worked. We had cocktails. We ate food. We moved in. We moved back out. 22 sketches into 12 songs ready to record (once we remember our arrangements).

Sketches are here.

32 Years of Felst

August 21, 2025

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For me, the highlight of year 32 was this cover of ziggy stardust by moosehut.

32 years. Dang. I will admit that oopstock iterations are starting to run together. Sadly, Romey couldn’t come because Leiden was due any second. In fact, two days after I returned from NH, Leiden was born.

My direct puddle hopper was delayed on the tarmac before taking off (for no real reason). But at least the instruments fit. First on, both flights with a few seconds to stow. Arrival time was 2am, but Rhine was ready with Negroni fixings.

Ah yes, and there were the uncharacteristic shorts kindly loaned from Zay. I forgot to pack shorts. Given the temperatures, that was a major mistake.

There were two warholian projects underway this year in parallel…silk screening and screen tests. Very cool. Maybe inspired by the wedding?? Or maybe just a coincidence.

There was also a stump. We disagree with the “kill the fiddler” sentiments for all the reasons. I mean, exactly how long can a little brother aggravate you?

Meanwhile the stage was set and the fascist clock’s batteries were checked.

Music ran from noon to 10pm before shuttling over to the campfire.

Some salsa for you.

Abba in shorts!

Eventually it got dark.

Hendrix.

—
And then it was the next day. Another day of uncharacteristic shorts.

All hail the inner chijuana…is that how you spell it?

Lazing

And a visit to the pond before an evening of electric fun featuring lots of Floyd.

We surrender!

Musica

October 31, 2024

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Not often enough.

The ringer…

The liberals (bitter variety)

The garden flowers

The boots that were left behind

Sigur Ros will Change your Soul

September 26, 2024

gem concert, music 8, anthem, art, concert, dc, hoppipolla, iceland, live music, music, original music, photography, sigur ros, stralafur, untitled 1, untitled 5, video, washington dc 2 Comments

Ethereal. Scandanavian. As deep as the ocean. You can get all of those things without seeing Sigur Ros live, but when you do. Just wow.

We started our evening this time at The Grill on the wharf. Of the three restaurants we’ve been too lately, it is the best. That’s not saying that much though. Hanks Oyster bar needs work. La Vida is workaday. And The Grill? One notch over workaday. This is what happens when good restaurants are “suburbanized” for new development. Alas.

But really who cares when there is a band in from Iceland? With an orchestra.

The anthem was dressed for a concert with seating everywhere.

The show was out of this world. Well more like it was of this world in a different cultural context. We need more feels like this in the modern American experience.

It started with 8.

And it didn’t pick up from there as much as settle in. Even the tech bro in the row behind us shut up and ate his words.

Straláfur

Untitled 1 from ()

There were some crowdpleasers (songs that we love too), but the songs from () were excellent.

untitled 5

And the song you’ve all been waiting for…

hoppipolla

An evening to remember.

Two Bitter Liberals on Stage 11/11 in Berryville

October 28, 2023

gem art, concert, music barns of rose hill, bitter liberals, BORH, charles arthur, concert, drums, gary mcgraw, music, nick schrenk, original music, rhine, Rhine Singleton, tickets, violin, where's aubrey Leave a comment

Nick Schrenk, the consumate Winchester-based jazz drummer, and Gary McGraw, lifetime fiddle player (or is that violin?), will be performing together on stage again during the Where’s Aubrey benefit concert for the Barns of Rose Hill. They will be joined by Richmond-based multi-instrumentalist and professional-musician, Charles Arthur, and Where’s Aubrey frontman, New-Hampshire-based Rhine Singleton.

Tickets are on sale now. We recommend getting your tickets in advance, soon. Use this link –> https://bit.ly/WA-BORH23 (or call the box office directly at (540) 955-2003).

See details on the poster below.

Where’s Aubrey: New Song from Hole

October 4, 2023

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Where’s Aubrey has completed work on a new record (now in duplication pre-release) called Hole. The last track on the record is a Where’s Aubrey classic called “one more roadhouse.” Here is a pre-release version of that song all mastered and ready to go,

The Ulluh and his sister created the art for the new record, about which more later. Here’s the cover.

Hole will be released on November 11th (veterans day) at the Barns of Rose Hill in Berryville. We hope you will come join us.

Get your tickets now!

Where’s Aubrey Recording in Wilmington

May 25, 2023

gem art, music, ocean charles, charles arthur, dogs, gem, music, ocean isle beach, original music, recording, rhine, studio, the stick, where's aubrey, wilmington Leave a comment

All work and no music makes gem a dull boy. So we fixed that. Music refactoring at the Stick followed by recording in Wilmington. Here are some highlights.

Where’s Aubrey was joined by the incredible Charles Arthur in the studio.

And yes, we started at the Stick (on Ocean Isle Beach) where we practiced. Our schedule was tight, and sleep is for the weak. But first things first. Since Rhine flew into ILM, we set up an impromptu rendezvous with Adrian and Julie. Dinner was excellent, and Moonshine made a fast friend of Ralph.