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Sunday special: Soul food
By CHRISTINA HEADRICK CLEARWATER -- The driving clackety-clack of guitars playing a jump blues tune hovered Sunday around the avocados and cucumbers in the produce section of Nature's Food Patch. Some shoppers paused to listen or tap their feet. "There are good things comin' around the corner," sang "Flash" Gordon Williamson, a 42-year-old Clearwater singer-songwriter. "There are good things just around the bend. And the good things are only the beginning of the bad things coming to an end." Williamson finished his song, which he wrote after he lost his father, sister and his business -- Club More -- within the last year, and applause came from around the store. Then Ken Sutton, another singer-songwriter who lives in Largo, began a slower, evocative tune, called The Wind. More songs followed, part of the informal concert that takes place at 3 p.m. the first Sunday of the month in the 68-degree produce section at Nature's Food Patch. After a year and a half, members of the song circle say, it feels totally organic to make their music among the cases of bananas, onions and tomatoes -- none of which have to date been thrown at the group, John Hancock jokingly said. Hancock is a 50-year-old Safety Harbor Middle School teacher who brings his guitar and harmonicas to the gatherings. If anything, people shopping Sunday said they really appreciated the music made by the group of baby boomer music-lovers sitting in the middle of the store. "We've had claps from all over the store, from way over there in the beer section," said Jenny James, a 52-year-old Brandon resident who drives an hour for the monthly circle. There was even a song circle "groupie," Debby Carter, there on Sunday. Carter had been out on a date with one of the musicians Saturday and decided to drop by to listen. Shoppers have joined in the music-making before. Once, a woman who was shopping came over and did an impromptu rendition of Amazing Grace while the musicians harmonized. The grocery aisle song circle was cooked up by Glenn Smith, the manager of the bulk section of Nature's Food Patch, which has large plastic containers of things such as Himalayan red rice and green Mung beans. Smith, 48, used to play in a two-man, two-woman folk group called Myriad, which made the rounds of live music venues and various folk festivals around the state. His favorite part of the festivals was always the late-night, informal jam sessions, called song circles, that sprang up after official events were over. Smith decided to try to create the same vibe in the Patch, creating a circle in which local singer-songwriters could come and share their music once a month. It seemed to fit right in with the grocery store's other food-for-soul offerings, including occasional discussions of alternative healing, herbal remedies and vegetarian cooking demonstrations. At first, the circle gathered in the Patch's cafe but then decided that the occasional whir of the juicer and the grumble of the espresso machine broke their concentration. So they took root in the produce section. For many of the players, having the musical outlet helps them feel centered. Smith has been playing guitar since age 14, and currently has been writing music with Williamson and playing in a group called Flash Gordon's Adventures. "I'm not real religious," Smith said. "I believe in a creative force, and to me, when I'm playing music, I'm in touch with the creative force. And you're right there in the here and now. You're not thinking about the past. You're not thinking about the future. It's almost a meditation thing." The Patch's song circle is open to all comers, but there is an etiquette. Generally, everyone gets their turn in the limelight, going around the circle, and it would be considered rude to do things like a lengthy and loud solo in the middle of someone else's tune. Smith tries to encourage people to bring original music, of which there was plenty on Sunday. Ally Smith, who used to play with Myriad, did a few works from her new album of folk songs in her smooth, bell-like voice, when she wasn't playing the violin or guitar, backing other people up. In spite of the original music push, there are occasional, enthusiastic covers of folk standards like John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads. When people are nervous about singing in the group, other players back them up, adding acoustical flourishes to their songs, and there is always a smile and a round of applause at the end of each piece. There's just one problem, said Ron Gilbert, 50, who drives from New Port Richey to the circle once a month: "The Sundays are just too far away from each other, when we get together."
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