This terrific mystery feels positively handcrafted and reminds me of my favorite music. Since childhood when different folks ask me what kind of musicThis terrific mystery feels positively handcrafted and reminds me of my favorite music. Since childhood when different folks ask me what kind of music I like my answer has always been the same: “homemade.” That means anything not overly processed that can be listened to up close and personal and bears some relationship to its sources and its roots.
In a sense this mystery is an invitation to a mystery: how some people manage to live by their wits and their art, whether it be music, carpentry, motorbikes, surfing, or any other of a million special fascinations.
John Pedersen is a fiddler, banjo player, and owner of Amazing Grace Music store in San Anselmo, CA where he and his wife do stringed instrument repairs, among other things. I knew John in high school and by some miracle of internet he reconnected long enough to send me this marvelous mystery that brings us deep into the Irish music and vintage motorcycle scene in and around San Francisco.
Soren Rauhe plays accordion nearly every night amongst friends in the pick-up Irish music spots around San Francisco. By day he is a wave-watcher and motorcycle mechanic, restoring vintage mounts for connoisseurs and enthusiasts in the region. The rich variety of Rauhe’s interests and talents extend to being a chump for a white-skinned, blue-eyed, red-haired beauty of his childhood acquaintance who manages always to find more prosperous benefactors than himself or his best buddy, the carpenter and guitarist Sean, who is likewise smitten. The tension in the triangle offers depth of background to a foreground of recent hook-ups.
When Soren clumsily spills coffee on a woman in his local breakfast bar, that unexpected encounter becomes the entree to an accordion mystery that reaches back to San Francisco’s great earthquake in 1906.
Everything about this San Francisco mystery felt authentic, right down to the Russian rocket scientist handcrafting replacement parts for 70-year-old motorbikes, and the care the restorers take in handling the motors. The bump and scrape of setting up in houses or bars for a night of music sounded right also, as did the habitual morning scramble to gaze over rooftops to catch a glimpse of the breakers on the beach.
The central mystery of the accordion and the factory in which it was fashioned was as deeply fascinating to a nonspecialist as it would be to one who repairs instruments every day. I especially love the way Soren’s expectations of the people he initially met on the phone were confounded in person: an Asian man Soren pictured as a thin intellectual with bow-tie and eyeglasses was a brawny hulk of a man and the blue-eyed Nordic type he imagined from the factory was in fact short, thin, dark, and the meanest crook.
We also get a glimpse of the path to a man’s heart in that the woman who eventually captured Soren was capable in her own right and not given to unnecessary drama, was an inventive and enthusiastic lover, and was able to put together a homemade meal without undue fuss. I can verify that this is the perfect recipe for an attractive male companion as well.
Perhaps best of all, this mystery gives us a glimpse into the unimaginable mysteries of city life, of how our tangential lives glimpse and bounce off one another, unaware of the richness of the experiences going on all around us.
Because good novels are difficult to write well, especially for a full-time musician, we can’t expect that Pedersen will be able to pull off the writing schedule of a-mystery-a-year that professional crime writers do. He does have an earlier novel, featuring a bluegrass fiddler and a mystery violin, called Scroll and Curl. But I sincerely hope that one of his future novels include surfing experiences which are also part of his world. Ever since reading Finnegan’s two-part New Yorker article in the 90s about surfing, I am a complete surf-potato if such a thing exists. I adore reading about it, watching it, marveling over it. Don Winslow, another California writer, has a Boone Daniels mystery series devoted to surf buddies. Hope springs eternal, as does music, surf, and mystery.
The clear color photos in this are helpful, and do refresh the memory. Especially useful are photos of 8-way tying springs and a good discussion of maThe clear color photos in this are helpful, and do refresh the memory. Especially useful are photos of 8-way tying springs and a good discussion of making cushions. Also useful are hints about how to keep the fabric taut, where to make cuts, and making skirts.
Some of the projects shown are odd and look homemade. But with technique and experience, one can bypass some of the problems that result in less than professional work. And their techniques look fine.
This book can be used in conjunction with other books to good effect. Because the projects one might encounter are so varied, one really needs a course book to hit nearly every possible problem point. This book would be a more relaxing and refreshing addition to the intense instruction of Upholstery Techniques Illustrated, which has lousy photos but a wealth of necessary information....more
This 40-year-old book is a real gem. The author is of the "less is often more" school, and immediately gives voice to "overrestoration has ruined manyThis 40-year-old book is a real gem. The author is of the "less is often more" school, and immediately gives voice to "overrestoration has ruined many a fine piece of furniture." Scars and blemishes on old furniture, Kinney suggests, give evidence of long usage and many years, and old things often become more interesting as they age. I, however, am dealing with furniture that is less valuable than valued, so am interested in getting it back in circulation. However, I love the way he describes the obvious mistakes beginners make when filling holes, sanding, gluing, etc. He gives techniques and products that will work well, though this book appears to be British in origin, and is written way long ago. Some of the products he recommends are no longer available. You'd think there would be better, more effective products, but they are harder to locate now, as it seems fewer people are trying to keep old furniture revived. Local stores no longer sell refinishing fluid, for example, which I suspect was an old staple years ago. Anyway, I like just about everything about this book, but it is getting dated....more
When I begin a project on something new, I like to make a review of the extant literature on a subject, at least as many books as my local library andWhen I begin a project on something new, I like to make a review of the extant literature on a subject, at least as many books as my local library and it's sister libraries provide. This is one of the books there, and I can imagine it was helpful to people attempting to cane before Jim Widess published his books twenty or so years later. It has some of the same photographs as Widess', and penciled drawings which help to make the weaving clearer, but the Widess books are much more thorough and reassuring to those beginning new projects. However, Brown does go into some detail on some problems one will encounter, and so early in the book that she makes me fear I will run into these issues shortly. Perhaps she just wants one to know up front what one is getting oneself into. A good book, as I have deep admiration for anyone daring to do this work, let alone try to describe in pictures how it is done, but I would go with the more recent Widess books if I had to choose among them, for he stands on her shoulders....more
What I learned when I began upholstering is that it is absolutely worthwhile to pay someone exhorbitant fees to recover and reupholster a loved and vaWhat I learned when I began upholstering is that it is absolutely worthwhile to pay someone exhorbitant fees to recover and reupholster a loved and valuable piece of furniture. Definitely use someone reputable and be willing to pay. They deserve every penny. The work is much more complicated than it looks, and takes great technique learned only in the doing.
That having been said, upholsterers working on their own may sometimes find it worthwhile to have a guide to help them through the stickiest bits of an unusual piece, and this book is the guide to do it. Photographs and drawn diagrams help with the process, though I can say through experience that only hands-on will really do if you are a beginner.
My only reservation in wholeheartedly recommending this book is that it is SO comprehensive that one can become overwhelmed with how much there is to know to finish what appears to be "a simple piece." I dare say this may be used by beginners in conjunction with a course....more
This was my favorite among the caning books. It has gorgeous photographs of historic pieces and very clear and illustrative drawn diagrams which have This was my favorite among the caning books. It has gorgeous photographs of historic pieces and very clear and illustrative drawn diagrams which have the result of making one want to begin right away on a project that is likely to plague their dreams. It covers just about every aspect of caning and seat weaving that one would have a question about--including patterning the weave and using different materials. Can't recommend this title highly enough....more
This is one of the best books on caning and seat weaving among the several I took from the library. It has clear photographs as well as drawn diagramsThis is one of the best books on caning and seat weaving among the several I took from the library. It has clear photographs as well as drawn diagrams and covers a range of issues one is likely to encounter when reweaving a piece of furniture. It also discusses more difficult pieces, which has the effect of making the more straightforward pieces look positively easy. I has a chart for sizes of cane and discusses possible variations in weaving design....more
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