This is a quick update regarding the Secret Songwriter Suppers. The Christmas show was so much fun, with festive holiday food and quirky songs sung by Santa Hat-clad musicians JB White, Charlie Bosson and me. I have pictures which I’ll post next week. Also, I have an article coming out about the suppers in the Edible Ojai magazine. Watch for it this month!

Upon reflection, I see that every other month is probably the most realistic schedule for the suppers. So the previously announced January dinner will not be happening. Instead, Julie Christensen and I will entertain you later this Spring. Besides, Julie has a new album coming out right then, and instead of coming to a Supper, you should go see her sing her collection of brand new amazing songs!

So! The next Secret Supper will be the Academy Awards Edition, with food inspired by the yet-to-be-announced nominated films. I will be singing bluegrass versions of songs from movies with multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Tom Corbett! Very excited about this one.

The date is February 24th – the Friday before the Academy Awards, so mark your calendars!

If you haven’t come to a Secret Supper yet, you are in for a treat. We are having a lot of fun, and the secret is starting to get out…

It was so much fun!

Here are pictures. Very soon I will have recordings of the event to share too.

Freshly chopped ladyfingers…

For the Decomposed Salad, toasted pepitas with honey & cayenne:

Onions, carrots, apples and pumpkin for the pumpkin soup:

And platters of monster eyeballs for garnish!

The next Secret Songwriter Supper will be December 16th and the theme will be MERRY! Hope to see you there!

So the Spooky Secret Songwriter Supper is coming up in two weeks and we are booking up the seats. If you’d like to join us, reserve your spot soon!

Here’s the scoop:

The inaugural Secret Songwriter Supper is on October 28th, and the theme is “SPOOKY!” The musical guest for the night is Mr. JB White, and we have a set of ghoulish songs we are preparing for your listening pleasure.

Cost: $40 per person by check made out to “Fractured Atlas.” Already reasonable for a gourmet dinner and a concert, but guess what: it’s tax-deductible! As an artist, I operate under the fiscal sponsorship of Fractured Atlas. The Secret Suppers  raise funds for my work, so are tax-deductible pursuant to IRS code 501(c)(3). (That’s why it has to be a check, not cash.)

Cocktails will be served. If you’d like wine or beer with dinner, you are welcome to BYOB. There is a suggested pairing at the bottom of the menu.

As I said, seating is limited to 20 people. These dinners are for friends and friends of friends, so if you’d like to invite someone to widen the circle, please have them email me.

Here’s the menu…

Menu:

Black Dahlia cocktails

Hors D’Oeuvre Platter of Darkness

Monster Mucous

Decomposed Salad with Blood Oranges and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Soup (from Boccali’s Haunted Pumpkin Patch) with a garnish of Floating Eyeballs

Ghost of Monte Cristo Sandwiches

and for dessert:

Freshly Chopped Ladyfingers with Clotted Cream

Tea

Suggested pairing: Beer would be my recommendation – a pale ale

Or a not-too-sweet white, like a dry Reisling or a Pinot Grigio

Reserve your space right away by emailing me at rain@rainperry.com. Hope to see you there!

XO,

Rain

P.S. The next suppers are:

11/18/11 – Recidivist songwriting class performance

12/16/11 – Sacrilgeous Supper in honor of the holidays

outside under the sky. It was so much fun!

The menu:

Blue Hawaii Jello Shots & Peppery Walnuts

An Amuse Bouche of Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich Bites

Small Homegrown Fried Green Tomato on Sulphur Mountain Greens with Buttermilk Dressing

Meatloaf with Bacon

Sweet Potato Casserole (with marshmallows and pecans)

Southern Green Beans

Tennessee Angel Biscuits

Pepsi (Elvis’ favorite) or Olympia Beer (for his buddies)

and for dessert…Pecan Pie with fresh whipped cream and bowls of amphetamine and phenobarbital (altoids and hot tamales)

Here are a whole bunch of pictures.

Slightly blurry picture of one of the tables:

The chef at work:

Toasting with Jello Shots…

Two-tone alcoholic jello!

Biscuits…mmm…

Sweet potato casserole:

Bacon isn’t quite as appealing when it’s raw, but the meatloaf was yummy:

My first attempt at homemade pie crust…came out okay!

The lovely servers, Stella and McKenna:

Happy Diners!

The next Secret Supper will be on September 16th, which is both Mexican Independence Day and National Mayflower Day. Since I won’t even try to compete with the great Mexican food you can get around here, I’ve decided to we’re taking a culinary trip to the New World, so if you’re interested, reserve your space by emailing me!