Playing the KAC

Friday the 13th turned out to be a luck nite for Craobh Dugan, the Irish Group that I play with.   We had a gig at the Kirkland Arts Center, one of CNY's best venues for acoustic music.    It was the 30th anniversary of the Centers coffeehouse series, and Craobh Dugan was the first group ever to perform there, so it was a privilege to be on stage in this setting.   Three of our members, Jim O'Looney, and Mike and Chris Hoke performed at the first concert.   That concert showed that the Utica Rome area was indeed a great audience for acoustic music and 30 years of success at the KAC, under the direction of volunteer Ginger Parker, has grown to bring our area some of the biggest names in acoustic music (David Bromberg - my all time #1) over the past three decades.    And Ginger and the KAC continue to do so while also giving the stage to local acts like us.

Playing the KAC is a treat.  It's like a glimpse of what life must be like in the big time - a really lively room that is acoustically as good as any I've played in - along with one of the best sound men around, Tom Bell.    The sound is superb both onstage and in the audience.   This is my second time playing on this stage (Played here about 6 years ago with the Tired Hands Sting Band - opening for Silk City) and I really enjoy these performances.  

The pre-show experience is great - hanging in the back room with the other musicians, warming up, a bit of banter, last minute changes in the show, seeing the nerves start to show,  watching the place fill up, retuning the mandolin for the 10th time (even though for once it seems to be in tune) , and the anticipation as showtime is imminent.

For me the best part is always when the show starts.  The jitter are gone, and it's time to play and share the music we have been practicing with the audience.   There are few things in my life that are as much fun as those moments on stage performing music and sharing what I love with a people who appreciate it.   Beyond fun?   And to be doing it with a group of musicians who are so talented - I feel like the weakest link in the chain when I hear what the others are playing and am glad they allow me to come along for the ride.   I don't know anyone around our area with the knowledge of Irish Music and the ability to play it like Jim O'Looney and Mike Hoke.   As Yogi Berra says, "You can observe a lot just by watching" and playing with them has helped my Irish style playing come a long way.    The rest of the group is pretty darn good too - Skip, Ed, Mike, Kevin, Chris, and Mary Margaret are all pretty good musicians as well and each bring unique talent to the mix.

The show  was one of the best (the best??) we have played in the two years I've been with the group.   The effort and practice everyone in the group put in came out in the performance.   I know Irish Musicians are supposed to look serious and sometimes the complexity of the tunes puts that expression on your face, but most of the time I was on stage I could feel a big smile forming. 

The audience showed their appreciation time and time again, not only during the show, but as I was leaving many folks came up to me and told me how much they enjoyed the show.  

Yep, it felt like the big time......

Summer 2011 - the Rockridge Brothers hit town

At about 2AM on a very hot summer monday nite, I was awakend by a knock on the front door.   I was expecting visitors and they had finally arrived.   The Rockridge Brothers (from Stockholm, Sweden) were on a mini-tour of Upstate NY, and had driven in from Oneonta after a show at the Oneonta theatre.   I'd known Krisitian Herner, the banjo player, for a few years, and hosted he and his wife Rachel Eddy for our 2010 Garage concert and was looking forward to meeting the rest of the band.  Since it was a hot nite the first order of business was for the guys to take a dip in the pool, then we had a few beers and got acquainted staying up talking till almost 4AM?  My memory gets a little foggy here.   It was great to meet Ralf, Peter, and Pontus and get to know them a bit before we all crashed.    Claire got to meet them in the morning when we finally rolled out of bed.

We had planned a garage concert for the next night and invited about 80 friend, neighbors, family, and musicians to come over for the show.  It was the third annual garage concert (we call them garage concerts even though the concert is in the backyard because the first annual was in the garage - but we've outgrown it)   So we spent the day getting to know each other some more, hanging around the pool, showing the guys some local culture in Rome, and picking a few tunes.  There were a few anxious moments when Peter's wedding ring came off in the pool, but on Krisitains advice we waited till the water was calm it it showed up, so he was off the hook back home.  The guys helped Claire and I set up the backyard for the concert, and ice down the beer and things were ready for the evening show.

About 6:30 people started arriving and I think we had about 60 guests, many first timers to a house concert (most people around here don't have a clue what one is) and they were not sure what they were getting into.   And to have a band from Sweden in someones backyard in Rome NY - Hmmmmm.......   We usually have a cocktail before staring the show so people can get settled in and mix a bit and enjoy the company.  Then we herd everyone into the backyard for some live music.  

Our  standing tradition is that the Fahy Family Band always opens the show and it is one of my musical treats to play a set with my Daughter Kelly, and niece Elly.   I hang back and let the girls lead the show and Kelly does a great job singing and Elly plays a pretty good standup bass.

                                             Kelly                 Ellie

They have been known to pull a fast one on me from time to time, but this year we stuck to the set list - a mix of Carter Family, Truckstop Honeymoon, Creedence, Hank Snow and Donna the Buffalo - good set.   Before we finished, we invited the Rockridge Brothers up to do Wagon Wheel with us -wow - Kelly sure sounds good with a full band behind her!!   There is a link to the video at the end of the blog.

Kristian       Ralf         Peter       Pontus

After the break the Rockridge Brothers took stage - or maybe better said exploded into their first number.  You would have thought that they were playing Carnegie Hall, Merlefest,  or Woodstock - with the energy and drive  they put into their performance!   Most of the folks there had never really heard a good old time band before, and many were only mildly acquainted with Bluegrass, so they couldn't have had a better introduction to old time music.   They are all really good musicians  - harmonies perfect, crisp breaks, tight arrangements and overall  good choice of songs and tunes, and everything played at a brisk pace that had the whole crowd tappin their toes.   They have played together for about 10 years and it shows in how they blend  together.  Awesome musicians each.    Not only were they great to listen to, but their stage presence is very inviting to the audience - they talk to you like your an old friend and  you feel like part of the show.   The set will live long in my memory (boy am I glad I got a good recording!!!) and on my ipod.  Here is a link to their opening number

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6zBl9RnFCE&feature=g-upl&context=G24d1a1dAUAAAAAAACAA


A lot of our guests were blown away by the show -they never expected to see a GREAT band in our backyard, and be able to get to meet and talk to them.   They played a full set and were coaxed into an encore.   Then after a short beer break to cool off we moved inside to the garage for a jam session with my local music friends.    It was a treat to play with them, and we shared songs and tunes for a few hours more.   Not too many of the guests left - they stayed to listen.   Pontus was showing Ellie some stuff on the bass (he has a new #1 fan in the US now) and it was cool to hear my bass played so well.   An evening that a lot of us will remember a long time.

After the guests left we stayed up for quite a while and enjoyed the pool and it was a treat for Claire and I to have some time with the guys.   We enjoyed a lazy breakfast the next day, last dip in the pool and on their way to their next show we took them to visit Fort Stanwix and said goodbye after a meal at Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse.   The visit was too short........

Claire and I are hoping for a return visit - but this year we might have to get a bigger yard to hold the crowd!!!   Here a link to the FFB and Rockridge Brothers doing Wagon Wheel - enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXLNgti03ps&feature=g-upl&context=G2ba744dAUAAAAAAABAA

My musical year - music takes you to some interesting places

When I look back on 2011, I seem to be cracking a lot of smiles.   Some because of the nice warm feelings reflecting on the good things and times life brings, but some because I can't stop laughing at the some of the things I've done and events I've attended.

If you ever have the chance to go to a Steubenstock go.   John Brett is the only person I know who can convince about a dozen music groups to come to a god forsaken town with one intersection, and pay to play only 2 songs in the local town hall.     And the events sells out - standing room only!    Such well know groups as Jughead, The Thumpwhackers, Rattlin Bog, and Wildflower gave the evening a great mix of music and comedy.  

So of course I had to say yes and it gave me a chance to do a gig with my daughter Kelly.   Singing with her is one of the things I enjoy most about music.   She has a great voice, and if not perfect pitch, it's almost there.   And she goes along with all the stuff I foist on her to sing.   It's pretty easy for me to find a harmony to her lead, plus we get to spend some time together practicing - time I really treasure.  

 For this show I picked out two songs from that well known Country group - "Truckstop Honeymoon"  cause it seemed to me to fit the mood and spirit of Steubenstock.    I wish I had the video from the evening, as Kelly was in top form, but this link to a later performance we gave will give you the idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uUp9yJGHwo&list=UU5RWgfr6JMmTw831hcQ-qrw&index=4&feature=plcp

Following that show in short order I was practicing for something I'd never done before - a Renaissance Faire as a strolling musician.   It was nice to be asked by Mike Carroll  and Danny Sargent to join them and play a bit of mandolin and reach back for as many tunes as we could figure came from the period.   What we did not know was that we would be in costume and character!!!   Not to worry though, the organizers said that they would provide the costumes and all we had to do was show up and stroll the grounds playing what we felt.   So we dubbed ourselves "Lord Tyrones Rebels" and got to work practicing old tunes (that in itself was a bunch of fun)

The costume part was also interesting as I had no clue where to get garb from the period.   The secret - most of the costume was oversized women's clothes from thrift shops - Fran from Razzle Dazzle costumes did a great job putting together an ensemble for Danny and I, as Mike chose to come in Kilt.

We played only our first two tunes and were approached by a guy who told us how great we were and wanted to know if we could do a gig in the fall, as he was organizing a Pagan Festival!   Never knew my music was appreciated by Pagans, but we said sure (later to find out we had been bumped by the "Sons of Satan")

The afternoon was a hoot and we do have a bit of evidence - what you can't see in the video is the women in character as a Renaissance prostitute dancing in front of us - grabbing unsuspecting male citizens and making them dance.   The noise you hear is some guy with a sledgehammer in the next tent bashing glass (never did figure that one out}

We enjoyed this so much we decided to form a group "Springhouse".    More to follow.

Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBrTaIE19MM&feature=autoplay&list=UU5RWgfr6JMmTw831hcQ-qrw&lf=plcp&playnext=1

My Musical Year - Ah Spring.....

The more I reflect on 2011, the more I occurs to me what a good year it was for music.   One of the things I appreciate most was joining "Craobh Dugan", the local branch of Comhaltas, an international organization devoted to preserving and promoting the Music and culture of Ireland.   For an Irish Polack it was a bit of a homecoming.   Irish Music has always had a strong appeal, and I've dabbled a bit over the years, but never got serious enough to learn the music to reach a level where I could perform.    In 2010 I decided to jump in with both feet and join the group.   Haven't looked back since, and it's been one of the more rewarding experiences of my musical career.   I truly enjoy all the friendship and the music we all make together.   It's pretty cool to sit in with some truly outstanding Irish Musicians and play and learn the art.   And they are good fun to hang out with. 

So what has all this got to do with Spring 2011?  That's peak performing season for the group with St. Pats day in March.    I don't quite remember how many shows we did, but there were plenty.    And most were done in Nursing Homes.    Craobh Dugan does a lot of shows for the folks who truly appreciate having a live performance and don't have the means or ability to get out and see it on their own.   It's  a great way to give a bit back, and I think I enjoy these gigs as much as any stage performance we do.   When one old timer came up to me after a show, nearly in tears, telling me how much he appreciated and enjoyed the show - better than a standing ovation!!  

The performance part of Craobh Dugan has also been a real boost to me - without which I never would have learned to read music, or got the idea to buy and learn Irish Tenor Banjo (which is coming along slowly but surely)   But having the performances has pushed me to learn (and more important appreciate) a lot of tunes I never would have approached.   Not to mention all the fun along the way..... there will be more to follow for sure.

Occupy Wall Street - Postscript

Now that I've had more time to think about it the song for Occupy Wall Street has to be the Old Crow Medicine Shows - "I hear them all"

Seems to me things are losing a bit of steam

Check it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug7IgB8MfWE

I'm not cool - My musical year - Feburary 2011

Sometimes I wonder how I was lucky enough to decide to get serious and play music (in my mid-40's, but that's for another blog)  because it has added so much to my life since 1997.   I never thought that one day I would end up jamming at "Ivan's Stress Free Bar" on the tiny Island of Jost Van Dyke.  If you ever go to Jost you will end up in Ivans, one of the coolest bar's on the planet.   Sand floors, no walls, a beach bar extraordinaire.   Here's a peek. 

Jost is one of those places I would normally never go to.  I love to snorkel, but I'm not a beach person and Jost is made for the beach lovers.    It is a small island located near Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.   It's also very primitive, and only got electricity about 20 years ago.     My cousin Krys wanted to celebrate her birthday there this past February, and I know how much Claire loves the beach so I agreed that we would go too.   Of course I would bring a mandolin along just in case things got real boring, or if I could find a local jam.

The trip was long and involved planes, taxis, and ferryboats and took two days, with a stop on St. Johns.   We stayed in a nice place overlooking the harbor, and enjoyed a visit to "The Quiet Mon" a Caribbean Irish Pub.   I was hoping for a sessiun, but it wasn't that kind of pub.  But I did wear my "Craobh Dugan" shirt for the outing to show my Irish colors.

The next day we took another Ferry to Jost, and it was all everyone said it was.  Beautiful white sand beaches, and we rented on spectacular house overlooking White Bay.   The view was unbelievable, and I have to admit, very relaxing.    On the ride over I was jonesing to pick some and did noodle a bit on the ride, but soon was just stuck on the scenery.    It was a lot to take in and I enjoyed every bit of the ferry ride.

When we arrived at our place (above is what we looked at every morning)  I couldn't wait to get down to the beach and snorkel (which I did a fair amount of) and enjoy the water.   But I really did have a hard time just sitting and doing nothing - so I spent some time up at the house picking and looking at the scenery.   Something I could get real used to.

Above is the shady spot behing the house that I would hang out and pick at.   But a few days of that and I was hoping to find someone to pick with.   We also checked out the beach bars while there and I heard that a local musician - Reuben - played Thursdays at Ivan's Stress Free Bar, and welcomed visiting musicians.   So I planned to break away from the group and take my mandolin over to Ivan's and sit in with Reuben.  



When I showed up with the case Reuben gave me a not very friendly look.   I don't think he sees many mandolins down there, and he plays a 12 string in a Calypso style, that I was not sure I could fit in with.   I think he had a bit of altered tuning going on that day too, cause I could not read his hands very well.  And, he was very good - playing rhythm with lot of little fills and runs, and the 12 string gave him a lot of support for his leads.  But he gave me the OK nod and I joined him.

Reuben is one very, very laid back individual.  Hardly spoke, and never told me what he was going to play.   Just finished a tune, and then would pause and look around a little and start another.   Took me a few seconds to find the key each time, and to figure a matching rhythm parts out, cause he played songs.   But as most courteous folks do, on each song he played he would give me the nod and give me a break.

So after a few tunes I asked him how I was doing.   "You not very cool, man" was the reply.   "Relax and play, be cool"    I was a bit taken back, but in a few seconds realized what he meant.   I wasn't very cool, was trying too hard to fit in, and really was not getting the Island rhythm (that whole Island time thing).   So I stopped trying to be perfect and match his rhythm and started playing how what I felt.   He was also kind and switched into Country music selections, though I don't think Folsom Prison Blues has ever been played quite like that before.   I had a ball.

I asked Reuben a few songs later if I was cool - his reply "Almost".   On the last few I think I got it because he started taking breaks and letting me hold the rhythm - which was a groove that I guarantee Bill Monroe never played on the mandolin.  Cool.

All in all we played about 7-8 songs together before he took a break, and most of the listeners were very kind to me and told me they enjoyed me playing along.   One guy came up and said Reuben must have liked me because he let me stay up there the whole time.   

And I think I learned maybe just a little about how to play "Cool".

Here's a bit of Reuben at Ivan's in his usual spot at Ivan's.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDPbUpmttfc

Went back to Ivan's one last time with Clarie - here's a shot of our last nite on the Island at the scene of the crime.

2011 - a great year for music - January

Hard to believe that 2012 has already rolled in.   They sure go by fast.   But New Years Day is a great day to take stock in what happened in 2011, and 2011 was a pretty good year for me musically.


January is always a good time for me musically because my friends Alex and Anne Bernhardt host our MLK jam weekend down in West Palm Beach. They have been doing this for 8 years now, and 2011 was one of the best. Our musical friends come from all over the country (and now Sweden) to spend 3 days together laughing, eating, and drinking - but mostly jamming. The talent level is quite high - some great musicians who have performed on the National and International scene in the world of Old Time and Bluegrass, as well as a lot of us local hackers. You never quite know what direction a jam will take, or how long it will last, but we play at least 10-12 hours a day, and well into each night. It's a great way to learn new chops, tunes, and songs hanging out with such a talented group. Plus, you get to play a lot of different styles - Old Time, Bluegrass, Cajun, Country, and even a touch of Swing. You never know when a dance will break out, or what song or tune will come next. And its a chance to play guitar, bass, fiddle, mandolin all in one weekend. 

Alex and Anne Bernhardt

And Alex and Anne are the best hosts on the planet that I've encountered.  Claire and I always feel right at home the moment we arrive at their place.   They make it easy for you to relax and have a good time.   Any jam with A&A involved is sure to be a fun, and unpredictable.   Alex has some great chops on the guitar and also plays fiddle and mandolin.   And I hear he's been working the banjo.  Anne is a pretty solid Cajun accordion player, and can also saw her way around some OT tunes on the fiddle.  

I always come away with a head full of ideas, a little bit better as a musician, and a ton of great memories.  And playing music for 3 days straight is about as much fun as a person can have without going to jail.   Plus I learn a bit about my playing each time I go down.   I realize that each year that passes shows I've grown as a player, learned a lot of new things, and have the ability to use them in a lot of different musical situations.   It  helps to have such a great group of friends to share it all with!

Can't wait to get down there again in a few weeks. 

Thanks Alex and Anne!!!!!!