Jul 122009
 

Yesterday the string band did a fun gig at a little park at Reston Town Center. One of the guys pointed out that the park was just a good idea not too long ago. I remember when they first made Explorer Street about ten years ago, and then the park came along seven or eight years later. I also remember when the RIBS bus would stop along Explorer Street and only cost a quarter. Ah, the goodle days.

Anyway, the sound guys did a great job, and the three of us had fun going through our forty-five minutes of greatest hits. A number of our friends and fans were there, plus a few new folks who enjoyed the music.

It was interesting that we went on stage after a cheerleading performance. The cheerleaders had super loud, super funky dance music going, and they were totally energetic and acrobatic. Then comes us, the old-timey fiddle-dulcimer-mando band. But we kept the energy up in our own way.

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Fun fiddle-band gig at Reston Festival
Jul 062009
 

Last Saturday was Independence Day, and Feel The Wag played a gig at the outdoor Lake Anne Plaza in Reston VA.

We played for two hours out in the noisy plaza. There’s a fountain right there with kids splashing in it all the time. There are people playing live music in a coffee shop about a hundred meters away. A bit hectic there, so anyone playing live music must grab people’s attention.

We had three of the four there to play. bud on hammered dulcimer, Bill on mando and guitar, me on fiddle and 12-string. Lots of folks sat around to listen, including lots of our friends and fans. We had a good groove and feel going, so it was a fun time.

I’ve been worried about our overall volume when we play outside like this. I think that we should really fill up the place with our sound since we’re getting paid. My main fiddle is in for repairs, so I had to play my backup fiddle. The backup is much quieter than my main instrument, so I was even more worried about the volume. But I played with a thick, carbon-fiber bow, and that really boosted the sound on this fiddle. And the good blend the whole group had made the sound jump out, so the gig was a nice success.

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on String band gig on Independence Day
Jul 062009
 

A few days ago I put down vocals on two more songs for my current recording project. The instruments were recorded back in April and May.

I have been working hard at my vocals lately in two areas, technical tightness and emotional expression. (sorry about the alliteration, that was an accident but I will leave it there to appear more clever than I am.)

On technical stuff, I am simply hitting my pitches better all the time. (I have spent a lot of time trying to sing correctly, and so lately the practice seems to be finally paying off. I guess I have a lot of bad singing habits to unlern.

The emotional expression is continuing to become more important to me. I really sing loud a lot of the time, but I still sound fairly stiff and deadpan. Van Morrison is loud but full of expression. Same for Mick jagger, Robert Plant, Janis Joplin, Mahalia Jackson, all the great singers. So I’ve been working at focusing my mind off the music that I’m singing and putting my attention on feelings, memories, and stories. zI don’t mean that I forget about the song; I mean that I try to sing without worrying about my mouth shape, my pronunciations, the pitches I am singing, etc.

While recording vocals for a song, I sing the same song maybe eight times on average, hopefully getting about five good takes. So the movies and stories running in my head keep changing from take to take. But I find that once I start hitting a deep emotional spot, I stay there until I take a break. I hope that it will add some more touch and expression to the vocals at the end. We’ll see when we sit down later to edit this stuff.

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Another recording session done, hurray
Jun 172009
 

On Sunday I went with some friends to the Potomac Celtic Festival in Leesburg. What a great afternoon!

The main attraction for me was the music. Bruce Molsky did a solo show just as we got there, and he was stellar. His fiddling is clean, strong, sure, and emotional. He plays American old-time styles, not the intricate Irish or Scottish stuff. The American styles, especially the Appalachian and southeastern styles, mix the old stuff from the British Isles with the rhythm and melodic focus of African musics. That is what really makes American southeastern old-time fiddling unique–the centuries of mixing between African, Celtic, and some Native American aspects too.

Anyway, Molsky is an inspiring fiddler to me. I don’t use the drones and alternate tunings that he uses in my own playing, but the rhythm and warm tone are definitely things I try to capture. He doesn’t use a bit of vibrato, which is common for southeastern American fiddlers. The ornamentation and expression in these fiddle styles all comes in the bow hand.

We also saw Furnace Mountain, with some of Loudon County’s best musicians. Danny Knicely plays some of the best mandolin you’ll hear anywhere. Amy curl’s singing is intriguing to me because she has such a steely, focused, breathy delivery. The whole group is fabulous.

We also saw a lively set by the Scottish group Cantrip. Apparently the group was in disarray, because only two members showed up for the performance. Someone had quit or had been fired I guess. But the fiddler and the piper were there with a stand-in on guitar and octave mando, and the music was fast and frenzied. Very exciting, and lots were dancing along.

This was my first Celtic deal in a while. I tend to avoid Irish sessions because I don’t play the “correct” style. My impressions have been that those session players are pretty tough on anyone who isn’t in on the gnosis of which ornament to play where on which tune. Old-time jammers can be snobs too, but there is definitely something about the Celtic sessions that tells me I don’t belong there. But all the music I listened to at this festival was user-friendly and fun. Not a word the whole day about the correct way to play, and the closing performance put these American and Celtic musicians up on stage together to jam out on “Red-Haired Boy” and “Miss McLeod’s.” Nice stuff.

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Potomac Celtic Festival was awesome
Jun 102009
 

What I don’t like:
1. Cheap instruments that aren’t really set up or in playing condition, even though they are new from the factory.

2. Managers who won’t say hello when you walk in, and who don’t seem interested in talking to you. I guess when a mom comes in with an eleven-year-old looking for a little Strat copy and some guitar lessons, that’s where the real money is.

3. Sales people or managers who have to tell you every time you come in that their son or daughter plays a gazillion-dollar instrument. I am impressed with big-time musicians, but not with name-droppers. I really don’t care if your kid shines Yo-Yo Ma’s shoes or dusts Emmanuel Ax’s piano.

4. Sales people who are more interested in playing a guitar than handing it over to me. Hey, I’m the one with the money trying to buy something, so let me play some instruments.

What I like about music stores:

1. It’s great when you find someone who has had the same problems as you. How do you solve your banjo intonation problems? Which violin mute do you use? Do you have this problem with the high G string breaking on your 12-string?

2. I like to play instruments before buying them. I have ordered instruments online with mixed results. I bought a Gold Tone Maple Mountain long-neck banjo a few years ago, and I still kick myself because the thing is a lemon. In a music store you know what you’re buying. A friend and I went to four different stores a few years ago when I was shopping for a 12-string. I thought I wanted a Breedlove Atlas until I played a few. When I got the first Guild in my hands, I knew I wanted it. That after playing twenty other guitars.

3. Repairs. I don’t like repairing and setting up instruments. It’s such a great feeling when you trust the people at a music store to take your instrument and give it back later in excellent condition.

So, when I find a good music store, man that is so great. Unfortunately most of them are fairly irritating to me. Maybe it’s just me, or maybe some other folks out there have had similar experiences.

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on What I like and don’t like about music stores
Jun 102009
 

Last night I played fiddle for Don Rembert for a set at the Reston-Herndon Folk Club. Dan Grove filled out the trio on bass guitar.

Don sings classic country and honky tonk numbers and accompanies himself on guitar. His voice has a rich tone and a gentle, sweet touch. He plays a 1951 Martin D-28 in a simple but pleasant style. Before we went on, we were listening to another guy play funky rock-influenced instrumentals on the guitar. Don just started picking some twangy rock lines right there in the back room jamming along with the performer in the main room. I couldn’t resist and started pizzing on my fiddle with Don.

The audience seemed to enjoy Don’s choices. He did ten songs, including writers such as Merle Haggard, Ed Bruce, and Randy Travis. There’s just something that could make you cry on any one of these songs. There are bad honky tonk songs that just make you want to change the station, but Don chose some real gems.

I didn’t really have the melodies down, so I didn’t do any ambitious Dale Potter or Buddy Spicher double-stop craziness. I really can’t pull that stuff off too much anyway. I just did little fills on the fiddle, maybe more like Vassar light. Dan was walking the bass lines around and making it all sound smooth. A very pleasant way to spend a Tuesday evening.

May 312009
 

Yesterday I played a lunch-time gig at Lake Anne Plaza in Reston VA. Last Saturday our string band played fiddle tunes there, and yesterday I played solo.

Lake Anne has a farmers market and crafters market every Saturday. There are also some restaurants with outdoor seating on the plaza, and lots to keep folks hanging around. They hire musicians to play during the lunch rush to keep things hopping.

I hadn’t played a long solo gig like this for quite some time. I had to scrape up some old cover material that I hadn’t performed for many years. It was fun going through old lyrics and fixing notes while practicing. I tend to cover sixties and seventies material, usually on the more upbeat or sensitive side. Van Morrison, Gordon Lightfoot, Dylan, etc. I also do a lot of older traditional, bluegrass, blues, and folk stuff. And some of my originals of course.

The gig was my first try with a new busking setup. The rig is a Vox DA5 amp, a Shure SM58 mike (what else?), my Guild 12-string dreadnaught, and a Fishman Aura 12-string pedal. The amp is only 5 watts, but it was enough sound. I needed something to fill out the sound so folks could hear me over the fountain and squealing kiddies nearby. Folks seemed to like the sound and could hear me just fine.

I had a nice little bunch of friends who stopped by to listen. I wasn’t sure if passers-by were listening much or digging the music, but a full tip jar told me afterward that people were listening. I stumbled over some lyrics, had a cough here and there, but overall the tunes came out pretty good. I had a lot of fun, so hopefully the Lake Anne folks will have me back again soon.

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Another gig at Lake Anne, this time solo
May 312009
 

Last Sunday a friend and I stopped into Mark’s Pub in Falls Church VA to hear DC3. DC3 is a honky tonk trio, with drums, bass, and Vernon Santmyer on guitar. Vernon did most of the singing, but bassist Dan also sang some. Vernon also played some banjo and fiddle.

Our impressions? First, way too loud. The front two-thirds of the bar was empty, and the back third was crammed with people. No one could sit close to the band, and no one could talk to each other.

Other than the bad volume, the band was fantastic. Vernon carried on with tons of energy, singing all kinds of country classics and old sad-sack honky tonk stuff. He grabbed the banjo and whipped off a fun “Cripple Creek.” He grabbed the fiddle and did a Cajun number, then went nuts on “Cotton-Eyed Joe.” And his guitar playing was so fluid, twangy, and lively. Overall a really great country band.

People in the bar were drinking, yelling requests, having a good time. I think this bar only has live music once a week or so, which is too bad. We could use more live bands around here like this trio.

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on DC3 honky tonkin’ at Mark’s Pub
May 282009
 

Last night I threw some more of my songs out there for folks at Bangkok Blues in Falls Church. This was another songwriters night with six or seven performers, hosted by Ron Goad.

My set went well. My friend Al Bernier played Mandolin with me for my first two songs. We did my “Breathless” which is already in the can for the new CD. We also did “Reuben and Sandy” to try it out. I got some good comments on it, so we’re definitely going to try it in the studio. It’s a flatpick tune written by a guy named Charlie Hall, someone Al knows in Colorado. I did some of my stuff from last year’s CD, and I also put my recent 12-string arrangement of “Cripple Creek” out there. Last night was the first time I had people ask me to autograph my CD. Until last night, my plan had been to turn down any requests for autographs. I figured that I had the right to say “no” on the basis of being blind. But I just went for it as soon as the first person asked. I thought that I wouldn’t like my scribble being out there, but I guess it feels good to have folks ask for it.

The only problem I had last night was with time. I did six songs and was ready to get off the stage, but I was told I still had lots of time. So I fit eight songs into twenty-five minutes. Two other performers did the same thing, so there was something funny going on with worm holes or something.

My favorite part of these songwriter variety nights is hearing other folks. There were a lot of good acts last night that I hadn’t heard before. Alex Culbreth had some outstanding lyrics in his songs. He told some cool stories with just a few lines. Dana Wells was just excelent. Her stuff was very polished, and her melodies were interesting and unique. I started listening closely to her lyrics about halfway through her set, and there was something subtle and emotional about them. She reminds me a bit of Suzanne Vega as far as composition goes.

On we go.

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Played at Bangkok Blues last night
May 242009
 

Yesterday the string band guys played at the Lake Anne Plaza in Reston for a lunch-hour gig.

This was our first gig in six months as a group. We had practiced a couple evenings during the week to kick off the rust, and the gig came off pretty well. At Lake Anne it’s an outdoors setup. The Saturday lunch-hour music happens on a cement plaza in a semicircle of buildings. The lower level are restaurants and shops, and the upper level are condos. The whole thing makes a nice little bowl for sounds to bounce around in.

We played without a PA. We never play with a PA unless someone provides it as part of a stage for other acts to use. We played our usual kind of stuff, old Appalachian fiddle tunes plus a few contra and Celtic things. We had a nice crowd of friends and passers-by who stuck around for most of the two hours. There was a little kid who was dancing and having kooky fun for a while.

We did have to compete with the sound of a fountain close by, and there are also squealing children in the plaza fairly frequently. But overall we got some good feedback and some good tips. And the fact that a nice little bunch of folks hung out to listen the whole time meant that we must have sounded pretty good.

Can’t wait for the next band gig.

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Feel The Wag gig at Lake Anne Plaza