End of the Concert Season
Stringfolks ended our 2008 concert season with, as our leader would say, "a righteous gig". And we got our name in lights!
On Thursday and Friday mornings, we played a short set of cowboy tunes and a shorter set of old dance tunes for a series of fifth grade classes. The cowboy tunes were interwoven with the story of Frederick Remington (who was born in Canton) and how he observed the end of the wild west. We also gave a short example of how old tunes are recycled by folk musicians to suit their times, as we sang first An Old Man's Lament, then morphed into Git Along Little Dogies.
It was a challenge playing a fiddle part on my flute! I assume that the notes that were chosen in the fastest tune were well suited to be played quickly on a fiddle, but they were an awkward combination on the flute, especially for a person whose left hand is not exactly nimble anymore.
On Friday night, we played a concert that combined history and music. Unfortunately, the concert organizers badly botched the publicity, and it was a small (but appreciative) audience. Saturday we repeated our school program, including the dances. This was even more poorly publicized. We were well paid even if our audiences were light. If you were to calculate a price per ticket, our audiences had the pleasure of going to a Stones concert or to the Met. Robert and I are going to use our share of the proceeds to buy a couch for the living room.
We did a second gig on Saturday, at the annual Harvest Festival at my workplace. This was a fun set, just picking through the book. We did a little John Denver, some Jimmy Buffet, and some rollicking folk songs as people milled around while their children painted pumpkins and got their faces painted by a clown. One of the songs we played, Long Long Road, was written by Barb Heller, a local musician. As we played it, she suddenly appeared in front of us, a big smile on her face.
No more gigs on the books. It's time for Stringfolks to get back to rehearsals and potluck dinners. We'll be ready for the next musical opportunity.
On Thursday and Friday mornings, we played a short set of cowboy tunes and a shorter set of old dance tunes for a series of fifth grade classes. The cowboy tunes were interwoven with the story of Frederick Remington (who was born in Canton) and how he observed the end of the wild west. We also gave a short example of how old tunes are recycled by folk musicians to suit their times, as we sang first An Old Man's Lament, then morphed into Git Along Little Dogies.
It was a challenge playing a fiddle part on my flute! I assume that the notes that were chosen in the fastest tune were well suited to be played quickly on a fiddle, but they were an awkward combination on the flute, especially for a person whose left hand is not exactly nimble anymore.
On Friday night, we played a concert that combined history and music. Unfortunately, the concert organizers badly botched the publicity, and it was a small (but appreciative) audience. Saturday we repeated our school program, including the dances. This was even more poorly publicized. We were well paid even if our audiences were light. If you were to calculate a price per ticket, our audiences had the pleasure of going to a Stones concert or to the Met. Robert and I are going to use our share of the proceeds to buy a couch for the living room.
We did a second gig on Saturday, at the annual Harvest Festival at my workplace. This was a fun set, just picking through the book. We did a little John Denver, some Jimmy Buffet, and some rollicking folk songs as people milled around while their children painted pumpkins and got their faces painted by a clown. One of the songs we played, Long Long Road, was written by Barb Heller, a local musician. As we played it, she suddenly appeared in front of us, a big smile on her face.
No more gigs on the books. It's time for Stringfolks to get back to rehearsals and potluck dinners. We'll be ready for the next musical opportunity.
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