Let's try this again.
Dorwayin gave me some good advce, which, as usual, I am not currently following. So hopefully I won't screw up again and delete THIS post too.
*sigh*
As it's now almost the weekend again, let me describe to you LAST weekend.
Friday was St Patricks Day. Being the person Scots Irish descent that I am, not to mention the Smithwick's drinker, this day is fairly important to me. Well, as most of you know, I was also hired by our local Irish pub, the Irish Rover II, to provide the evening music from 6:00-9:00pm.
Now, i have not played a "gig" in almost a decade. The old chops a little rusty, you know? So I got a couple of people to play with me- a guy named Mick, who has since become a friend, who is a fine banjo player. His real band is called Fire the Saddle. Very cool. Kinda New Grass, but all original. Their website is HERE. Mick is the guy on the right with the beard. Check em out. We also got Regan's little sister, who is a Soph at Berklee in Boston for music, to come down and fiddle. She is FANTASTIC. Her real band is called The Young Republic. You can find them HERE. They play all over the North East. Go check em out. That's an order.
So mick and I had practiced over the last 3 weeks, but Kris wasn't due back from Boston until the day before. I'm a little nervous. Frida dawns. I've taken the day off from work, cuz I know that concentration on anything is just OUT for me that day. So I'm up at the break of dawn, setting up the PA to test it in the house, practicing, dddling about, etc. Finaly Kris shows up at the house, and she nals every song without even having tm go through all of them. Cool.
We go to the place- its packed, and only getting more. it was glorious- al those people wandering in and out, the bustle and rush, and I get to be an integral part. Yes!
So the little girl Irish dancers were on stage when we got there, wearing what someone coined as "maggot curl" wigs- ALL of them. And stupid little jumpers.
Now I love me some Irish dancing, but this insipid horse stomping was atrocious, and the parents were AWFUL. One of the moms called TWO DAYS BEFORE to make a reservation for 14, when the place has been booked solid for weeks. She threatens to pull te dancers if she doesn't get her way, and the restaurant caves, as they have been adverting the dancers for 2 months. eccch
She later had the balls to corner Mick to try and force him to let her other horrendous daughter sing "Danny Boy" as she "has won awards, and expects it". When Mick said buzz off, she sent her HUSBAND to do the same thing to me. So I caved. The girl sang, didn't nce look at any of us, thank us, etc. She even had her own PITCH PIPE to get her pitch from. the unmitigated egotistical gall.
Later, when she wanted to sing another song and they had worn out their welcome, I told em to git. "But we're leaving soon..." Bye Bye!!
Our show went great. We had lots of friends and family there, who stayed and drank and sang with us. We ended up playing from 6:30 to 10:15 with only 2 15 minute breaks. My voice had had it by the end of the night, but it was truly glorious. And we may get to repeat at a later date. It couldn't have been any more perfect.
I will post a link to a sound clip later. For now, I'm gonna leave you with some pics from the Haunted Shower inPittsburgh a couple of weeks ago.
Actually, I'll give you one now. It's not great quality, and it cmes off the last set when we were all a little tired, but it's called "Mingulay Boat Song". Me and Regan are singing, her sister Kris on fiddle, and Mick on banjo.
Mingulay Boat song
So here's those pics.
Me outside the 1764 redoubt at Fort Pitt.
The confluence of the Alegany and Monongahela Rivers to form the Ohio.
Regan playing with her oranges. Or something.
Insane houseguest woman (on the right) with woman who we USED to think was crazy, until meeting crazy houseguest woman, who is also dressed like a "pirate". Can you see it?
Dorwayin gave me some good advce, which, as usual, I am not currently following. So hopefully I won't screw up again and delete THIS post too.
*sigh*
As it's now almost the weekend again, let me describe to you LAST weekend.
Friday was St Patricks Day. Being the person Scots Irish descent that I am, not to mention the Smithwick's drinker, this day is fairly important to me. Well, as most of you know, I was also hired by our local Irish pub, the Irish Rover II, to provide the evening music from 6:00-9:00pm.
Now, i have not played a "gig" in almost a decade. The old chops a little rusty, you know? So I got a couple of people to play with me- a guy named Mick, who has since become a friend, who is a fine banjo player. His real band is called Fire the Saddle. Very cool. Kinda New Grass, but all original. Their website is HERE. Mick is the guy on the right with the beard. Check em out. We also got Regan's little sister, who is a Soph at Berklee in Boston for music, to come down and fiddle. She is FANTASTIC. Her real band is called The Young Republic. You can find them HERE. They play all over the North East. Go check em out. That's an order.
So mick and I had practiced over the last 3 weeks, but Kris wasn't due back from Boston until the day before. I'm a little nervous. Frida dawns. I've taken the day off from work, cuz I know that concentration on anything is just OUT for me that day. So I'm up at the break of dawn, setting up the PA to test it in the house, practicing, dddling about, etc. Finaly Kris shows up at the house, and she nals every song without even having tm go through all of them. Cool.
We go to the place- its packed, and only getting more. it was glorious- al those people wandering in and out, the bustle and rush, and I get to be an integral part. Yes!
So the little girl Irish dancers were on stage when we got there, wearing what someone coined as "maggot curl" wigs- ALL of them. And stupid little jumpers.
Now I love me some Irish dancing, but this insipid horse stomping was atrocious, and the parents were AWFUL. One of the moms called TWO DAYS BEFORE to make a reservation for 14, when the place has been booked solid for weeks. She threatens to pull te dancers if she doesn't get her way, and the restaurant caves, as they have been adverting the dancers for 2 months. eccch
She later had the balls to corner Mick to try and force him to let her other horrendous daughter sing "Danny Boy" as she "has won awards, and expects it". When Mick said buzz off, she sent her HUSBAND to do the same thing to me. So I caved. The girl sang, didn't nce look at any of us, thank us, etc. She even had her own PITCH PIPE to get her pitch from. the unmitigated egotistical gall.
Later, when she wanted to sing another song and they had worn out their welcome, I told em to git. "But we're leaving soon..." Bye Bye!!
Our show went great. We had lots of friends and family there, who stayed and drank and sang with us. We ended up playing from 6:30 to 10:15 with only 2 15 minute breaks. My voice had had it by the end of the night, but it was truly glorious. And we may get to repeat at a later date. It couldn't have been any more perfect.
I will post a link to a sound clip later. For now, I'm gonna leave you with some pics from the Haunted Shower inPittsburgh a couple of weeks ago.
Actually, I'll give you one now. It's not great quality, and it cmes off the last set when we were all a little tired, but it's called "Mingulay Boat Song". Me and Regan are singing, her sister Kris on fiddle, and Mick on banjo.
Mingulay Boat song
So here's those pics.
Me outside the 1764 redoubt at Fort Pitt.
The confluence of the Alegany and Monongahela Rivers to form the Ohio.
Regan playing with her oranges. Or something.
Insane houseguest woman (on the right) with woman who we USED to think was crazy, until meeting crazy houseguest woman, who is also dressed like a "pirate". Can you see it?
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[Edited on Mar 26, 2006 8:28PM]