Fine Times At Bob’s House

I had the great pleasure of spending Tuesday evening at friend and fellow Mound City Slicker, Bob’s house rehearsing with the rest of the Slickers as well as Baloney Boy Uncle Dan H. Really, it was just the bunch of us playing tunes, telling stories, having a few beers, and laughing a lot. But, we’re supposed to be getting ready to play for a couple of dances coming up in the next few weeks, so we call it a rehearsal.

Some of the tunes we played were:
"Angeline the Baker"
"Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss"
"Jump in the Well My Pretty Little Miss" (She gets around, huh?)
"Old Dubuque"
"Kitchen Girl"
"Cold Frosty Morning"
"Upper Lehigh"
Valiant attempts at "The Jenny Lind Polka" and "Lowery’s Quadrille"

"Sara Armstrong's Tune"
"Nancy Rowland" (which I hadn’t even thought of in a good ten years)
"Needle Case"
"Stay All Night"
And a bunch of others I was having too good a time to remember playing.

I’ve said it many times before, but I just have to repeat it: Getting together with friends to play old-time music is about the best time I have every week.

The Mound City Slickers playing for Childgrove Dancers earlier this year

Mark your calendars now for upcoming Mound City Slickers dates:
December 31, 2007 – First Night St. Louis. We’ll be playing for a contra and square dance from 6:30 to 8:00 PM in the Grand Hall, upstairs at the Grandel Theater. Mac McKeever calling the dances. This event is extremely family friendly and kids of all ages are encouraged to come by and dance.

January 27, 2008 – Childgrove Dancers Weekly Contra Dance at the Monday Club in Webster Groves, MO. 7:00 to 10:00 PM. No idea who’s calling that one yet.

True Story Story Swear To God *

No really.

I was in a book store the other day and had my fiddle case on my shoulder, because I never leave it in the car. It’s usually a conversation point for folks and this was no exception. The very young girl (19 or 20?) behind the counter asked what it was and…

ME: It’s a fiddle.
HER: What do you play?
ME: Old-Time music, mostly.
HER: What, like the Beatles?
ME: A dumbfounded sort of stare.
HER: What?… They’re pretty old.

I laughed pretty hard.






* I copped the title of this installment from the title of my current favorite comic book, True Story Swear To God . It’s funny, romantic, and involving. Independent and black and white. No superheroes at all. It's about the relationship of Tom Beland, the artist and writer of the book with Lily, his now wife, from the time of their meeting. Not only is it a great read, Tom is one of the nicest guys in the world. A year or two ago when I started reading the book, I sent him an email telling him how much I liked it. A couple of weeks later, the phone rings at home and who should be on the other end, but Tom Beland calling from his home in Puerto Rico to thank me for the email and have a conversation about the book and comics in general. What a surprise!

So, go click on the the blue clicky linky thing above and check out his website. Then go over to Star Clipper Comics on Delmar (where they let Dan and me busk in front of their store and actually seem to like it!) and pick up a copy of the comic. I think you’ll like it.

You know, it’s just occurred to me that the explanation of the title is longer than the original post. Weird.

Zen and the art of performance art

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the similarities between acting and playing music. One of the things I’ve noticed is that for either of these to be any good, the person doing the playing (in both senses) has to be both open and in the moment. The more they can be, the better the result.

Being open starts with stopping one’s mind from spinning about other things. That Buddhist “monkey mind”. One has to not be aware of “where do I put my fingers next” or “what’s my next line”. Those things only get between you and the enjoyment of what’s happening around you. If we can focus on what our acting partner is doing right now, or what’s happening in the music right now, and notice that these things are simply and unselfconsciously just happening, it becomes an invitation to relax, breathe, slow down your perceptions and give your full attention to enjoying the moment. Pause, relax, breathe. It doesn’t matter if the moment is being engaged fully with another actor on the stage or with the sounds surrounding you. It’s time to take a deep, unhurried breath and go with the flow.

Once you’ve done that, you can really start playing. Time becomes irrelevant because there’s only right now! And you’ll find that the scene is over before you realize it or that you’ve been playing the fiddle for half an hour when it seems like only a couple of minutes.

This has only happened to me a couple of times on stage. Though it happens more frequently (still not as much as I’d like) when playing tunes. But it’s pretty much the best thing there is.

Not Much Fiddle or Dulcimer Content Here Today...

...But I do want to plug Skylight, the play I've just directed for West End Players Guild. The play opened last Friday night and I couldn't be happier with it. A powerful script, beautifully acted, it's something I'm really proud of. Here are a few photos taken at a dress rehearsal.

Ain't she gorgeous, folks!

So, come on out and see it if youre in the St. Louis area. Friday and Saturday 11/16 & 17 at 8:00 and Sunday the 18th at 2:00. West End Players in the theater space at Union Avenue Church, 733 North Union (1 block from Delmar).

Obligatory fiddle/dulcimer content: You know, I think Kitchen Girl sounds good on either instrument and is equally fun to play.