Magpies Performance

We have worked hard on getting our songs ready to perform at the Heart of the City Festival in Giovani Park (Edmonton).  We weren't able to practice for a couple of weeks because our regular lives sometimes get in the way, but we managed to get together on Friday night.  After a two week period of not playing, the rust had surely found its way in.  at our practice, our first run through the songs was pretty rough, but on the second run through, we got it back.  So on Friday night we were ready. 

Saturday I spent my day at the HOTC Festival volunteering.  It was frightfully cold for June. there were reports of snow on the ground west of the City.  After 8 hours, I went home very chilled. 

Sunday morning was a great warm sunny day in June.  I was jittery all morning.  ran thru the songs on my own, just to make sure my fingers worked.  Got to the HOTC about 2 pm - our set was at 5.   Boogie Patrol - a local blues band - was playing and really rocked the place.  I talked to a few friends that showed up to see us play, then met up with Brian and his daughter Kathryn.  Kathryn was our official photographer and did a superb job capturing the Magpies at the HOTC. 

Seemed as soon as we got up to play, a dark cloud slid over the park, the wind got up, and a bit of rain started to fall.  A few in the crowd started to scatter, but the die hards stayed on to give us a listen.  

At the Heart of the City, there is no time for sound checks, so you cross your fingers and hope the sound guys get it right.  Both previous years we've had issues with the first song. Year 1, the sound guy had the reverb/chorus cranked up so high, and when he finally noticed, he ran as fast as he could to the sound board to fix it.  You can hear that on the 2009 Youtube video that was put out by HOTC. 

Year 2, the sound guy didn't turn on the microphones until half way through the first song.  He must have been asleep because the audience was yelling to turn up the mike. 

I think this year, it was much better.  there were still some sound issues. My guitar apparently had a buzz going on that I didn't hear.  I know I had difficulty hearing my vocals on the monitor.   Over all, I think we did pretty well.  I definitely think it was our best performance of the 3 years.  Some of that has to do with our song writing is getting more interesting and because we are adding in more instruments.   It also has a lot to do with practice, practice, practice.   Can we do better? Absolutely.  You always strive to improve on your last performance.  

Speaking of instruments.  I think the sound guy on the acoustic stage we played got used to setting up one, or maybe two instruments for each performer over the two days.  The 3 of us showed up with a total of 7 instruments (8 if you include Don's shaker).  The look on his face was well worth the effort of hauling all that stuff down there.  (3 guitars, bouzouki, banjo, keyboard, bass guitar, and don played percussion with a shaker on the last song). 

We had instrument changes on every song, which made the sound folks earn their keep because they had to pay attention to the sound balance on every song.  You also have to remember the sound guys don't know our music, and they don't know what instrument should dominate through the song. 

All in all, I think our performance went over well.   I was watching the crowd out front (the ones who aren't our friends and family) and I think their was a positive reaction to what we were doing.  I stuck around after the last performer to help with tear down, and I got some good feed back from the organizers, so I left feeling pretty good. 

The song list (and song writer):

• Sitting Here (Jim)
• Earnest and Lucy (Don)
• Clouds of Alberta (Don)
• Melt Sugar (Don)
• Johnson Brown (Jim)
• Road to Nowhere (Jim et al)
• Green Valley Monsters (Jim, Don, Brian)
• Black Room (Jim)
• Two Feet in the Water (Jim)

Two feet in the water wasn't in the planned set, but for the 3rd year in a row, we were also asked to do another song. this year we were somewhat prepared, except we didn't practice that song on Friday. 

A Banjo Player?

I bought a banjo about 3 years ago.  Figured that Don and Brian were into playing different instruments, so figured I needed to get with the program.   At first I was looking at a guitar banjo, or as some call it, a six string banjo.  You might have seen Keith Urban or Neil Young play a 'six string banjo'.  Basically, they have a guitar neck and are tuned like a guitar, but they have a banjo body.  They sort of sound like a banjo, but then they really don't have that high G (if in G tuning) that you get playing your thumb of the top string on a banjo.   Of course Keith and Neil can make them sound pretty decent.  

I figured that a guitar banjo would be easy to play if you are a guitar player, so I went down to The Acoustic Music Shop on Whyte Ave.  They had a couple sitting there.  I picked them up.  They were strung and tuned in standard tuning for a guitar.  Easy enough to play, but they still really didn't sound like a true banjo.  Something seemed like it was missing.  

I had an old 'Raven' banjo that my father-in-law had, so I had learned a few things on a banjo.  So I picked up a 5 string banjo and played what little I could on it.  It did sound more like I thought a banjo should sound.    I also figured that if I was going to start playing different instruments, that I should really learn how to play a banjo, not just another guitar.   So I ended up buying the 5 string.   Actually, the other deciding factor was the Acoustic Music Shop had a great deal on a Goldtone - half price.   Certainly was in my budget, while the guitar banjos they had wasn't.  

So I took the banjo home and started to learn.  Took me a while to get my fingers to work, but since I play a little bit of finger picking on guitar, I just applied what I already knew.  I have figured out a few different finger picking styles on the banjo.  Can't get the hang of the 'clawhammer' style though.  Looks easy, but ----.    

So for a while, I played the banjo at home until I heard someone yelling "that's enough'.  Learning a new instrument can be cruel.   Good thing i wasn't trying to learn a fiddle.  I managed to get somewhat adept enough to play a couple of tunes with the Magpies.  We used to do a cover of 'You Ain't Going Nowhere" which is a Bob Dylan song that the Byrds did.  Simple 3-chord song.    Then slowly, I quit playing the banjo. 

A few weeks ago, I picked it up again.  funny how all that I learned before had gone. Started re-learning all over again.   Fingers don't work like they used to either.  no speed.  Frustration set in.   Yet, I kept trying and I'm still trying.  My playing is certainly not going to impress even a reasonably good banjo player.  Hell, I'm not impressed.  

So the other day, I decided I'd try to play a song that Don wrote called "Clouds of Alberta".  Its a rock beat country folk song - or something like that.  We play the song a fair amount, but with two 6-string guitars and a bass.  I picked up the banjo and played around with it.   Last night, we got together to practice to get our songs.  when we came to 'clouds', I picked up the banjo.  Figured I'd surprise Don a bit with a different sound.  he didn't even blink.  All he said was "don't come in off the start - come in on the second verse".   He didn't say put the banjo away.  

This morning, I listed to the recording we did of the Zoom H2 recorder of the song.  other than a few rough spots, the banjo did fit in quite nicely.  There isn't a dazzling banjo musicianship, but it adds a driving beat into the song.  Now I just need to keep working on the banjo with this song and get it right.  Get it so it is second nature without even thinking about what I'm doing.   Got 30 days to do that.