I stapled back together my bar trio for a gig at the Match Stick, an upscale bar and cigar restaurant on the grounds of Celtic Classic.  Though not part of the festival, it was a chance to exercise my folk and Celtic material with two good friends, Kris Kehr and Donnie Mayer.  We were under a tent next to the bar.The weather was somewhat overcast, but, as it turned out, it was a nice night.  Tables were in and outside the tent, so few folks stayed inside, and more folks stayed outside.  ….don’t blame them.  Sparse crowd throughout the festival and for our sets. 

 

Added treat, the bar lady said to turn it up…..  turn it up!!!!   ?????  Cool.

 

I added some Irish tunes to the set, and mixed up the folk with the blues with the rock.  As a trio, we have mucho sympatico, and I lead the tunes, and the lads adapt, with plenty of room for improv, leads, etc. on all our parts. I love it.  We all have room to expand on our skills, and explore some nice sonic areas.  Donnie, a wonderful blues and jazz guitarist is likes the folk/Celtic progressions and the opportunity to play acoustic guitar, Kris likes his role on bass in an acoustic trio, and I like to play acoustic rhythm guitar.

 

Outside of a few friends and some new folks, we played to an empty tent.  After the gig, I had to go get paid for the gig, something I haven’t had to do in a long, long time.  The cigar bar was packed.  Apparently the economy is doing quite well amongst cigar smokers.  After a long time chasing down the folks with the dough, inhaling some very fine cigar smoke, enduring the three-piece pop band, I got paid. 

 

Amazing, in so many ways. In order….

 

1. Good and creative music amongst my musical friends.

 

2. We got paid.

 

3. Nobody in the Lehigh Valley cares to hear what I’m doing now.