Jingle All The Way with Dave Fry. That was the bill of fare outside this small arts center in Nazareth. I actually played the first gig there and nearly scared them off with my fee (which I halved when I realized it was a community-based venue like Godfrey’s). This time they hired me for a Holiday show, so I got to play the Christmas stuff along with my bag o’ tricks.
They had a nice turnout, with some familiar folks (including grandmoms who saw me back with their toddlers). The place was comfortably full, with kids on the floor, chairs for the folks, teens dancing in the back (having a good time out of eyeshot).
I’m using the Thunder-Sticks with Giants now, to great effect. First of all, I let the kids experiment finding the sound on their own, and watch the tension of the audience in watching kids discover and wanting to try it themselves. And the song has a limited space for the kids to use them (spooky noises in the chorus), and the whole song takes on some spectacular sonic space. Performance piece that continues to grow and change.
The Center for the Arts is volunteer-run, and is really community based, with local artisans holding classes, early childhood music classes and local players. I offered my adult show for a percentage because its someplace I want to play, regardless of the size of the stage or the paycheck. It is neighborhood arts in action.
Tomorrow I play for the rich folks, and we will have fun, as well.