RockRoots gigs are sparse this year but one rolled in on Thursday at a Catholic school in Yardley, PA. This one was for 250 K – 8th graders, as is often the case with parochial schools so we have to aim for the older kids and know that the younger ones will enjoy the music for its own sake. It works.
I smacked the tip of my ring finger putting the speaker on its stand, thinking, “This is going to hurt.” Yes it did, and I had to deal with some bleeding throughout the show. I also had to deal with playing some chords in some pain. Just something to rattle my brain while delivering the show.
As the kids entered the community room in the basement of the church, they were festooned in St. Paddy’s gear. No shock, really, being a Catholic school, but there was a festive air added to the excitement of an assembly. Nothing like a chance to dress up for a school day, especially when uniforms are the normal state of affairs.
Early on, during the Irish jigs, I invited kids up who had taken step dancing lessons and immediately we had 15 kids up on stage with us, all ages, and they launched into there routines. The electricity in the air was palpable for the whole school, and, as usual, shifts the focus off of us and on the students. A great performance device that works well for us.
The show went smoothly until the final Rock Roots Rap, when I lost my place. Luckily, the band was there for me when I jumped ahead a verse or two and caught my flub. We turned it around and nobody but me and the band knew it. Again, the distraction of my finger tip found its way into my consciousness and bit me.
It was good to be back on the road for this one.