All entries filed under Dave Fry Gigs

Sunday, June 10^th, 2018

St. Peter’s Bakery on Friday night

I made the hour and a half drive to St. Peter’s Village for another Pizza Night at the Bakery. The weather was perfect so most of the diners went out on the nice patio overlooking the gorge. Can’t blame them at all, but I’ve learned that I should remain inside if I’m going to get any tips. There were a couple of tables of folks, some regulars for my gigs, for the first hour but things emptied out for most of the second hour.

I play this place for tips, a pizza and some baked goods, but I also do it for the opportunity to play for two hours, working on old and new tunes and simply sit and play guitar and mandolin. Folks like it, as does the wait staff. The owner came up towards the end and threw in $40 – a nice gesture from her.

Several folks came in at the very end, appreciative and engaging. I finished at 9 and they asked for a couple more, one gent offering to throw in an extra $10. Fine. I was partially packed up when another woman asked to play my Martin. I said no, but then said okay while I rounded up my chords. She played Angel from Montgomery so I got out my mandolin and played along acoustically. It was a nice touch in ending the evening in a friendly manner.

I drove back to Bethlehem with some food and some tips. Not too shabby a gig. I like it.

Wednesday, June 6^th, 2018

Calypso Time

This was the last school gig of the year for me and it was a good one, returning to this West side school I’ve performed at consistently. In fact, I wrote a song with some of the kids two years age – Hey, Ho, Calypso.

Since these kids were pretty familiar with my stuff, I started off with Tropical Vacation and got the kids up and hulaing right away. I followed with Tutti Tah, I Wanna Be a Dog, The Cat Came Back, PB and J, Giants and finished up with All Around the Kitchen. The energy was up and several teachers came up and thanked me. Even the custodian and the departing lunch room ladies said it was a good time.

What a bonus to perform only a mile from home, drive to my local bank and deposit the check. That’s good stuff.

Monday, June 4^th, 2018

Moravian Academy Lower School on Monday

It’s been a while since I’ve done this end-of-the-year assembly for the kids at the private school on the Northside of Bethlehem. And that turns out to be okay. There were a lot of new faces in the faculty and the kids, and my show has (apparently) some new wrinkles so there were lots of good moments in a show that I’ve crafted.

I did The Cat Came Back and the 5th graders jumped on it right away, leading the rest of the younger kids to join in immediately. I picked out one kid who was somewhat bored with the “kids” stuff I was doing to play Thunder Tube and he turned out to be a wonderful foil during Giants. All Around the Kitchen had the kids up, dancing and singing and I was disappointed that I had to close the show earlier than I had wanted. Even the older security gent who chased me down as I drove into the parking lot hung around for the show and complimented my energy. And that’s the beauty of what I do – teachers, kids, school secretaries and security guards have a good time.

A great gig a mile from home. Yo!

Friday, June 1^st, 2018

Hopewell School on Friday morning

It’s been years since I played at this rural school in Center Valley and it was cool to run into several teachers who were fans (and helped me get this gig). We set up in the gym and met some of my old teaching connections. We talked about doing Baby Shark, a tune I’ve haven’t done in a while due to my hip problems. This seemed to be the time to resurrect it and we planned to do it at the end with one teacher coming out in his shark costume!

The show was great with some of the kids primed on Cat Came Back and others by their teachers. All the little performance devices worked marvelously and the teachers unfamiliar with me and the show were laughing and having a great time. Nice to play for a new audience.

As I did Keep a Knockin’ with the full gym shakin’ and bakin’, I nodded to the shark teacher to go get in his costume. I had to start it up without him in sight but as we got 4 verses in, he made his appearance in the back and cruised his way through the crowd to the front of the stage. Both kids and teachers went bonkers. A truly memorable moment for us all. Looks like I’ll be back on a regular basis.

It was a hot day. I loaded up and drove off to Bethlehem, satisfied but a little beat from the heat. I have another gig at Holy Infancy later today and I’m glad it’s only a block away.

Friday, June 1^st, 2018

Lion King opener on Thursday afternoon

We gathered our 5th graders to perform our Names To the Animals song, opening for Marvine school’s Lion King production. We practiced on Wednesday and wrote a final verse for the song. Things were semi-chaotic but good natured. We got together about 20 minutes before the show and the kids were animated.

The show was pushed back when the sound and mikes for the show didn’t work and the Zollner Center at Lehigh stepped up big time to supply the equipment. It’s nice to have the big boys step in and help out the grade school. Very fine! But the time dragged by and finally the kids came in for the show. I wasn’t sure we’d have enough time, but Ms. DeStasio said we’d fit it in.

The rambunctious fifth graders, for the most part, froze up in front of the rest of the school. Very un-animated and very quiet. I tried to pump them up in the process but didn’t succeed. It shouldn’t be a surprise though. We ran through it and the audience liked it. I packed up my small system and snuck out the back door as the Lion King production took off. They did a great job on it, with lots of costuming, big cast, good movement, etc. Ms. DeStasio and the other teachers did a great job putting it together and I’m sure they were relieved when it was done.

This was part of the SouthSide Children’s Festival, a program of arts in Bethlehem schools, put together by my friend Doug Roysdon. I did a preliminary session in the fall which wasn’t successful and this was the way I could return, link up with the show and do some songwriting. All in all, it was pretty good, the kids were creative in the classroom and it turned out to be fun.

One girl really rocked with her interpretation of the Gangsta Bandana that we included it the Hyena verse. She was a hoot.

I had gotten paid in the fall, so there was only a small delayed monetary gratification. So it goes.

I saw an animal in the rain forest canopy (wave at the tall trees)

Juggling bananas, swinging from tree to tree.

He likes to break-dance and moonwalk real funky.

I think I’ll call this animal a monkey. (monkey sounds)

I saw a wild dog loose in the savanna:

A savage predator with a gangsta bandana (wrap hands around forehead and pose).

It likes dance the hula and the Macarena,

I think I’ll call this animal a hyena. (everyone laugh)

I saw an animal with four boney tusks (fingers to face) ,

It has a disgusting snout and a stinky musk.

Living the life wallowing in a dark bog, (show satisfaction).

I think I’ll call this animal a wart hog. (snort)

I saw an animal that stalks its prey.

You can hear its roar from 5 miles away,

It’s proud of its mane; it’s his royal bling,

I think I’ll call this animal the Lion King.

Tuesday, May 29^th, 2018

RockRoots, crack o’ dawn in Scotch Plains, NJ.

This was an interesting gig on several levels, the least being an 8:30 start on the morning after a long holiday weekend at a middle school. I left at 6 am and, thanks to smooth NJ traffic, I got there early. I made friends with the PTA lady, the custodian and set up in an empty auditorium. It is a pleasure to not to have to rush for any gig, so I had some good down time. The lads got there about 15 minutes before show time, but these guys know the routine. We were ready to go at show time.

I was glad we had the 5th and 6th graders for the first set. They were reactive and we played well. These kids do get up and dance. The band was right on. I love these guys.

Several interesting points in the first set. I ask a teacher to define “improvisation” and I usually pick a male teacher. This time the one I picked one who refused to answer and I had to pass it on to the teacher sitting next to him. There is something endemic with some middle school teachers; they do not like to lose their identity and authority in front of their students and often retreat. They also don’t get up and dance when I ask them to (Blue Suede Shoes). Those that do are rewarded generously by the audience. Go figure. Middle School is a mine field for kids and adults.

Another touchstone is the Irish Jig. Early on in the show with our mandolin jig, I ask if there are any kids taking Irish dance lessons and we more often than not have some kids come up on stage and demonstrate (with varying skills). Today, a young girl with a hefty build came up. As we started, she was saying to us that she didn’t want to do it, but with the slightest of encouragement, she lit off with a spectacular series of dance moves, high kicks and incredible confidence. She blew everyone away. And with a pink t-shirt as well. The band lives for these moments.

We had a longer than expected down time between the first and second sets, so we all find our spaces (for Kevin – on his cell phone). Nick, Wayne and Kevin and I are tight friends and we respect each other. The quick exchanges are always wonderful, with lots of winks between us.

The second set was curious since Kevin had an appointment close to noon so we did our Tight Set, when we got to move on….. We did some intuitive cuts (with everyone’s antennae up) and steam-rolled through the set. Since it was the 7th and 8th graders, this is always the best option. They are always sluggish in responses and dancing, and were out-classed by their teachers this time. I screwed up the RR Rap, but the lads picked me up and we drove the show over the finish line.

The Principal is in charge.

The 7th and 8th grades were polite but did not get up and move, rarely raised their hands in response to question, and unwilling to commit. But that is expected. The few that did (Irish Jig and I Like Peanut Butter) were rewarded. And the teachers are much the same.

The kids loved the shows as did the principal and PTO ladies. RockRoots continues to be a wonderfully successful show: tight, informative and entertaining with my good friends in the band.

Home before 12 noon.

Sunday, May 27^th, 2018

Farmers’ Market on Sunday

It was supposed to be a rainy day at the Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market but it turned out to gray but dry. I set up for my three hours under a pop-up among the artisans, several familiar faces among the vendors. Initially, I felt a little out of practice, and I remember finishing last year’s season pretty strong. But, I settled in, playing a mix of familiar tunes with some I need work on. Bit by bit, the vendors around me applauded for songs and I felt quite at home.

There were some kids, parents and grandparents stopping by and I worked the kids with the help of the rhythm bag. Lots of good moments, especially with folks who were familiar with my music. Cat Came Back was suggested by a grandmom and her daughter and her shy son, trying to pass on some good memories across the generations.

Perhaps the coolest moment came when Don Skrobak, a face from the past, stopped by and said he had one of my old guitars in his car, my old Favilla, my first good guitar I bought in the early 70’s. He had sent me a photo of it a couple of years ago and I have it on my desktop rotation.

He brought it out and it was more beat up than I remembered but it was cool to play it again. I tuned it up and played a song for Don and his wife. They got a kick out of hearing it played in my hands. Don asked me to sign it. He had brought it to Godfrey’s for a Maria Muldaur show (I wasn’t there that night) and got her to sign it. So, I put my signature right next to hers.

I fairly much breezed through the morning and, without a watch on me, I asked a friend for the time. It was 11:50 and only 10 minutes left. Time flies. And it didn’t rain. Not a lot in tips, but I sold one CD to a woman who wants to hire me for her senior’s facility. Still, a good day on the planet.

Sunday, May 27^th, 2018

Marvine songwriting, session II

I headed back to Marvine ES for my second session with my 5th grade class. They had just gotten back from a field trip so they were pretty rammy on a Friday afternoon. We launched into review our two verses and I decided to add some movement to them and we came up with some cool stuff, dance moves, etc. Rather than push ahead with completing another five new verses, I figured that this type of engagement works just as well.

We did knuckled down to write another verse to We Gave Names to the Animals and we decided to do one on a warthog. I did my homework and looked up some fun facts. We came up with another good one.

I saw an animal with four boney tusks,

It has a disgusting snout and a stinky musk.

I think I’ll call this animal a wart hog.

Living the life wallowing in the dark bog,

Next week, I have a Wednesday session with the kids and we perform on Thursday, opening for their school’s production of The Lion King. These kids are chatty but, for the most part, are creative and fun. I’m having a blast working with them.

Saturday, May 19^th, 2018

A long day’s journey into CT

I was signed up for a Madison Farmers’ Market on Friday afternoon, and it meshed with my NJ gig in the am. On Wednesday, the outlook was 100% rain so I informed the market that I wouldn’t make it, but the forecast changed and I emailed them that I would make it instead.

So, I set out for CT with some time to spare (for a change) and took some time to tour around my old home town, check out the LI Sound and some of the rather posh areas of the Shoreline. As I pulled up to the Madison Green, I noticed that another guy was setting up a sound system and guitar. I knew I screwed up. So, I headed back to PA before the start time of 3 pm. Not a problem but a breakdown in communications.

Unfortunately, I hit Friday traffic through out CT, NY and NJ and the trip was slow and torturous. I was lucky I had the cuts from my CD in hand so I spent some quality time listening to my project.

When I got back to Bethlehem, there on my email was a note from the FM manager saying that he had found a replacement for me. No kidding. But, I simply thanked him for finding him and that I was looking forward to returning in June. It is a $100 gig and I learned my lesson. Phone call….

Wednesday, May 9^th, 2018

Lakewood, NJ Primary school on Wednesday

I wish I could do these primary schools all the time. I had two morning assemblies in Lakewood, NJ, about 2 hours from home with about 250 kids and teachers at each show. We were in the gym.

I got there later than I wished (missed an exit on the GS Parkway in the morning sunshine) but knew I could launch on time. Lauren, the art teacher, was my liaison for this school and also was the person who moved the show back from three weeks ago (I was laid up with the hip). A most gracious woman.

These shows were for preschool, Kindergarten and First Grade, right in my wheelhouse. I really haven’t played a large solo assembly in a while, but I went with the strong stuff – cause it works. Sometimes this age group has never sung along, so I do my best to get them to sing – and, in a big gym, there’s less pressure to do so, especially when they hear the big sound of lots of kids singing. I had to pick on some of the teachers, though, to clue them in on the process.

There was a 90% latino group here in the heartland of NJ. Both groups responded wonderfully and the teachers were crowing on the performance. I get ’em riled up and active – just what this age group needs.

I chatted with the art teacher’s class (they were there for both shows) and asked what song they liked and they came up with You Are My Sunshine, one I wasn’t expecting (thinking they might say Cat Came Back from the previous show). Seems they just sang it at the school assembly a few days before. So they sang it, and I went back and played my guitar with them. It was then that I figured I would feature them in the second show.

You Are My Sunshine is the perfect example of what a folk song is. They knew it well and had sung it on stage. So, after my usual opening songs, I started it out on the guitar and the entire first grade sang it with gusto. I then got them to stand up and sing it again. The energy level in the room was incredible, especially seeing the music teacher go nuts. (I found out he is a notable sax player with some pop star band experience – that’s why I enjoyed his reaction.) It was an inspired addition to the morning, thanks to being open to chat with the small class between shows.

It was a long drive, and the first large solo assemblies I’ve done in weeks. I’m pretty satisfied with my physical recovery, and glad to be able to perform well again. There’s still some weakness in the hip (5 weeks out) but, with a stool, I can get up and down for different songs.

It’s good to pay for play again, too.

Friday, May 4^th, 2018

Back on the road again.

I’ve been out of action with RockRoots for close to a month with my hip replacement recovery so today’s gig in Verona, NJ was a welcome sign for me. It was the first road trip for me with an hour and a half morning commute to central Jersey. The drive was fine but I was a little worried about how I would handle the gig. I’m still using the cane sparingly and have developed some strength to be able to walk unaided but I wasn’t sure if I could do the whole gig standing.

I brought a stool with me today and since it was a small elementary school (around 150 kids) I thought that I could perform from the stool. It worked well and still was able to get up for some of the proceedings. I was pleased that the show went well and, after a month layoff, I could run the gig smoothly.

I’m still having some difficulty sleeping and the night before I had some of this gig’s uncertainty on my mind. Still, it was a major step back from a month’s recuperation and inaction so I’m glad to be back in action.

Here’s the Facebook image I posted this morning.

Saturday, April 28^th, 2018

No Place for Hate Concert on Saturday

My friend Mike Duck has put in tremendous effort to put together a concert for No Place for Hate, a national (and locally, Bethlehem School District) program to promote understanding, diversity and anti bullying in schools. I’ve done several of these with Mike and Pentley Holmes here at Godfrey’s and this was a bigger effort on Mike’s part. In spite of posters, flyers, social media and more, we played to a house of about 20 people. Such is life in the Lehigh Valley.

It was a particularly good show with some quite talented folks from our musical community: Dina Hall, Mike, Pentley Holmes, John Huie (Beth. School District percussion teacher), Alyssa Allen (Soul Folks) and myself. Put together by Mike, he was able to steer the music towards the positive (some great Sam Cooke, Motown, CSNY and more) and included some original music by Mike, Pentley, Dina and John. Some magic moments and nice humor.

I supplied We Are Welcomed, Bright Sunshiny Day and Step By Step. They all were on point with the thrust of the evening and I was glad I could add some substance to the proceedings. I especially love the chance to sit in on mandolin. It’s a rare and beautiful thing that stretches my creativity.

Saturday, April 28^th, 2018

Dave’s Night Out with Gregg Cagno and Bill Hall

Per usual, these nights are exceptional evenings of good music and talk. Tonight featured two fine New Jersey songwriters who have been in the Godfrey’s orbit for many years. Bill Hall, of course, has been in attendance at our open mike for years, and is a regular over the last 5 years. Gregg Cagno was a frequent visitor in the eighties but is a rare show nowadays. It was a delight to pair them together tonight.

Gregg was a founding member of Camp Hoboken, a songwriting group in the 80’s and remains an accomplished songwriter. He pulled out some gems tonight, including some nice reflections on middle age (Living in the Middle Ages) and a great take on writing pop love songs (The Part That Repeats). Clever, clever, clever.

Bill’s repertoire is more familiar but he’s written some wonderful songs as well. He did his classic Rosie is a Friend of Mind, Going Out Tonight and The Gypsy and the Lady. I got some nice takes on these songs and look forward to sharing them on the radio.

I pulled out Smoking Babies as well as We Are Welcomed and Step By Step for practice for Saturday’s No Place for Hate benefit at Godfrey’s.

We had some good chat about playing for non-listening audiences (I take it as a challenge) and good ole Jersey songwriting.

There were (again) a handful of folks in the audience but several came up after the show and thanked me for providing this concept for our Godfrey’s audience. True dat!

Monday, March 26^th, 2018

Music Monday on FMZ-TV

I was asked back to do the Music Monday slot on WFMZ-69 again. I’ve done it several times, the last one 4 years ago for my Playground release. It involves getting to the studio at 7 am, sitting around, doing a line check and then two short sets at 8:20 and 8:50 am. Eve Russo is in charge and we had an outline for both slots. We’d talk about Troubadour for the first one, emphasising the local players and the Godfrey’s book and my Lehigh Valley Music Awards for the second one.

I spend some of the early hour changing strings on my Martin, and got through most of them. I was hoping I could pull the strings into place and settle the guitar into tune. Mixed results.

I picked Don’t Call Me Early in the Morning for the first set, appropriately, and it’s probably one I’ve done here before. It went well, though it’s strange to have three cameras to play to, so I simply gave up on trying to frame my attention on them. I was glad I was standing for these songs, even though my hip is getting worse. (One week to hip day!)

I hung out as Eve and Alex, the two women leading the broadcast, the weatherman and the traffic guy did their spots. There was a stage manager counting down the cuts as well as several folks behind the scenes running the audio and visuals. Lots of folks to put on a morning show. They did it well. There was a new sound stage as well. Pretty sophisticated production.

Prior to the last set I mentioned the No Place for Hate show I’m doing later in April and played Sally Rogers’ We Are Welcomed, a nice positive and simple folky tune. I could hear my guitar going out of tune (though had I checked it beforehand) and resorted to leaning on the bass strings that seemed to be in tune. It worked but it affected my approach in real time for the song. I covered it okay.

They needed a minute outtro so I did Barrelhouse Blues as the show faded to black. Done by 9 am.

Eve was appreciative, saying I made the spots easy. It was cool to see the Playground cover up on TV as they were promoting my sets. There were nice comments on Facebook as well, so folks were watching. I even went to the diner next door to Godfrey’s afterwards and one of the old vets I know on the street mentioned that he saw me on TV. Street cred. That’s all I’m looking for.

Saturday, March 24^th, 2018

Members Concert at Godfrey’s

Ramona informed me that I should serve as the honorary emcee and opening act for the annual Godfrey’s Members Concert. Tony Trischka and Bruce Molsky were the main act, and Tony has always been one of my favorite artists to play here.

It was a full house of folks who really support the club, and it was mighty fine to walk out on that stage in front of this audience. I tasked myself to do two songs and led off with How Legends are Made, an appropriate tune connecting John Gorka, Stan Rogers and the legacy of the club. I followed with Stan’s Giant, and wrassled with the open tuning (close, but no cigar) and folks appreciated the set. I introduced Tony and Bruce and headed off stage. Job done. A small gig but in front of people that matter.

Tony and Bruce did a great show and it was gratifying to see a full house of Godfrey’s regulars listening to two fine folk musicians in this space. I never get tired of this experience.

Friday, March 23^rd, 2018

RockRoots in Jersey, crack o’ dawn on Friday

We hit the road at a very un-rock and roll time of 6:30 am for a

Rosalie Fry

school in Wyckoff, NJ – northeastern part of the state. Amazingly, we always get there in time.

It was Decades Day at the school. We remembered doing this several years ago, and the principal commented that the teachers had requested that we return.

Classrooms were set up for each decade and PTA moms dressed up for each room. I was welcomed by Rosie the Riveter when I came in at 8 am. Eventually, flappers, women’s baseball players, hippies, etc. showed up and surprised the kids at the front door when they came in. The faces were wide with delight. It was quite a day for the kids and a great way to teach some American history in a cogent way.

I was able to shape the show more finely with this information and was glad to be able to link with the school’s theme. It was a great show. We played well, the kids and teachers hip (and my hip wasn’t bothering me today) and there was a whole lot of shakin’ going on. The educational/cultural quotient was off the charts today.

An hour and a half drive back to Bethlehem (before noon!!), listening to mixes for my new album. It was great to be on the road as a performing musician today.

Steel Stacks tomorrow morning with my friend John Christie. Think Locally.

Sunday, March 18^th, 2018

In the movies…. Steel Stacks Sunday

The Song of Bethlehem premiered tonight at Arts Quest and Craig Thatcher, Nyke Van Wyk joined Ken Goldstein for a live version of the song featured in the film. Another curious evening.

The project dates back to Dec. 4th of last year when Craig called me up and said that he needed me for a mandolin part for this piece on Bethlehem Steel and the subsequent invention of Musikfest, Steel Stacks and “Bethlehem’s” arts community. Funded by Arts Quest, it focused on the reclamation of the brown fields left by the Steel when it folded, and the City of Bethlehem working with Musikfest to build the current complex and its success for the City.

When we taped our part, it was hovering around 32 degrees in one of the old Steel buildings, with a sound stage, recording setup, etc. Ken worked on his solo takes while Craig, Nyke and I shivered in the background. Eventually we had our time recording our parts as we worked on the arrangement. (We had just worked on the song individually that morning.) It was brutally cold and that counts for the fact that we are not smiling a whole lot in the film.

This film is really good, acknowledging the Steel’s past, its collapse and the city’s effort to maintain the old and bring in the new. Craig mentioned his three generations of steel workers in his family. That brought it home for me. My friend Bruce (Clarence the Clown) also was featured. He worked there for years and has become quite an archivist himself. It was cool to see us on the big screen.

Following the half hour film, we were brought up on stage and interviewed by a MF gentleman. He had done his homework and asked some intelligent questions. I was curious how he was going to fit me it. I mentioned that the sound of the Steel was the soundtrack to my days at Lehigh (I left out the part about waking up sick from the fumes on rainy days….) and then talked about folk music – acknowledge the past, bring it into the present and push it into the future. This was the basic premise of this song and it’s why it works. It was the right thing to say.

Then we got to play the song live. It was curious that we didn’t have anything to work from prior to the gig. I found the lyrics on my computer with the chord progression and we basically learned it from the film as it played. We played it well and it was quite nice. Ken is very lucky he picked some of the pros in the Valley on this project, and it was a pleasure to share the stage with Craig and Nyke. We were a band tonight.

After the film, I received some nice compliments from folks, saying that they were very glad that I had a place in the film. That was a nice tip o’ the hat to my part in this SouthSide renaissance. It was gratifying to accept this deep compliment. And folks said they enjoyed my mandolin work as well. That actually gets my attention more than the historical niceties. I’m a player first, on stage with my friends friends Nyke and Craig.

But I didn’t get the chance to editorialize about Godfrey’s place in the artistic revolution of the SouthSide. Those days in 1976 were pre-Musikfest but I am sure that they were aware of this. That’s fine. I’m glad to work for their cause.

I headed back to Godfrey’s to connect with the Open Mike folks. I am grounded again.

Here Comes the Sun – first song of Godfrey’s 3.19.76

Someday, though, folks will take it back to 42 years ago when Godfrey’s opened on the first day of spring, 1976. I’ll be celebrating the anniversary tomorrow. That’s when the acorn was planted. There, I said it.

Sunday, March 18^th, 2018

Children’s Music Network gathering on Saturday.

My fellow teaching artists gathered together for a workshop, networking session and concert at a library north of Philly. It’s alway a good time to share our experiences with each other and see how we are similar and different in our approaches to our work.

Peter Moses gave a fine workshop on Mindfulness for kids and how this meditation has become accepted as a viable tool in education. I’ve been lucky to take one particular workshop/demonstration with a Korean Buddhist woman who works in center-city New Haven and it was an extremely valuable session, one that I’ve have incorporated in both my kids and adult work. The workshop was good on reinforcement but light on techniques.

The song swap was fun, with everyone doing a tune (one with an overemphasis of their stage show – not necessary with fellow artists), but all welcomed. I did Jelly in the Dish and we broke out the scarves for this one. It was fun, engaging and instructful, too.

We set up for the family concert in a nearby room and the place filled up, to my surprise with close to a hundred kids and parents. I was slotted early on and given 5 minutes. Apparently the word didn’t get out to everyone and folks stretched their sets. I decided to go guitarless for the first song Peanut Butter and Jelly and aim for physical interaction, and to hopefully set myself apart from the endless guitar songs in the program. I followed with The Cat Came Back and it worked well, and I was done.

Other folks followed with their material, some of which was derivative. (The Chicken Dance is aiming low….) The crowd began to get restless and started to filter out. Eight acts of various quality is tough for folks with small kids. I don’t blame them. I have an advantage with my years of music and acting skills, but folks are out there giving it a try.

I apologized to David for doing two songs but he said it was fine since I was a pro. That’s what I was thinking.

It was worth the time spent with my friends, sharing our craft and passion with each other.

Sunday, March 18^th, 2018

St. Peter’s Bakery on Friday night

I enjoy exercising my adult repertoire at this small bistro in St. Peter’s Village. It’s upscale in its clientele but unassuming in its presentation. Friday night is Pizza Night so the locals stop by with a bottle of wine, meet with friends, have some conversation and good food and sample some acoustic music.

It was a chatty night but that’s okay. It’s expected, but I get to explore my good stuff for two hours, engage the crowd here and there and work for tips. I got out some of my St. Paddy’s songs, played some mandolin tunes and developed some nice repartee with the folks. My left ring finger tip was still bothering me, so I wasn’t as crisp as I usually am here.

The time goes quickly and I get to practise my material, bang on the guitar and mandolin for awhile, take home some Irish bread, a sticky bun for the morning, a fine pizza and about $50 in laundry money.

A good way to finish off the doubleheader day.

Sunday, March 18^th, 2018

Doubleheader on Friday – Kendall Park ES in the morning

I had a mid-morning assembly in central Jersey for a large K – 5 school (450 kids) in the gym. This was a show that had been cancelled 10 days ago for one of the nor’easters that had come through. We got an inch in Bethlehem but they got a foot. I’m always glad that these always get rescheduled. And I was glad it wasn’t a ‘crack o’ dawn’ gig for me; I could leave at a reasonable 7:30 am.

The principal knew me from a school had played nearby so that was good to hear before the kids came in. She knew what she was getting. And the show went swimmingly.

I’ve been dealing with my left hip, soon to be repaired in a couple of weeks, so I have to give thought to working with a stool, a chair or standing up. With so many kids, I knew I had to be visible and moving in order to reach the large audience. I had a stool nearby and used it for a couple of songs in the second half of the show, but actually did okay standing for most of the show. (I can’t wait to fix this thing, aware of how much better I felt when the right hip was replaced two years ago.)

I finished with All Around the Kitchen with kids coming up on stage to share their dances and finishing up with four teachers doing theirs. 500 kids and teachers singing and dancing in front of me, and even the fifth graders were in the moment, having a great time. This is powerful stuff.

Back in the car by 11:15 and headed back to PA.

Tonight, St. Peter’s Bakery.

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