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Wednesday, August 8th, 2018

At the TV station on Wednesday

Thanks to the work of fellow kids’ performer Kira Willey, there is some family music during Musikfest (not at Musikfest) at the nearby WLVT-39 studios this week. She’s booked some impressive kids’ performers throughout the week and I landed the Wednesday spot. Two shows at 10 and 11 am, free to all.

I was there for load in at 8:30 pretty much before everyone else, brought in my guitar, stand, bag and CDs, ready for the 9:00 sound check. Really not much to do there. I was greeted by Katie, who was wonderfully welcoming. She informed me there was a dressing room! My goodness, such amenities. The later show would be taped.

We were all set up when Katie asked me if we could wait for a 10:05 start and there was no one there. It raised my usual doubts about playing in the Lehigh Valley, but as she opened the doors, moms, kids, toddlers and grandparents filtered in. There was actually a nice crowd with some familiar faces. Since the first show wasn’t being taped I opted for moving out from the sound stage and into the audience area with a big ole ABC rug. This was a good move. The sound man said, “TV-39 unplugged!” Me and Clapton.

I laid into my good stuff and there was a good response. About 15 minutes in, I realized that the toddlers were losing interest so I went for the scarves and it refocused the audience. I did my scarf progression that I had worked on in recent summer school shows and finished with Jelly in the Dish. Great visuals. I also did some of the new Bear Hunt verses so there was lots of new energy in the show. We finished up, lots of dancing and instrument playing and then I set up back on the sound stage for the second set.

Since this was being taped, I had to work with sound and lights for this set but that wasn’t a problem. Another good crowd came in and away we went. I repeated the scarf set, the Bear Hunt set and added a few different tunes. The scarves were particularly a nice visual for the camera men who had one on me and several on the kids. I can’t wait to see the final copy.

The staff at the station were really blown away with what I did, commenting on the great interaction, movement and on the control I had of what was borderline chaos. I get the feeling that the other professional acts do their set show and, I’m sure, involve the kids, but not the way I do it. The staff was impressed that I was able to gauge the audience and change on the fly and keep it real. I’m proud that I can do that, and it’s nice to see that recognized.

I sold a few CDs and was paid a nice professional wage, something I couldn’t have gotten from Musikfest. The station may use me for some more of their family outreach programming during the rest of the year.

I was exhausted but pleased with my work today.

Saturday, August 4th, 2018

Das Awkscht Fest

I had a morning set at this wonderful auto show in Macungie, and though I don’t draw any sort of crowd, they hire me as part of their children’s programming. They did move my ‘stage’ to the middle of the children’s play area, put me under a pop-up tent and gave me a sound system. After some torrential rains last night, the day cleared up nicely, and, in spite of some mud, I started out.

There were some folks who came out to see me, so I had some kids and adults to play for and I did a good mixed set of music, involving the general audience. One lad, Noah, was there from last year with his grandparents, and though he was at first hesitant to join in (he’s ‘matured’ over the last year), I was able to poke and prod him into participating and eventually won him over. He came up at the end and was quite chatty; he wanted to by a CD so we settled on Playground. He talked about how he likes to buy CDs of artists he likes (he was wild about his new Styx album – as his grandparents rolled their eyes). So I autographed the Playground one and he made sure I signed it on the cover and on the CD itself.

I took the opportunity to cruise the Packard cars (this year’s feature automobile br

and) and decided to go back after my show to get some pictures of my Martin with some of the vintage cars. I had done the same with my mandolin a couple of years ago, finding a 1923 Buick about the same era as my 1921 Gibson. I found some great shots.

I also got some fine mud stains on my guitar case to help out my folk cred at the open mikes.

Friday, August 3rd, 2018

West Deptford Library on Friday

It’s been a good summer for local gigs but this one was down in Jersey in West Deptford at the Free Public Library. It’s an hour and a half drive, standard for most Young Audiences gigs and the drive down was smooth.

I was greeted by the children’s librarian and I set up without a sound system in the community room. I was introduced to the teen aides that work at the library. I’m sure they didn’t know what I was all about.

A very nice crowd of 60 kids sat on the rug up front with parents and grandparents in chairs in the back. It was hard to get the kids to move up close; not ready to commit, for sure. But we backed them in.

Since this was a new venue, I was able to do my strong material and the show turned out very nicely. Lots of asides for the adults. But, it’s still hard to get the kids to participate from the beginning. I don’t think the kids get much audience skills these days. I made my little spiel about participating and creating community.

There are always some very bright and creative kids that jump out during the show. When I started Tutti Tah, one girl said, “Me and my sister know that one.” so I asked them to come up. It was cool to share the stage with kids on the second song and it helped warm up parents and kids right away. When we were done, the girl said she did Tutti Tah at her school, leading about one hundred other students in the performance. I took some time to explain that this was remarkable and essentially “folk”, being able to take these songs into her community. Special, indeed.

I was getting nothing from the ten or so teen aides, the ones who are supposed to help bridge the gap, but they aren’t schooled in how to let down their social guard and be ‘kids’. Understood. So, for Giants, I invited three of the teens up to play Thunder Tube and help break down the barrier. I asked them to make monster faces, but they couldn’t. But, it was important to involve them in the process.

For Names of the Animals, I broke out the bag of instruments, got them up dancing and the room was transformed into a party. At the end, I thanked everyone for coming out and invited the kids to come up and give me five. I only sold one CD – this is a sign of the times, folks.

The drive home was through a torrential rain storm but got home around 2 pm. It was a five hour day but a rewarding one all around. The library will have me back.

 

Sunday, July 22nd, 2018

Libraries Rock in Nazareth on Wednesday

The theme for summer programming at libraries this summer is “Libraries Rock!” so I was able to score a couple of gigs this season. This was at the Memorial Library in Nazareth and though the evening weather was beautiful, we did the show inside due to a lack of electricity outside. It was a full house in a small room with kids on the floor and adults in chairs on the perimeter.

I mixed in some Motown, Beatles and other oldies, passed out some shakers, we got up and danced and made lotsa noise in the library. A good evening even though I was paid in May for this one. Still…….

Wednesday, July 11th, 2018

Yosko Park film night and community outreach.

I’ve picked up a few neighborhood Community Action gigs, part of  a city outreach program. This one was for a family night with pizza, popcorn, and a Despicable Me 3 film on a giant blow-up screen hauled into the park for the night. There was folks from other community groups like LV Hospital, etc. I traded sets of music with another community group that features hip-hop dance. They blasted tunes and dance and then I would bang out tunes with my guitar and bag of instruments, engaging on a one to one basis.

It was a hot night, but the park has a pool and a sprinkler park so the joint was hopping with wet kids and parents watching on. The kids came up quickly and we mixed it up with shakers, puppets, et al. The parents were digging their kids playing, especially with some of the toddlers giggling and laughing. It great to see the energy passed on to the adults.

After an hour and a half, the crowd was settling in for the movie and I thanked the good folks in the CCA of the LV. They are pleased with what I do, even on this small scale.

Tuesday, June 19th, 2018

Moorestown Family Night on Monday

I picked up a nice gig with Young Audiences for an opener for a family concert on the lawn of a nice New Jersey town near Bordentown. The summer series is based on a kids’ performer opening for a musical act in the middle of town. Tonight featured the local high school jazz band and vocal ensemble.

I got there in plenty of time and set up off to the side under a nicely shaded section of the spacious lawn. This was the first show of the season and they had moved the kids’ section up a half hour to 6 pm. Only a few families spread out some blankets and I began a little early. The sound system helped spread the music out across the lawn and I began to engage the few folks who settled in. I picked up some rapport with them and took it from there.

The Ice Cream truck also helped bring some folks in, though singing and playing my instruments was somewhat compromised with the frozen sugar treats. I only had a 40 minute set, which was fine by me and wrapped it up in time for the high school kids to get started.

I was surprised by the sponsors of the event who loved what I did and want to bring me back next year. Well, all right!

Thursday, June 14th, 2018

Opener for SouthSide Children’s Festival on Thursday

I was asked to do a set for the red carpet opener of the Children’s section of the SouthSide Film Festival. The Festival shows sets of animations and films over Thursday, Friday and Saturday days but they do a ‘Gala’ opening on Thursday night. It seem natural that I should do this.

There were only a few families tonight at 6pm, with the show at 6:30, but I launched in with one family of grandad, dad, son and daughter. The girl wanted no part of participating and refused to grab an instrument to play. Boy, that put her on my radar. I worked on the three generations of guys, and the young son really got into it and it was a delight to observe these three boys have some fun. The young girl watched them having fun and, lo and behold, she gradually joined in. I struggled to give her some ownership, and through some tried and true techniques, she participated. (!!!)

Another young mom with a toddler and a crawler also came in and it was delightful to witness their reactions. The young girl and mom had fun together as the very young boy started to explore, seeking out the room, the music, the instruments, the centers of activity.

There were lots of cell phones and cameras in action tonight. Per capita, too much. But the interaction among this small gathering was rich and challenging for me. I got paid my fee, worked the room and gave my CDs to the families that committed as an audience.

Another gig on the planet.

Wednesday, June 13th, 2018

Hellertown Library Rocks!

I did a nice library gig tonight with the new summer library theme Library’s Rock. A nice choice and I’ve picked up a couple of gigs this summer with this angle. It’s still a vehicle for my regular material but I involve the kids with the instrument bag, dance and some rock and roll tunes from my repertoire.

Tonight was a cloudy night but no rain on the radar so we went outside the library on the spacious lawn. It was a good choice. Lot of room for blankets, chairs and romp space for the kids. I started with Summertime Blues, armed the kids with shakers and away we went. I Like Peanut Butter, Tutti Tah and I broke out Nursery Rhyme Rock from my first album (I had to relearn it). Things fell in place from there with parents and kids took over the space.

I broke out the scarves for Jelly in the Dish and that provided a nice break from shakers and provided a great visual for the evening. It was nice to see kids utilizing the space of an open lawn to explore with the puppets, scarves and room to move and dance.

One librarian came up and said that her son, now in his 30’s, was raised with my music at the nearby St. Theresa’s School. She posed with a picture with me, and she bought two CDs for her grandchildren to send to her son in Westchester, PA. Generations.

It was a good start to my summer shows and the library folks loved it. It turned out to be a perfect night for music on the library lawn.

Monday, May 21st, 2018

Flint Hill Farms

I really enjoy my sets at Flint Hill Farms every spring and fall. Dave Reber puts together some of the Godfrey’s regulars to donate their time to this educational farms’ open houses. They bring out the wagon rides, sheep shearing, chickens, etc for families to take in, and I get to play in front of the horse barn with a couple of bales of hay for seats. I try to engage folks as they trundle by and eventually get to mix it up with some kids, parents and grandparents.

Today was the first sunny day this week so I particularly enjoyed playing to the clouds floating by until some folks stopped by. The farm crew appreciates the music as they go about their open house chores, and that’s good enough for me. I get paid in goat cheese as a bonus.

One little boy came up to sit next to his granddad who was playing Thunder Tube with me. Eventually, the lad wanted to play it as well. He was enthralled and wanted to play it on several songs. As we finished up one songs, he stuck out his had and dropped it right into the pile of instruments – it was a perfect “mike drop” and completely broke up the family and myself. Not bad for a 3 three old.

Saturday, May 19th, 2018

Marvine family event Thursday

I volunteered to play for Marvine’s family festival on Thursday afternoon so I set up in the parking lot along with the various games run by the teachers. It was informal so I set out my bag of instruments and played some tunes. Kids, moms, grandmoms stopped over and we did some back and forth on a very local level. It was fun but my voice is a little rusty from my hip hiatus so I made it through two and a half hours and limped home.

Health exam at 7:30 am, recording at 1o, songwriting at 1:45 and parking lot gig from 4:30 to 7 pm. That’s enough.

Early start on Friday to northern NJ and a Montessori school and trip to CT.

Saturday, March 24th, 2018

Peas and Q’s at Arts Quest on Saturday

This was one of the invisible gigs I get every once in a while. Arts Quest has a regular Saturday morning family event that I get to play every several months and this one fell into my lap, almost as an afterthought by the Steel Stacks folks. I was glad to pick up some $$ before my hip operation in 10 days or so. I invited John Christie to join in, as he often does. We found out that there is a three day Blues Festival going on at the site (we had done this last year as well) so we knew we would be a blip on the radar.

There was no sound or sound man there when we got there, and eventually someone came down to hastily set us up and, nick o’ time we were ready to roll at 11:30 to a very small crowd. We led off with Shovelin’ which has a nasty blues feel to it, just to establish our blues cred. (One granddad commented on it at the end of the show.) The area wasn’t set up to encourage the kids to come up closer and there never was a critical mass of folks to make it work.

We struggled to do the hour show, and, though there were some familiar faces there for us, it was a tough slog.

Tonight, I’ll open for Tony Trischka at Godfrey’s for the Members Concert where I’ll have a listening audience to work with.

Monday, January 1st, 2018

Godfrey’s First Night Kids Show.

Always a special evening in my own living room, come to think of it. Godfrey’s has taken up the mantle of First Night with its own version of Three Generations of Godfrey’s each New Year’s Eve. Tonight was a recreation of the first one eight years ago with Dina Hall, Brittany Ann and myself and it was pretty good.

I usually start off with a kids show at 7 pm and there are only a few folks in the house. That’s okay. Tonight I had three families and I can work with that. One overactive boy, one family with a three year old girl and a family with three brothers of diverse ages. I can do this.

I was able to engage all three targets. I got two brothers (including the truculent older brother and proactive sib) to do Giants, the grandchild with hyperactive shoes to focus and play and the very young girl in front of me to eventually get up on stage with grandmom Patty to sing Twinkle, Twinkle. All in the span of 45 minutes.

It was good to put together a strong set to engage these three diverse families. It worked in this small space.

Sunday, December 31st, 2017

Peeps Fest on Saturday

End of the year gigs are always a good thing and the Peeps Fest is a welcome local gig that pays well. It has its quirks but there’s a sound system and it’s only five minutes from home. Peeps is one of the products of Just Born Candy, a fairly large manufacturing plant on the northside of Bethlehem. It’s great to have them sponsor this sugar-coated festival.

I was signed up for three sets at 10 am, 12 noon and 2 pm, so it is similar to a bar gig, putting in at least 6 hours on the job. I was the opening slot, so folks were filtering in for my first set. Thankfully, there were some familiar faces there to work with, off the bat. I cranked up my strong stuff knowing I could probably be able to repeat some of it later in the afternoon (though I enjoy the challenge of not repeating songs during a gig like this.). Start strong.

I swapped sets with Ari, the magician I’ve worked with over the last couple of years. He’s good and has fairly hip stage patter but sitting through two of his sets is tedious. Same jokes, tricks, attitude and, worst of all, a piercing “Aaaaah!” that he uses to express surprise. Assault on the ears…… Still, he gathers crowds.

This area is essentially in a mall, with movies, snackbar, knick knack shop and three levels of mayhem, promotional ventures (haircuts, child care, summer camp grounds, etc. etc. etc.) and more. I asked for some extra seating for my area but no help. Just the plastic tables and chairs that are there for eating. Not really an inviting place. The folks at the welcome counter said that folks would be standing to watch, and I shot them a dirty look. For a family show??? Disconnect.

Still, I was able to connect with the folks who showed up, striking up conversations with the adults, having the kids graze and play in the instrument field in front of me, and watching folks interact with their families. It’s always good. And a challenge.

As powerful as the backdrop of the steel stacks is behind me, it is particularly lousy as a stage setting. The lighting is miserable, the sound comes from the ceiling and there is no visual focus for the performer. I have a tenuous relationship with this organization so I have to lay low with my suggestions. This “stage” is a minor part of the whole entertainment mecca of Arts Quest and this is very low on their horizon, but they could really sharpen it up.

Still, I got to exercise some part of my kids’ repertoire I don’t usually get to play, freshen up my guitar playing, play musical catch with an audience and watch the snow slowly drift down on the steel stacks of my hometown. There were moments of beauty and art, for sure.

Tuesday, December 26th, 2017

Christkindlmarkt on Saturday

I usually land  a gig at this large Bethlehem Christmas fair every year. It’s a tented holiday Arts Quest (read: corporate) event and I get to play my holiday music in front of folks eating and hanging out, or, in some cases, coming out to see me.

I was signed up for two afternoon sets on the last day of the event; the Saturday before Christmas.  Even the sound man was counting down the hours and I was glad I could help him out. We set up and did our sound check thing and off we went.

There were fewer kids than usual and a sparse crowd, so I got to exercise my favorite Christmas songs, the ones I’ve worked on and have grown to love. I only get a chance to play them during this season and they all have deep resonance with my own personal holiday connections. This canon of music is very deeply familial and genetic. So it is with music that we all have sung together for  years and years. This is essential folk music. It seems I have a Christmas album in me, too.

It seems that other performing groups at this venue don’t always pursue the holiday “purity” that I expect, and some don’t necessarily play seasonal songs. I’ve always added mandolin tunes and some Celtic songs to help me fatten out my meager Xmas set list. And I’m also fine with doing kids and family songs in order to seek out and connect with folks who are up front, listening and engaged. And when I even play to a relatively sparse crowd, I am surprised that folks clap and respond to the songs I play. Always surprised. I tell them to calm down.

I enjoy these gigs, as strange as they are. I get to sing special songs that I want to, crank up my guitar with a real PA, work on a public audience, get in touch with my creative self and deposit a check the next day.  That’s a good arrangement.

There was a special moment at the end. A young kid and his slighly older brother were left up front as their mom and dad headed off to do some shopping. I connected with “Nate” and he was working on his tambourine licks with his brother. I asked him to come up to do Rudolph with me. We worked on the hand motions (antlers and noses) and proceeded to do the song. There were only a few folks in the house at this point in the afternoon, but his brother sitting up front was in tears. This made my day.

I picked up my paycheck, packed up my gear, thanked the sound guy for his friendship, and headed off to Atlantic City to celebrate my son Jaimie’s business promotion.

Sunday, December 10th, 2017

Annual Brookside CC Breakfast with Santa

This is always a big date on my calender for several reasons. It pays really well. It’s a long day with two two-hour sets of music. I connect with folks who are familiar with me and my music over several generations. Pretty good reasons.

I do two ‘sittings’ for the Santa brunch at 9 am and 12 noon and the country club really rolls out the food, a great Santa, horse-drawn wagon rides and more. I add music and personal interactions with the kids, many of whom know me from years past. The girls dress up in Christmas dresses and the boys in bow ties. The grandparents bring the newer kids up to play along and the situation brings out some deep familial ties. I get to watch and enjoy.

The bag o’ instruments continues to be a great device to encourage interactions with me and between the kids as well. Lots of back and forth.

I have a good selection of Christmas tunes including some obscure, but rockin’ rhythm songs. My friend Jack McGavin is the Santa (he’s really, really good at it) and comes out later in the set to dance with kids during my Santa medley. Lots of cell phone pix from the adults. The club really appreciates what I do and I appreciate the work. This year’s check goes towards travel to Italy to see my daughter Rosalie in February.

I’m sure the folks are movers and shakers (I chatted with the Yocco’s Hot Dog dude and one of the Arts Quest folks) and they all thanked me for my work with the kids. That’s pretty nice.

What I take away from it all is the fact that I can provide a rich experience for generations of families in this community. And I really like working with the kids first hand. They fill up my sets with smiles, dancing and fun. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday in December.

Saturday, December 9th, 2017

First Snow

I was able to perform today at the America on Wheels Museum in Allentown today, unlike a lot of my fellow performers who lost out due to the snow later in the day. The snow started as I headed out and things were fine for my 11:30 am show.

This was my first time at this museum and it is pretty cool: fire trucks, old racing cars, hybrids, vintage cars from the 20’s, 30’s, etc. I got a warm welcome from the staff including an older gent who remembered me from some local school gigs when he was a custodian in Catasauqua. There were actually a number of retired men who obviously loved automobiles.

We gathered in the North wing and it filled up with families, granddads and dads, moms and a 4 year old’s birthday party, so I had folks to work with. I mixed holiday material with my regular stuff, passed out red reindeer noses, and we danced, sang and carried on.

It was a pleasant gig with one grandpop thanking for doing a good job. It was my first indoor gig this week so I was thankful for the warm climes today.

Tomorrow, Brookside CC’s Breakfast with Santa with new snow on the ground.

Sunday, December 3rd, 2017

Family show at the Sherman Theater on Saturday

The Sherman Theater is an old venue in Stroudsburg, PA and have opened a smaller venue next door as a showcase stage. Scott Judy has convinced the theater to start a children’s series every other Saturday, free admission, and I was the third act to appear.

It started out slow but as 2 pm rolled around families started to show up and the folks had to round up more seats. Eventually the small space was filled. I’m not used to having successful family shows the first time around, so this was a good one.

I was lucky that they found some newspaper coverage during the week, and the folks running the series were not only surprised by the turnout, but enjoyed my ‘show’, my engagement with the audience and my professionality. The sound guy even ‘got it’ with my guitar work.

It felt good to drive home from the Poconos on a warm fall day. Money in the bank. Job well done.

Sunday, October 8th, 2017

Company picnic on Sunday

I was asked to return to this law firm’s annual family picnic on Sunday. Last year, it was held at a private estate in Bucks County and it was somewhat uncomfortable with my set separated from the food and festivities.

This year, it was held a large day camp site near Doylestown with lots of activities for kids and families, a nice pavilion and some great food, a local beer truck and a big common space. I was set up on the grass along with a fine face-painter and an activity area for the little kids. This year I was aware that I was not a concert spotlight but one of the many activities available for the kids to choose from. That made a big difference in my attitude.

I sprinkled my bag-wares out on the grass and started to play. The music was able to disperse amongst the folks in the pavilion, and some kids eventually came over to pick up an instrument and react. Too many choices for the kids, but that’s the gig.

I had some nice interactions with a few kids including a young girl coming up and playing my guitar with her fingers. Another girl was particularly enthralled with a tambourine, dancing around on the grass. I made a point of giving my Peanut Butter CD to the parents. I didn’t have a ‘show time’ gig, but I was paid well for an hour of music on a cloudy Sunday in PA.

Sunday, October 8th, 2017

Doubleheader on Saturday

It was a yin-yang performance day for me today, starting off with a long drive down to Delaware for a noon set at the Harvest Moon Festival at a large farm/nature center. I followed my friends, The Druckenmiller’s on the stage.  Not much of an audience for them since families were roaming the grounds for the many activities, corn maze, pumpkin decorating and food. But, the music added a nice atmosphere for the festivities.

I started out with few folks, but eventually kids came up and started in on the bag. One particular young girl came up early on and supplied her energy that drew other kids in as well. It was a good set and appreciated by my friends John and Todd who booked the music for the weekend. It was a beautiful fall drive down to the Festival and it was great to hear The Druck’s in action. Tom and Betty’s son Nate came up from West Virginia for the gig and it was a pleasure to hear his fine backup guitar work on their old-time tunes.

I picked up a gig for the drive home a day before. There was a memorial service for a doctor who passed on in Pennsburg and I got a call from the funeral director. The family wanted someone to play Simple Gifts on a Martin guitar, and I said I could do it after my Delaware gig. The service was held in a large gym at the local YMCA and there were hundreds of folk who came by to pay their respects to the family of this good doctor. I was glad I brought my small amp for the song, especially since there was a fairly weak system for the speakers in this large space. I played and sang this rather short song and it fill the hall. The funeral organizers and the family were very please that I could do it. My new Martin sounded great.

In preparing for the presentation, I imagined that I would play the tune on the guitar, sing the two verses and then have the folks gathered sing the first verse at the end. One of the doctor’s sons came up at the last moment and asked me not to have the sing along. I certainly agreed but privately wished that the congregation had the chance to raise their voices in support. But, it turned out fine with this very simple but beautiful song. A few folks came up to thank me for the song. I don’t think I’ve ever been paid so much for two verses of a folk song, but it made a difference for quite a few people.

When I packed up to leave, my “new” car’s battery failed, and had I left my phone at home. A kindly 90-year old gent stopped by to help out. I used his phone and as we waited for AAA, we picked up a friendly conversation. I found out that he had a few cars at home, including a ’52 Jaguar and a mid 50’s Rolls Royce. That sparked some fine conversation as he smoked on his pipe. A nice lady stopped by with jumper cables and we were able to get my car going. As I drove my new friend back to his cheap car in the parking lot, he said that he was glad to help out and that it made his day to help someone. I added that he made my day as well.

It was a long day with 4 hours of driving with two quite varied audiences: a lively family harvest festival and a somber family memorial service.

Sunday, September 24th, 2017

Two days at the Fiber Festival in Emmaus

The Celtic Classic is in town this weekend and I tend to stay away due to the crowds and drinking, along with some recent immobility with my hips, so I was glad I picked up some sets at a new craft festival in Emmaus at the Wildlands Conservancy Center. The Fiber Festival was well attended and I ran into several friends attending, as well as some families who came to see me and stuck around. I had two hour sets on both Saturday and Sunday.

This particular nature sanctuary is a wonderful place; I took my kids there many times when we lived in Emmaus. Lots of trails, green lawns and shady trees so the place was hopping along with the various weavers, knitters, etc. gathering and celebrating their art with perfect, though hot, fall weather.

I was set up off from the artisan tents, near the mouth of one of the trails. They set it up nicely with bales of hay for seats in relative shade. It worked quite well, as folks stopped by as they drifted past. It was unseasonably warm (high 80’s) and I lathered up in sunscreen for the duration, brought out my mandolin, new Martin and my bag of instruments and pitched in. It was fun to play off of the ‘wildlands’ theme, often referring to what ‘wildlife’ might be behind me in the woods. No elephants, probably snakes and cats…..

I had the opportunity to interact with the kids, families and occasional elders who stopped by, and worked my magic as best I could. Still, some kids are incredibly shy when confronted with a guitarist who talks back, while some kids quite naturally just join in. It’s always a workshop. I like to watch the sibling relationships, perhaps an older brother/sister leading the way and I always try to get the parents and grandparents to play along. The foam noses come in handy when the three generations put them on, to the delight of the small kids.

On Sunday, one retired couple came up, sat down and stayed for the whole show, with the woman singing along, enjoying my repartee with the kids. Towards the end, as the families dispersed, she came up and grabbed a tambourine and a clatterpillar and started to play along. I commented that it was about time she joined in. She and her husband had seen me many times, especially at Mayfair and Musikfest so we chatted about the evolution of those two community festivals. I had the chance to share my philosophy on performance, how I engage the audience and involve the kids in the arc of the show.

The woman was particularly taken by my version of Here Comes The Sun, and hoped I would put it on my next album. I chuckled and thanked her. Though it remains one of my favorite songs, I thought that it remains a tune I would feel totally inadequate on a CD of mine.

Four hours of community music in a sylvan setting. The festival organizers were quite thankful for my participation and will ask me back next year. I’ll be there.