I was invited to perform at the Cooks Creek Watershed Association, marking its 50 years of environmental education and advocacy. A group of watershed associations in the Upper Buck area gathered in Springtown were fine. I kicked of the morning at 10:30, thinking that the kids and families would be out early. Well, no.

Adam Finger set up a PA and I played on one of the pavilion stages, looking out to a lawn and a few chairs. Knowing that I’d be playing to the various vendors and advocacy groups, lending a general aura to the event, I simply played my best stuff to the void in front of me. One gentle man came up and listened, and, in spite of asking me for Harry Chapin tunes (which I don’t know), he enjoyed what I did. Another young teenage girl came up and sheepishly gave me a dollar tip, and a small trinket of a sheep. Its the small things that count.

As I was winding things up, a young family with two daughters came up and requested I Like Peanut Butter and The Cat Came Back. I encouraged them to break open my instrument bag, and with much eye-rolling by the girls, we finished out the set in style. Per usual, the dad recalled being raised on my music and sharing it with his young family.

It was difficult for the organizers to pull this off. There were cancelations by a food truck, and a madrigal group later in the afternoon. In spite of the small turnout, they thanked me for being there and commented that they were getting compliments from folks about the music. I’ve become used to playing for small (or non-existent) audiences in front of me. I play for me, and play my best, and hope that those vibes make a difference out in the ether.

Monday’s park was Father Tucker’s Park, in the heart of Little Italy in Wilmington. I was hired by the Grand Opera House, a leading arts organization in the city. I was here several years ago, pre-covid and remember playing on this site. The turn-out was pretty small, with two dads with their boys, the Opera House folks and one 11 year-old girl, Asheka. She was great! She picked up on rainbow streamers and began to dance around the site, and was involved from the get go. She made my day. The Opera House provided a PA, and, over my objections, insisted we use it (for 10 people?), and the manager also insisted I perform on this natural stage, distant from the people. It seems he knew what he wanted to do, and not necessarily what was best for a slow session. Anyway, I plowed through, playing for the kids and adults and finished out my hour in front of nobody. So it goes. Back on the road for another hour and half drive.

Early drive to Wilmington on Tuesday with little traffic. I got to Haynes Park with time to spar, a large park in the northern part of the city. This one had a tennis camp going on, and I hoped they would stick around for the show. I’m glad they did. I had a group of about ten teens and sixteen tweeners so, at least today, I had critical mass to play for. And, as expected, the teens were less responsive than the younger kids, and, for a while, the younger kids got involved right away and made it easier to gradually win over the teens.

I was surprised that my friend Asheka was there. It seems her grandma supplies juice and snacks for the playground system. I thanked her grandma for Asheka’s talent and energy.

I was able to bring out the rhythm bag, then the puppet bag and finish up with the scarves. This worked really well, and I was able to shift gears every 15 minutes or so. For Giants, I was able to pull up a teen boy for the Thundertube, and he helped get the teens loose. He had a good sense of humor and it showed.

It was particularly good for the three Opera House folks to see me work a larger crowd, and one that had an age difference. They commented how good the session was and that I should apply again next year. That feels good.

It was only an hour and half commute (standard for my usual school work) up and back, and the pay was in my comfort zone. I also realize how much I miss being on the road, seeing a different part of the world, and listening to some good podcasts (today was about Motown and I Heard It Through the Grapevine). A good June tour, of sorts.

This turned out to be an interesting gig for a retirement village gig. It started with the realization that these folk are not that much older than me. Phew.

It was held in a large outdoor courtyard inside of 5 floors of apartments. It was a beautiful evening and I was booked for a 7:30 to 9 pm gig. I usually have to mix some oldies in with my folk material, but, s I realized that these folks lived in Bethlehem for years and many knew of me, I decided to go with my good adult material. As I played my set, I was able to mix in recollections of my time in Bethlehem, at Lehigh, early Musikfest, my teaching artist vocation, as well as doing some of my weird stuff (The Irish Ballad, Giants, et al) for entertainment values. It mixed well with my customary humor and I felt that there was a good rhythm and dynamic to the flow of the evening. I came away feeling pretty good about the set.

Gertie Fox

One woman came up and said it was the best event in the series, and others came up a shared some of their recollections of Bethlehem events. One woman said she was a classmate of Mary Travers (Peter Paul and Mary) and we talked about the first Burnside Plantation festival, before it became The Blueberry Festival. We recalled Gertie Fox, the original eco-warrior, who patrolled the Monacasy Creek outing polluters.

I felt like a neighbor.

This was the last MF gig for me this year, my 40th, and, in spite of feeling a little miffed with a Monday / Main Street gig this year, it turned out to be a nice gig. Having Kris Kehr really helps out the whole gig with his solid bass and improvisational skills, as well. We were signed up for two hour sets at 12 noon and 1:30 pm.

There were forecasts of some nasty weather, but things turned out fine for our early set. As usual, the sound crew was professional and made for a great comfort zone for Kris and myself, no minor thing, as we could hear each other, had good monitors, fat guitar, etc.

It was a bonus to have Kris and his young friend Noah on hand to assist me getting to the gig. I’m finding myself increasingly handicapped with my recent bout with cancer. Praise the road crew!

Don’t Call Me Early, Shoo That Fly, Summertime Blues set the stage for an interesting mix of kids and adult tunes. Having kids in the audience is a great theatrical device, as the adults are drawn to the kids’ reactions. But I still have to serve up some “real” music to keep folks in mind of the concert situation. It worked really well today, and my chat in between songs seemed real and unforced. (I never have a real idea of how this works, but it does.)

I was able to chat with several folks during the intermission and I was able to get a grip on my place at this festival: folks coming up and commenting on various gigs over the last 40 years. I guess this is where I gained some sense of my part in this event for 40 years.

Kris and I finished up with very nice second set, with fewer kids’ songs, and some extending folky tunes like Giants, Dixie Chicken and Pay Bo Diddley, all songs giving more space to Kris’s fine musical work. We played well and strong, and I felt good about my musical muscles this afternoon. Great support from the audience, both kids and adults, no small skill that I have. Sold some CD’s, too.

I was interviewed by the local TV station, and acquitted myself in good form. I’ll check it out last on the web – Channel 69 Allentown.

It didn’t rain.

Thanks to the flexibility of the bluegrass festival, I was able to keep my gig at Musikfest at the movie theater on the Arts Quest site. I had a thirty minute set in the theater and set out at 6 pm. My good friend Bruce Gaston was in the audience for a brief slot in the middle.

There was a medium crowd for me with good sound. I started off with Don’t Call Me Early and went from there, chatting about the material as I went along, mentioning that I had played every MF for forty years. I mixed in a few kids songs with a couple of families in attendance. I felt comfortable.

Bruce Gaston came up to play his hands (manualist…) and played a couple of tunes that, of course, caused some great reactions from the audience. Roll Out the Barrel and Take Me Out to the Ball Game, classics, all. He’s been a part of some of my shows for over 50 years, and a welcome addition to my Musikfest gigs.

This was a good recovery from the day before, and though at a smaller venue than what I would have liked from MF, a good gig.

Father Folk is a date on my summer calendar that I always look forward to. It’s an annual gathering of musical friends on an undisclosed site south of Reading in a shaded grove, down a dirt road, in the middle of PA. This was its 25th iteration and I believe I’ve been to over 15 of them. It’s strictly word of mouth, with no mention on social media (thus the FF) in the lead above. It’s held on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a full sound system, a few food amenities, camping, jamming, etc. Friends put together 30 minutes sets, and some folks like me fly in to do a guest set. It has a great audience.

I signed up for a 5 pm Saturday set and got there around 3:30 to catch a nice trio of loose acquaintances do a fine set of folk, a short set from a young girl named Autumn on flute, and then it was my turn. I did my latest “festival” set with Don’t Call Me Early, July, Nadine, Giants, Giant and Lessons From Pete, a good mix of tunes and chat. Folks sang along on the appropriate tunes and I played well.

I ran into some my pickin’ friends, and an old band mate Bob Flower (Graveyard Skiffle Band) and we recalled that Bob was the one who turned me on to this gathering in the first place. I sold a few CDs, gave away a bunch to the kids in the crowd and hung out for a short bit before heading home. Invariably, I drive back to Bethlehem in a state of satisfaction and peace.

Oh, yeah. There’s no pay for this one, but worth the time and effort. Good for the soul.

Tuesday was the kick-off of Channel 39’s Summer Series of kids and family shows in the studio of the TV station. I had the option of dates, so I picked the opener. A good choice with some stormy weather in the forcast.

The show was supposedly sold out, though that was a stretch. Still, there was a decent crowd of moms, kids and one dad, all stretched out on the carpets in front of me. Some familiar faces (the moms) and away we go.

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these shows, so I was going on muscle memory, which seemed to work today. I Like Peanut Butter, Tutti Tah, We Gave Names,  Giants, Rhythm instruments (Splish Splash), Scarves (Jelly in the Dish).

The progression was pretty good in terms of interactions, with a nice culmination with the scarves dancing.

It was particularly nice that one dad showed up with his son, and the dad really got involved and dragged his reluctant son along, to the point where both were having a great time being son and dad. The kids dancing, almost right off the bat. Moms laughing. The ladies from the station sat in at the end and caught the general frivolity.

It was a particularly good gig, and I got paid more than I expected (!!!!). Home by 12:15.

The hill side.

I was pleased to be asked to add a short set to the festivities at the rejuvenated Berks Fiddle Fest, post-Covid. It’s been moved from Topton’s community park to the old Doe Mountain ski slopes, now a resort, Bear Creek Mountain. I think the festival has lost some of its charm, as nice as the new digs are.

I was asked to do a thirty minute set in between the various fiddle contests. I followed the 13 – 18 age category. The slope area formed a nice amphitheater, and there was a nice crowd out in front of me, though the sun was pretty brutal today. I set up my guitar and did a quick sound check and launched into Don’t Call Me Early. During the song, I asked for a choral response and got absolutely nothing. That kind of gave me the information I needed for this challenge.

I followed with Blue Mule, and during my introduction I asked for the people’s favorite tall tale, and, again, I got nothing back. I rolled into the song. glad to do a bluegrassy type of tune. I then did Branching Out, again asking for a call and response during the refrain. Nada. I gave up and just sang my own response.

Next was Giants, and finally got the audience to give me back “They’re Big, They’re Bad” and the spooky noises. I got a little vindication on this one. I got the “one more song” nudge from behind the stage and finished with Lessons From Pete, mentioning that getting kids to sing along, dance along was the whole point of what I try to do with kids (and these adults), trying to create a deeper community connection.

The stage.

I played well (only one repeated verse) and thought I did a good job. It was pretty hot and felt drained after just a half hour.

As nice as the new venue is, the festival has lost the communal nature, and I experienced that with my inability to get folks to chip in. In some messaging later on from some of my friends who go to this festival to hang out and jam, the feeling was mutual. No trees to play under, escape the sun. One friend said he played under a ski lift, not exactly the idyllic setting one would hope for, for a fiddle festival.

Still, it was nice that the three fiddle sessions on stage brought out folks who were willing to get up in front of people and try their best: some excellent players, some beginners but all willing to take a chance in front of strangers. Good for them; too bad for the audience, though. So it goes.

My friends at the Bethlehem Food Coop asked me to play for a block party on the North Side at Friendship Park, a small city park. I was signed up for a two hour set from 4 to 6 pm, and I was glad that it wasn’t terribly hot. I set up on the macadam under a pop-up tent with jump ropes and hula hoops spread out in front of me, with various community vendors spread out (Food Coop, Bicycle advocacy, etc.) and the mayor was on hand as well as various public servants.

I started out playing tunes with my handy dandy amp, mike and guitar. Gradually, folks drifted by and kids started to pick up instruments, and join in. Grandmothers, dads, moms, etc. joined in, played with the hula hoops and generally mixed it up with me. Doing my thang….

In these small, one-on-one situations, I’ve been breaking down a song and giving the kids a break on their rhythm instrument, and it’s been working out nicely. The kids sense that this is their time to shine and have been nailing the improvisations. A nice way to share the stage and create some magic with the kids (and the pride of the on-looking grandparent, too). It also stretches my material during the long set.

Folks appreciate having a sound track for the event, and watching kids and families having some fun making music. Adults I know in the community stop by and say hello. I even got to give a hug to my friend Gail who’s been estranged due to a political kerfuffle with her wife. I felt good that we were able to share that moment together. And that’s what a community block party is all about.

This was a scorcher today at Musikfest. I signed up for a half hour freebee set at this tented stage with beer on one end and MF merchandise on the other, with a few tables of folks escaping from the sun on a Monday afternoon. I’m not sure why I sign up for this gig, but I came away with a CD sale and six sets of Martin strings.

I did a good set of my songs: Don’t Call Me Early, Here Comes the Sun, Giants, Giant, Legends, Lessons from Pete, We Are Welcomed, and a couple more. The nice thing about this gig were to two extra Martins on stage that I got to bang on: the new SE-13 model and a D-28, a big body Martin that I rarely get to play. I still prefer my good ole 000-15 Mahogany though.

My left hand stood up under the conditions so I’m pretty glad that worked out today. Still, I was wrung out in the heat and humidity.

Tomorrow I play for pay at Stadtplatz with Kris Kehr.