All entries filed under Summer Concerts

The first gig today was from 10 am – noon at Easton’s Farmers’ Market along the Delaware River. It was cool to have some trains go by during the gig.

They put me on the outdoor stage, away from the market traffic so I end up playing to an empty lawn. Folks did find some tables and chairs in the shade on either side, so I had some folks to play to. I used my little amp with voice and guitar inputs and it works really well, and looks good, too.

There were some familiar faces who stopped over to reconnect, and some curious kids who came up to play instruments from the open bag at the lip of the stage. These small interactions really make a difference, and make the two hour gig flow quickly. I made decent tips, too.

I got paid by check and $25 in wooden coins for use at the market. I came away with plums, cherries and fresh peaches. Not to shabby.

Off to Allentown for Blues, Brews and Barbecue at 2 pm.

 

Young Audiences scored me a couple of summer gigs in Wilmington, DE. I was looking to get out of town anyway. It was another 90 degree day and I’m lucky to have a air-conditioned vehicle.

When I got there, I met up with the liaison for the recreation folks in town, working with the big theater outfit as part of their community outreach. Seems Sid knew of me from The Philly Folk Fest, having worked on the Archives Crew. We had quite a few common friends, and struck a great conversation about Fest as well as David Bromberg’s moving to town.

Father Tuck Park

Father Tuck Park is situated in the neighborhood Little Italy and I enjoyed catching up on the lay of the land. Big Catholic church up the hill from the park. We set up in a shady glade with Sid’s small generator purring away. I didn’t expect any kind of crowd and was willing to forgo the sound, but we went with it anyway. It turned out that having a presence in the neighborhood was important.

There were only a mom and young daughter and a daycare teacher with two girls and a young boy. It doesn’t matter since I work with what I got. Still, its hard for the kids to relax when it’s such a small group. The two girls eventually loosened up nicely and were dancing at the end. The mom was a former preschool teacher so she and her daughter were already primed.

It was a long day, with three hours of travel and an hour show, but worth it to soak in some of Little Italy on a hot day. I’ll return later in August to another Wilmington park.

 

I was set to kick off the Summer Series of Educational programs at our local PBS TV station on Tuesday – two shows at 10 and 11 am for a decent amount of money. There were vax and mask mandates for the building but that was fine with me. I got to the studio in plenty of time and, with few families signed up, we decided to ditch the sound system and go acoustic. Cate, my good friend and educational liaison for the station greeted me warmly as ever. I set up and waited.

A few minutes after 10, Cate came in and said that the few families that showed up didn’t have vax papers and left. I was disappointed but quickly said, “Can we do it outside?” Cate said why not and quickly scrambled to tell the families walking away. With the help of the crew, we set up on a large patio out front of the station and gathered the few folks for the show.

My view of the Steel Stacks arena.

It was a spectacularly beautiful day and the setting was wonderful.  I introduced myself to the three moms and five kids. I opened up my bag of instruments and started in with I Like Peanut Butter. Away we go! The next 50 minutes were quite rich, and as I worked with these folks, Cate and other members of the staff were delighted that we were able to save the situation. They took lots of photos for later promo.

I gave away a bunch of CDs, autographed them and then waited for the folks to show for the second show. In the meantime, Cate and I had a great chat, talking about my TA skills and experiences, her time as a Catholic school teacher and my recent viewing of the Fred Rogers documentary “Would You Be My Neighbor?” Eventually, we realized that no one was going to show up for the show, so we wrapped up my equipment and I headed back to the car.

As I was writing up my set list for the day, I realized that I need to get some of my material back in shape from a two-year layoff. I Wanna Be a Dog wasn’t on the tip of my brain anymore, and I had to listen to my CD to remind myself about The Bear Hunt, both of which were “no brainers” just a few years ago. I’m getting older.

I felt good about the session, Cate’s support of my work with the station, and the beautiful day.

Cate also cut me a check for a much larger sum of money, since TV-39 wasn’t going to do the big series during Musikfest this year. She more than doubled my fee for today. I am blessed.

A weekend of return visits to my old haunts – the Emmaus Library hired me to play two hours from 11:30 to 1:30 on the front lawn as part of their Summer Reading Program Kick-off. It was unseasonably windy and cool so I was glad I had my sweatshirt on. I set up under a pop-up tent, decided to eschew the sound system and just play for folks stopping by. There were food trucks, outdoor and indoor games, and a fairly good amount of families stopping by. I launched right in with one little girl and her mom, raring to go. (It seems she was really looking forward to seeing me, and, in fact, was right up front, tuned in for over an hour.)

I opened up the small bag of rhythm instruments, engaged kids, toddlers and parents from the get go, interacting with everyone. The library staff tending to other tables nearby all were picking up on the vibes. Over the course of the afternoon, I gave away lots of CDs just to get the music out. Things got quieter later on. Next time I should start earlier in the morning.

All in all, everyone had a great time, and, as expected, the library staff was tickled with the activities. I was glad I did it acoustically and had the opportunity to resurrect a few more tunes from my old repertoire. Skip To My Lou, Bear Hunt and other.

I was paid what I asked for and what I deserve for these kind of public gigs. Off to Pottstown for a family birthday picnic.

The good folks at Christ Lutheran in Hellertown have asked me to play for their first summer service for several years now, usually a salute to the graduating seniors in the congregation and for the kids. Only three kids today.

I picked out songs from three of my gospel buddies: Bruce Cockburn, Pete Seeger and John Gorka, adding on Simple Gifts at the end.

I had prepared Creation Dream as an instrumental prelude, but the pastor began with his notes, prayers, etc. When he introduced Turn, Turn, Turn and walked towards the side door, I called out that I hadn’t done the prelude, that I was going to do it, and I said flippantly, “Go ahead back to your office, I’ll do my song.” There were chuckles, and I kinda surprised myself. It was okay with Pastor Phil. I did a decent job on the song on my new SE Martin.

I then quickly went into Turn, Turn, Turn and played it strong and the congregation stepped up as well. For the Offertory, I brought out John’s Good Noise and delivered a solid gospelesque version of the song, getting the congregation to clap along on the last choruses. It sounded great, and served up some energy. I finished with Simple Gifts with the audience singing along, and then as an instrumental as folks headed out.

I hung around for a bit as some elder folks came up to say hello, share their remembrances of my past gigs, and some common friends. I headed down to the buffet in the basement, talked with Pastor Phil and some other parishioners. It was a very nice gig.

I’ve been doing a couple sets for my friend Jeanine Villano-George every Labor Day  Weekend (‘cept for last year, of course) as a freebee just for the opportunity to play for this interesting cross-section of people: kids, families, old folks, wanderers, etc. Some how, I seem to find the material to entertain the folks and get them invovled. Always a challenge. This year, I had Thursday and Monday in the afternoon – Thursday was relatively light and Monday pretty busy.

Things were on a budget this year with the stage not so far off the ground, but not a big deal. The 4-H display was pretty skimpy but that’s all a function of the strange year it’s been.

Diving into Americana

I put up this image for the Thursday gig on FB, saying that I was diving into Americana. It raised a ruckus and I had to add that no guitars were harmed in this performance. I like the fact that I will take on these gigs that few other folkies will do.

Giants and Thundertubes

I’m always open to doing adult material but will definitely lean on doing the family stuff if there are kids in the audience and that was the case for both days. My obligation is to entertain the kids and the adults always get a kick out of those interactions.

Jelly in the Dish

Barnyard Dance, We Gave Names to the Animals, Giants (of course), I Like Peanut Butter, The Cat Came Back, I Wanna Be a Dog, etc. This weekend I tried Jelly in the Dish with the scarves as my final piece and it worked quite well, especially when the kids started off with the scarves, and, bit by bit, I was able to put the scarves in the hands of most of the adults so that the piece became a unifying spectacle. I brought up a young girl to lead the folks with the scarves on Monday.

I received some good feedback from folks who work the fair: Jeanine, Sam, the sound man, the security guard, the 4-H lady, and, I hear tell, the woman who works the rest room. They all say I’m the most entertaining of the acts, which is gratifying though I still feel I’m just winging it. A lot comes from my commentary that I pepper my “show” with, and folks appreciate the spontenaity of the situation.

I gave away my Peanut Butter and Playground CD’s to the families, sold a few Troubadour CD’s on Sunday, and did alright on tips for both days. The best payoff is the responce I get from this really diverse audience.

 

 

I was asked to serve up some family music at this friendly (and large) late summer community festival at St. Ann’s Church up in Emmaus for a Friday and Saturday 5 pm set. I’m not sure how this landed in my lap, but, apparently I did play the St. Ann’s school last century, and several folks suggested me. Since I’m getting used to playing for folks these days, I jumped at the chance.

I was able to set up on the stage in a tent before the evening’s rock and roll bands went on at 7 pm. I brought my small system and it seemed to be enough for the space. At 5 pm, there’s not much action so I started out solo, and gradually some kids, girl scouts, parents and grandparents moved into range. I brought out the stuffed instrument bag, opened it up and away we go….

Friday had a bit more kids joining in and Saturday was a bit tougher, though one dad/son boogied for the whole set. That was cool. I ran into a few folks who knew who I was (the music teacher at the school who plays oboe!) but it was sparce. The small interactions were good, but, again, I really have no draw for my kids’ shows.

The sponsors were appreciative and thanked me for providing some music for the kids. They also helped me get my stuff to and from the stage which was a big help. They paid me well (what I asked for…) and will let me know about next year. It was a tough gig though.

Bill, Dave,, Rachel, Ben and Frank on the outdoor stage.

I was invited to be part of a musical celebration of my friend Bill Schachter’s life on Thursday. Held on the large outdoor stage in the parking lot of Touchstone Theater, I was joined on stage with Bill Hall, Rachel Schachter, Ben Wright and Frank Pappalardo, complete with good sound and lights. Ben was in charge and based the format on a Dave’s Night Out round robin.

Tables and chairs were set out with pizza, ice cream and surprisingly good weather for a summer night. Carol, Bill’s wife was in good and boisterous spirits and was the designated heckler for the evening, often chiming in with wonderful asides. Rachel and Bill did some wonderful songs and I added (We Are Welcomed, Branching Out, Giants (Bill S’s favorite one of mine) and Shoo That Fly.

Rachel’s voice!

Folks remenisced about Bill’s quirky songwriting and Rachel, Ben and Frank talked about their times playing his music and his songs. It was quite moving.

We were invaded by some nasty flies as the sun set, and all of us were dealing with singing and playing while we dealt with this plague. So, when I played Shoo That Fly, the audience gladly stepped it up with the singing and the shooing. Funny how these moments literally come out of the ether for me.

We finished up with David Mallett’s Garden Song, which was a touchstone for Carol and Bill’s relationship so many years ago. Bill wrote some great verses to it as he wooed his future bride.

A motley crew.

Ramona just stopped up to the apartment as I’m writing this and said that she hadn’t seen me smile so much in a long time. There ya go.

On the final day of Musikfest, I performed in the studios of TV-39, our local PBS station for the last day of their 10 day Summer Jam series. For me, it’s an honor to be part of this run since the other performers are, for the most part, national family music professionals. I’m still a little uncomfortable to be in this fraternity. As it turns out, the crew and staff at the station think I’m right there.

Only a few weeks ago, the sessions were scheduled to be in front of two sets of kids and parents in the studio. I did a show a few weeks ago there and it was a hoot. But, with Covid restrictions rising in the last 10 days, TV-39 switched to doing one show in the studio without a live audience and extending the show to include a live TV broadcast from the station as well as a broadcast to the big Jumbotron outside of the station.

An elegant stage set.

I got there at the proscribed 8 am for the 11 am show and the 9 am sound check. No one was there and that was somewhat expected: a Sunday, the crew knew my specs and they had everything set up for all the shows that week. I finally got in by 8:30 and went through the Covid checks. All the staff had to be masked but as the performer, somehow I got off the hook. They told me that I was going to do a 27:30 set (I had planned for 45 minutes.) and that there would be a countdown clock right it front of me. I would have a few seconds leeway at the end. No problem.

My sight lines, with my monitor to the right.

Since there was no audience to play for (drat, one of my strongest suits for television) I decided to bring out some bling – my mandolin and banjo and added them into my short set. We got a sound check on everything and I settled in for the show to start. I changed strings on the mandolin, visited the deli tray in the lounge, meditated, etc.

At 11:00 they started the show and away I we go: Peanut Butter, All God’s Critters (banjo), Giants, I’m Gonna Tell (mandolin), We Gave Names to the Animals and (with 2:30 left) I finished with an abriviated Jelly in the Dish. I worked the cameras with lots of facials, finger-pointing at the audience and as much gravy as I could muster. And, as the countdown headed to 0:00, I finished by doing a “studio fade” (softer and softer) in the studio on Jelly and nailed the time with a “thanks.” I could tell the crew loved it. It was pretty cool, I must say myself. After we went off the air, the crew cheered. They were as good an audience as I could hope for.

The show was broadcast outside the TV-39 studios to any families that came by on the Sunday morning. I have no idea how many showed up but the pictures are cool.

The crew was asked not to react during the show, in that it would sound pretty weak with only a few folks in the house. But, as I found out later, during Names, my remark about a butt-saggin’ dragon made one of the camera women laugh out loud. At the end, I thanks TV-39 and the camera crew and the “camera person” in particular for their warmth and professionality. She delighted in that I gave her a shout-out and said “camera person.”

The producer Kira Willey was there, as was Katie Brennan, the production manager. Both were very appreciative of my show and they hope to use my show to help put together a potential package for a family music series with myself and the other performers in the series. I can see something nice coming out of my Sunday morning at the station.

It was great to be treated like a professional in my home town.

 

This is a freebee gig that I sign up to do, just to have a little more presence at Musikfest. It’s a 30-minute set in a large tent under the Hill-to-Hill bridge in the thick of the festival – Lagerplatz. Yes, beer.

On one end is a big trailer of beer and rows of taps of Yuengling and on the other end is MF merch so there’s stuff going on both ends. In the middle is the stage and tables and chairs with chatter and noise going on. It’s up to me to try to gain some semblance of a show while everything is going on. It’s a bar gig.

My friend Nick was on sound and he did a great job to get as much umph out of my Martin, but there’s only so much a solo guitarist can do. Still, I managed to chat, play strong and engage as best I could. Giants is always a good tune to do early in the set. Don’t Call Me Early, July, Giants, Giant, Rosie, Pay Bo Diddley, Lessons from Pete. It was good, but I found myself exhausted after only a half hour set, especially with my voice.

I treated myself to some Rita’s on the way home. I sold a couple of CD’s, ran into Tommy Crist from the old R&R band Pickens, and chatted with a couple of other fans. It wasn’t as hot as the last couple of days, but still I was drenched.

Off to TV-39 tomorrow morning for my big Kids’ Jam on television – no kids. It will present its own challenges.

with Kris Kehr.

This is my umpteenth Musikfest in a row (since the beginning) and, as always, it remains a touchstone for me as I crawl through each year. The set usually defines the material I’m comfortable during the year and I had the time to play and comment on the things I’ve be concentrating on for the last, very strange, year.

New Liederplatz stage

As usual, I could depend on my good friend, Kris Kehr, to follow me through my material, a credit to his work before hand on the material, and, especially, the on-the-spot improvisations on my improvisations. Kris cares.

I wasn’t expecting kids to be there, so I had put together a fairly adult set. But, early on, two factors happened and one fed the other. My good friend Pat Richard was there; a woman who lives to dance – and she even comes to my shows! Also, some young girls were there and looked like they needed to be part of the action. So, I invited the three or four girls to come up, and Pat was already dancing to my tunes. They connected and it became a show unto itself. I love to channel the energy back to the audience, and they pick up on it. Cool.

Car Dealership Dance

Early on, I talked about my gig at Camp Happiness last week and about the dance The Car Dealership. I got the audience up to do it, and it was hoot. A great moment.

Kris and I ran through Don’t Call Me Early, July (with some bragging), Blue Mule, Summertime Blues, Blue Mule, Giants, We Gave Names to the Animals (from Donegan), Welcome, Rosie, Giant, Vegetable Song, BoJangles, Legends, Lessons from Pete. Time’s up.

My very good and talented friend Bruce Gaston came up for his traditional guest set during my gig. As always, he knocked it outta da park with his manualism: Take Me Out to the Ball Game and Beer Barrel Polka. It really doesn’t matter what he plays. I simply love watching the audience while he rolls through his craft. It’s a gift to have him in my circle of players.

These Musikfest gigs are also some of the few times I get to play with a real sound system/crew. The experience on a sound stage is as enjoyable as playing for the audience. With monitors, a good guitar sound and vocals, the experience is similar to being in the studio. The connection with overall sound is delishious. Kris would agree and make the whole gig great for the both of us.

There was not a great turnout for my 5 pm set, though the audience was great. A mix of familiar faces, some kids, and the responce was quite gratifying. The heat index was over 100, humid and oppressive, and a Wednesday early evening. I’m somewhat under the radar again with the MF muckitymucks, and that’s okay. But, still, I would like to put together a full band again, in a prime time spot, for real pay. Those days are past.

 

 

I did two morning sets in the TV-39 studios on Tuesday, this time without video-taping, simply a live session with kids, moms and grandmoms, for the most part. As usual, I was treated nicely by the staff, sound crew and all. Some of the folks go back to my time recording Play Guitar With Dave Fry back in the ’90’s up at the Mountaintop studio.

I was scheduled to do two thirty minute sets, give or take, but since it wasn’t a live TV show, I had room to go a little longer. I did much of my regular songs including Giants with two brothers on thundertubes that was fun.

I brought out The Bear Hunt for the first time in many months. It’s one that demands a live audience that I haven’t had during the pandemic. It was good to dust it off.

I was honored to be asked to be part of the series and glad that I’ll be part of the Summer Jam series during Musikfest. I’ll be there the last Sunday, August 15th.

I picked up an old folks gig on the Northside of Bethlehem, and, upon realizing I knew a few of these folks, this wasn’t an elder gig as much as it was for my contemporaries. How about that?!

I was set up in a lovely courtyard in the middle of this large 4 story facility and it was a spectacular evening with a cool breeze and comfortable temps. This venue has music every Wednesday evenings, often coupled with a theme. Tonight was Scandinavian cousine, so I opened the evening by saying every song tonight was of that origin. Yeah, right. Folks chuckled.

Preshow audience

Right off the bat, a gentleman up front asked for Home on the Range. I knew what I was up against in these situations – some folks expected “The Hits”. That’s not how I roll. I started off with my positive tunes like Here Comes the Sun, We Are Welcomed, Simple Gifts and I Can See Clearly Now, and, though they weren’t the standard tunes, it set the stage for what I wanted to do.

There were quite a few familiar faces from my Bethlehem past and I felt comfortable in presenting my material, chatting about my performing career, my Martin connections, etc. and the show went well. I’m not sure the facilitator understood what I was doing, but there was a really good turn out, and the courtyard was pretty full.

All in all, a good gig in my home town.

Friendly folk audience

Rustic stage.

After I wrapped up my Food Co-op gig in Bethlehem, I headed out to one of my favorite summer gigs, Father Folk in the hills south of Reading in Berks County. This is an annual, word-of-mouth gathering of a tribe who love acoustic music and runs a small festival of friends for a weekend. There is camping and a small grove with a very nice stage and sound system. I’ve been playing this one for ten years, I guess, and love being part of this event. The audience is very appreciative, close to Philly Folk Festival quality (though much, much smaller), and am challenged to do my best half-hour set. I particularly love the drive out to this part of PA, as well.

Rope Swing!!!

The other players are mostly semi-pro and enjoy playing on a real stage with real sound. Every one steps up, though, and does their good stuff. I think that is what makes this event special. No stars. I was up for the 3:30 slot and got there in plenty of time to settle in, catch a couple of the other acts. I met my good friend Nick Peetros shortly upon my arrival; he had played earlier with Cliff Stackonis. I immediately asked him to sit in. Yeah! Nick is a world-class harmonica player (chromatic, too) with no fear in accompanying people, and we’ve played together many times over the years. This was going to be good.

Don’t Call Me Early, July, Giant, Rosie is a Friend of Mine, and Lessons from Pete.

I was feeling a little hoarse from my earlier gig with the food trucks, so I struggled a little. I also found my left hand cramping up from fatigue and the heat, so I was dealing with shaking it out, all while trying to get the songs right. I was particularly glad to have Nick on board. I was able to have him take some leads and stretch the songs a little. He was great and I know the audience was eating it up. The interplay between us was good theater and I knew Nick knew when not to play, a rare attribute for a harp player.

Interestingly, I muffed the words to Lessons from Pete but managed to pull it off. Again, thanks to Nick, it had its moments. Still, I was struggling with a long day on the road, the previous gig, fatigue and a new situation with someone not familar with my material. All in all, it was a professional set of music in a meaningful arena, and folks liked it. I sold a couple of Troubadour CD’s, too!

 

The Gig

I knew this was a strange gig for me – a fire company carnival in July. I do applaud the organizers in booking a family folk show, but compete with rides, food, side shows? I knew what I was up against. And I am well aware of my lack of draw here in the Lehigh Valley. Still very glad to get a gig. In fact it was one of my first post-lockdown bookings. I do play the local farmers’ market and a local church, so I was glad they shopped local.

I brought Kris Kehr along for the gig, knowing I needed some umph on base for a two hour set, and some brotherly support on a set list that would have to be kids and Americana music. I’m really glad I did. Still, I was concerned that I could play a fire company carnival.

The carnival behind the stage.

We were booked for 6:30 – 8:30, earlier than some carnival shows, but I suggested the time slot for families on a Tuesday night in July. I got there, met Kris and then we figured we go over to the band shell and set up. I used my RockRoots sound system and it did fill up the stage, and, along with Kris’s bass amp, we provided a pretty good sound. I was curious why my contact Angela hadn’t shown up.

The vast and empty lawn, pre-show.

There was a miniscule audience, but enough to engage with (on a personal level), and the bag of instruments was splayed out on the lawn in front ot the stage. Again, the bag works its wonders and kids, moms, dads took some time out to play with their kids. I’m sure it also entertained Kris and me and made the night shorter.

It was a very mixed bag of songs and I’m glad I put together a long list of songs to do: R&R, bluegrass, country, family tunes. We used them all up. I can’t say enough what a good friend Kris is to back me up on these songs. He said that he even could dial up my newer stuff from my 365 Series on YouTube and bone up on my keys/arrangements. Cool. A friend indeed.

I really should have changed strings. I was battling the whole time with tuning and a thuddy sound on the Martin. The summer weather seems to kill strings. No wonder there. But, I didn’t break any, so that’s a positive.

Pavilion Stage

We made it through the two hours and we did a good job, No check or contact person. This happens.

Post Gig 

I got back home around 9 pm and checked my email and there was note, “Just wanted to check and see if you are on your way for the music for carnival tonight, we’re here at the pavilion.”  Ack! We had actually arrived on site around 5:55. I quickly emailed Angela that we showed up and played. And, of course, my mind went into “What if?”  Was the band shell and the pavilion two different places? Was I to play in the carnival grounds? Would I get paid? It kept me up pretty late.

When I got up at 2 am to post my daily YT song, there was a note from Angela: “Hi Dave – oh it was perfect, you were in the correct spot 🙂 I saw you setting up from afar and started to head over and then got pulled into helping with the food and beer tent and didn’t get to make it over to catch you before you started playing. The performance was terrific!” Big sigh of relief! This is never easy these days. Check in the mail.

 

I was honored to be asked to perform on the lawn of the historic 1740-1743 Whitefield House for a free community concert. The good folks at Martin Guitar were sponsors and it was put together by Susan Boak. I asked my friend Kris Kehr to join me, and that was a special treat. Our first gig together since the pandemic smacked us upside the head over a year ago.

Before the gig.

There had been a forecast of thunder showers for several days ahead, but things were good for the 4 pm show. It was sunny and quite humid. Kris and I set up in front of the small porch at the House with their small sound system. I had prepared a long set list for the event with my family songs and my bag of instruments opened up in front of us. As it turns out, there were no families and only a handful of adults on the lawn in front of us. It seems a combination of the Euro 2020 soccer match and my historic lack of crowd pull made the small audience inevitable.

None the less, Kris and I put together a good hour’s worth of entertainment as we cruised through July, Vegetable Song, Lessons from Pete, Rosie, Giant, Giants, etc. and I enjoyed chatting with the folks on hand. I sprung a couple of new tunes on Kris as well as abandoning the set list early on.

As I wrapped up the set with Simple Gifts, the local firehouse siren went off with a deafening wail; perfect closure for a Sunday in the park concert. Oh, well.

Still, Susan and the staff of the Museum were quite gracious, Kris and I got to catch up on things, we played well and delivered a quality folk concert for the folks who showed up. It was nice that my friend Dick Boak was part of the audience. I sold a CD, too.

 

It was an honor to be asked to be part of this monthly Zoom concert. I have a few connections with the songwriters in the NY scene, namely Rod MacDonald and Christine Lavin, but I also thought that they were running out of songwriters to feature. I still feel like an outlier with this songwriter niche, in spite of my rather extensive relationship with it as a radio and folk club promoter. But, I’ll take it.

I was particularly please to see that Reggie Harris and John McCutcheon were going to be part of it, and I had some familiarity with a few others on the bill. Christine Lavin introduced me and Ron Orlesko chatted with me at the end. I was glad that they mentioned my 365 pandemic project, my kids’ work and my radio shows. Ron and Christine were welcome connections in introducing me to this group.

I was slated third, and I was fine with that. I could do my set early and then take in the rest of the evening. I did have several sound checks with Brian, the techie, and we went back and forth with what used to be fairly straight forward. We monkeyed around with the camera sound, my amp sound, positioning of the guitar, etc. and, somehow, it seemed to be not up to snuff. Perhaps I should have used the Focusrite box set up that I had given up on months ago. Zoom is never a sure thing.

I did Don’t Call Me Early, Giants and Lessons from Pete, and pretty much nailed them (if the sound was good…). It seemed that the folks in the Zoom Room enjoyed the set, and I surprised some of the folks unfamiliar with me. I got some nice compliments from John (“Solid set, as usual”) and Reggie (“You belong here”) as well as from Ron and a few others. The smiles from the Zoom grid was quite welcome.

Reggie, Roy Zimmerman, Zoe Mulford and, of course, John McCutcheon did outstanding sets with powerful original songs, often connecting directly with the 4th of July. I was in some powerful company. John is particularly brilliant.

Still, I was the only one doing some non-original music, though I think I held down an important part of the evening – a strong performance on a folk stage. I guess that’s where I felt I added to the evening. I’ll take it.

 

Some gigs are starting to come in, and this was one of the first that landed in my lap this spring, before there was any sign of the clouds parting in the pandemic. I have a friend Lisa who has booked me consistently in the parks system in Spring Township outside of Reading. The date came around on a perfect late spring night. Clear skies and low 70’s.

I was in West Lawn Park, a semi-urban setting and a new one for me. There was a nice small stage overlooking a paved area and a playground in the back. Folks set up chairs and blankets in front of the stage and it was a nice mix of grandparents, parents and kids. I set up my small PA system for this one, and it worked well.

Nose Dad and Son

As folks settled in, I got out some of the foam noses to play with the kids and dads, breaking the men into this situation. The men are the hardest to loosen up and this works really well.

Thundertube Brothers

I started out with I Like Peanut Butter, Tutti Tah, I Wanna Be a Dog. It’s been a while since I’ve done a set live, so I was feeling my way. I broke out the rhythm instruments for Skip To My Lou and Shoo That Fly, broke out the scarves for Jelly in the Dish, and the bag of animal puppets for We Gave Names to the Animals. This progression of interactive tools worked quite well tonight and the playground was hoppin’!

Scarves

I had a particularly nice interaction with a Latina grandmother whose tween granddaughter was having a good time. The elder woman wanted in on the tambourines, the scarves and the shakers and I made sure she knew I appreciated her energy. At the end of the night, at the edge of the stage, I blew her a kiss, and she responded with a hugging motion. So sweet and it made my evening.

The evening went really well and the parks and rec folks were quite pleased. I was paid better than any gig in the last year and I got my legs under me once again.

It was an hour’s drive to and fro, and I must admit I have missed my time on the road.

This was my annual summer Sunday service at this nice church in Hellertown and this was a special one since it was only their second “in house” service. Few masks and many familiar faces. Pastor Phil is a very welcoming minister and I’m glad he likes to engage me in ceremonies.

I picked out some joyful tunes, and, though not specifically religious, good, uplifting songs. Prelude: I Can See Clearly Now / Here Comes the Sun medley, Welcoming Song: We Are Welcomed (of course), Message Song: Turn, Turn Turn, Final Hymn: Get Together and the Postlude: Lean On Me.

Pastor Phil asked me early on about my religious upbringing so I talked about growing up at First Presbyterian in Albany, and my brief interest in becoming a minister. I then mentioned my recent UU roots. Curious that he inquired, but I’m amongst friends.

The theme was the parable of the mustard seed, planting in good soil. When we came around to Pete Seeger’s Turn, Turn, Turn, I reflected on Pete’s planting his mustard seed in me, setting me off on my voyage getting kids (and adults) to sing. I reflected on the card I got from a student: “You give me the courage to sing in front of people.” It’s now my job to play mustard seeds in a new generation of children.

I politely hammered the congregation to sing along, often dropping out in order to hear their voices. A noble effort; I even asked them to sing like they were Baptists. But, they remained fairly shy. That was part of my message.

It was great to play in this large wooden space in front of loving people again. The joy was there.

It’s good to be out and about and playing music, even on such a limited basis. I had two gigs today, both postage stamp affairs, but it’s mostly a chance for me to gauge my skills.

The Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market gig was from 9:30 to 11:30 am, and it was a gorgeous day – clear and comfortable temps in the 70’s and enough sunshine to feel some warmth after a cool overnight.

I set up in a pop-up with my small system and started in. A couple of older women stopped by before I even began to toss in a couple of bucks. That counts for a lot. Things were busier today, with folks wearing masks, bring out the kids (with masks) and walking the dogs. As for the playing, I was finding myself screwing up some words, forgetting verses but playing guitar quite well. I found myself out of practice, easily distracted by the scene in front of the gentle scene in front of me. Last year, the number of farmers’ markets I was playing, really honed my repertoire. Even though I’m still working on my material at home, with my daily FB postings, there are tunes I haven’t played in a month or so.

I tried weaning myself from my cheat sheets on some material and surprised myself on a bunch of them but still knew I was leaving out stuff. Such is state of the art these days, but I’m lucky I can sit and play for two hours on my material in front of a distant audience. Lots of waves from masked people I guess I know. Weird. And more parents willing to engage me with their kids. That was a nice take-away from this morning.

The second gig was in a parking lot between Bethlehem and Easton, the slate put together by Bill Parker, a friend/fellow mandolin player. I’ve gone to his bluegrass pickin’ parties over the last few years and was glad I could help him out with a set for this benefit.

I got there nick o’ time, with long stop lights bogging me down on the way. Still, I was up and playing at 1:04 pm.

It was under a nice double pop-up tent, a delightful breeze, and a few folks sprinkled on the macadam with their own lawn chairs. No masks though. Per usual, I had nobody who I could call a follower (though Danielle and her mom came up afterwards. Anybody who books me thinking that I will draw any kind of crowd is delusional. I was glad there was a good sound system ready, and Bill’s son was on sound. I had a 45 minute set, with no particular order in mind and decided to play my good stuff and go with the flow.

It was interesting to play for folks who had no idea who I was, as well as for the musicians that played before and after me. They were my base to play as best I could. My warm up at the farmer’s market helped me play my material much better than I had in the morning. I pulled a lot from my Troubadour CD and it was good to exercise those tunes. The set went quickly and I succeeded in connecting with this small audience. Bill’s friends appreciate good music. It was a good time.

The other bands were quite good and it was nice to connect these familiar faces from the jams with their bands. Folks are working together on their music and they were doing it together for the first time in months. There was joy in the playing.  That’s what I take from this afternoon.

A good day on the planet.