Dave's Journal

Wednesday, June 29th, 2022

TV-39 on Tuesday

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.

Monday, June 27th, 2022

Easton Public Market on Friday

I got a last minute gig at the Easton Public Market on Friday, filling in for Dina Hall. My good friend Steve Capwell picked up on the information and told me that he’d be there. That was good news.

It was a particularly slow night for folks hanging out, chowing down and socializing at the market, but I set up and got started at 6 pm for my two hour set. Steve brought his portfolio of harps and we set right in. As always, Steve has a good set of ears on him and plays with taste, and, even better, not at all if the song calls for it. We played well and Steve’s presence surely helped the evening pass quickly, in spite of a small audience.

There were a few families there, and as the young daughters started to bop to the music, I engaged them and gave them CDs. One girl said that the family was on their way to Virginia in the morning and the mom said that the Peanut Butter CD would be welcome.

My friends Mary and Mike Ciocco showed up early – great supporters of local music – and I was surprised and glad to see them. They had some noodles and wings and then headed off to Godfrey’s for Jack Murray’s gig.

Not much of a gig, though the money was good and I had a chance to play music with a pal.

Thursday, June 23rd, 2022

Dave’s Night Out with Joey Mutis

I was looking forward to spending some time on stage with my friend Joey Mutis, aka The Electric Farm. We have always shared a certain repartee with each other, our musical influences and many times listening to each other’s bands.  We are close to brothers.

Again, it was a small audience with several Joey fans in the house. Joey seemed a little more unsettled tonight, though he came through with several new (to me) songs. I started with Ground Hog, Rosie is a Friend of Mine, It’ll Be Me and closed with We Are Welcomed, with Joey filling some nice leads.

This particular audience had very little to say, and I admit somewhat put off by that. Usually there’s some interesting reflections that spur the artists’ conversation. Joey was a little scattered and I felt that made the audience a little skittery, too.

One interesting question came up at the end: What song would you play as your time ran out? Joey sang a little of “She’s Leaving Home” from the Beatles, among others and I chimed in with Here Comes The Sun, explaining its mystical beginnings for me, playing a really good Martin for the first time. Upon reflection, I also thought that I’d like to play it perfectly for the first time, at the end of my life.

Still, we got some thumbs up from the audience for the evening and the series, but I came away somewhat disappointed. So it goes.

Sunday, June 19th, 2022

Emmaus Library Reading Club Kick-off on Saturday

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.

Sunday, June 19th, 2022

Holy Infancy Multicultural Festival on Friday

It’s been several years since I’ve last played for the Holy Infancy parish and I was pleased to return this year. I’ve been playing at the school for 14 years, many times in the old school down on 4th Street, a block from home. They’ve moved up the hill to a very nice facility and they asked me to play inside in the cafeteria. (There was lots of activity out in the lots around the school and church. I was fine with having a small footprint.

It was a hot day and I was fortunate to play in the air-conditioning. I had a 7:30 – 8:30 set, a little late for some families, but there were a few friendly faces from my assemblies at the old school, and they made me feel quite welcome. A few teenage girls were gathering so I invited them to move closer. They started asking me for Bear Hunt, Cat Came Back and others. I realized these teens were once in first and second grade; they actually knew the songs better than I did. Pretty cool.

There were a good number of young families with little kids, so I broke open my small bag of instruments to share and we had a good time dancing and running around the stage. I eventually got out a bag of scarves and away we went. Toddlers, teens and a few adults having some food and drink in the back. I wrapped things up after about 45 minutes.

The principal thanked me, gave me a check (a first for me) and we figured times were right for a return assembly in the fall. Good Neighbors.

Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

Last RockRoots of the school year on Tuesday

It’s been a nice rebound of spring gigs for RockRoots and we finished our spring tour up at McGinn ES in Scotch Plains, NJ this morning. Luckily, it was an easy hour-plus drive from the Lehigh Valley across 78, and I set up early. We were booked for two assemblies at 9 and 10 am, with ~250 kids per show.

The first show was for the K – 2nd grades, some of whom had never been in an assembly before. It was fairly noisy, but the kids pulled it in eventually. They were fine. Lots of dancing at the end, and the teachers loved it.

The second show was for 3 and 4th grades. I was able to lift the educational level with these kids, and I think the PTA women and the principal appreciated it. We played well, and I think I finally got most of the monologue back in shape over the last three months.

There was a big traffic jam on 78 in PA on the return trip but I had some great Little Feat tunes to keep my mind satisfied. It’s good to be back on the road.

Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

Christ Lutheran on Sunday

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.

Saturday, June 11th, 2022

Rose Garden Farmers’ Market on Saturday

I was a little fuzzy today, following my long jaunt to CT and back the day before. Another spectacular day, weather-wise, and only two hours today. I set up in the grass and started off. My lyrics weren’t sharp at all, but that’s no big deal. I enjoy being the sound track for the market.

There was a steady stream of kids and families picking up instruments, scarves and puppets. Several super-charged boys with little focus or quizzical looks on their faces. It was also nice to simply have some conversations with the parents, the kids and various Bethlehem friends as they stopped by. No pressure to keep on playing all the time.

One woman with her young teen daughter loved some of the oldies I played and then started requesting Chantilly Lace, Johnny B. Goode and other songs I don’t know. I started to get pissed after she said, “How can you Not know that song?!” She kept it up while I was trying to state my philosophy on learning songs that mean something to me, songs that I enjoy learning. I eventually gave her my Troubadour CD to help give her a clue as to what I like to play.

I finished up around 11:30 and hung out a little with Mary, the market manager, talking about community and the market’s place in it. Tips were good – about $60 and I got my check for the whole season from a local realtor who is sponsoring me.

Saturday, June 11th, 2022

Madison Farmers’ Market on Friday

This was my first Madison Green Farmers’ Market of the season; a long haul for small pay, but I was reminded why I enjoy the trip. When the traffic’s fairly light (if I leave early enough on a Friday morning), I get to enjoy listening to my podcasts and full albums in the car. That’s actually a rare experience these days.

I got there in plenty of time, set up under the old oak tree. It was a stellar day, weather-wise and I set into my three hour set. I gathered a few kids early on, and there was some fine interaction. As usual, most of the elder shoppers breezed on by but picked up a few tips from parents and grandparents.

About an hour in, as families gathered on the green behind me, I turned my chair around to face the new audience. It seems young families use the opportunity to spread out blankets and socialize and let the kids hang out together. It’s a nice scene.

There are familiar faces, moms, kids, etc. and always some new folks there to capture the moments with their kids. Six pm rolls around quickly enough and I head back to PA into the sunset, appropriately. Tips were much better this time – around $60 and I got my check for $100, cheap, cheap, cheap. (I had asked for more but the vendors and market managers said no.)

Again, I enjoyed the ride home, alone with my music and my thoughts.

 

Wednesday, June 8th, 2022

Virtual Assembly for Lore ES in Ewing on Wednesday

This YANJ has been on the calendar for months and I’ve had lingering concerns about it, since it was booked as a virtual “Zoom” concert for about 500 kids and teachers. I have had very, very few of these over the last two years and my confidence was somewhat lacking. I also distrust the technology platforms, and the school wanted a new one for this one: Google Meet.

I did several stabs at learning the platform this weekend, and it seemed similar to Zoom, et al, so I plunged ahead, set things up in my kitchen on Tuesday with camera, computer, lighting, banjo, mandolin and guitar. The sound check was set for 9 am today with the principal and it went well. We decided that I would use a vocal mike to help the situation and that was a good move.

We had told the teachers to expect the kids to get up and dance across the separate classrooms. This is a big school so there were about 400 K – 4th graders going to be in the “audience”.

A 9:30 show-time rolled around, the individual classes started showing up, and the teachers were encouraged to show the classrooms on the grid. That turned out to be a great feature for me, and I had some visual feedback on how the kids were reacting. They were all responding and gave me a boost.

I rolled through I Like Peanut Butter, The New Cat Came Back (with acknowledgement of racist beginnings), Down By The Bay (mandolin), A Place In The Choir (banjo, with “All The World’s Critters” thrown in), and Giant, We Gave Names to the Animals and All Around The Kitchen as a dance fest at the end. It was a crisp 45 minute set.

The principal said that it was the best assembly they’ve had and hoped that the school will bring me in for a live assembly next year.

It was a taxing effort on my part, and I pulled it off well, with no errors (surprise, surprise, with such a lay-off), and I used all of my virtual performance skills in engaging the kids, acknowledging them, encouraging them, hamming it up, all through that little white light in the camera. It’s not easy.

I find myself exhausted, even eight hours later, but feeling good that I nailed this opportunity to reach hundreds of kids and teachers without having to put in three hours of driving to and from NJ. It should be a healthy paycheck as well. A good day on the planet.

I had replace my car battery later though, and my hands show the wear and tear of physical labor.

Monday, June 6th, 2022

Catholic RockRoots Tour into June

RockRoots had two NE Philly gigs this week, and there’s no direct route to these interesting neighborhoods. Our Wednesday afternoon gig was at Our Lady of Port Jefferson, in a fairly tightly-packed neighborhood. We were lucky to find some parking to unload out front, but latter gained access from the walled parking lot near the stage exit. Whew.

We loaded in and set up on the stage for the ~300 K – 8th graders. The kids were polite, though the 6th, 7th and 8th graders were a bit remote, no dancing or getting out of the chairs. One bright spot was a special needs 8th grade boy who surprised us all early in the show when he demonstrated the Irish jig. Not too shabby, neither.

The principal / nun was quite glad to have us, and we benefitted from an opening prayer. Perhaps she though we would need it. As usual, we played well, cleaning up the small stuff after our long sabbatical. The kindergarteners were great dancers, and the music teacher came up afterwards and thanked us for the show, as we thanked her for dedication to spread music in several school communities in North Philly. Not an easy job.

The ride home reminded me of our early RR gigs in Philly – afternoon traffic on the Schuylkill!

Friday’s gig was another NE Philly school Holy Innocents with a slightly smaller audience of 150 4 – 8th graders. This neighborhood was a little more spread out: I could see lots of sky today. And we were able to load in from near the stage. (We have to plan our escapes very carefully) This was held in a big gym, and since the group was smaller, we like to eschew the stage and play on floor with the kids.

The kids were mostly Latino in this neighborhood, and had taken in a Roots of Latin Music assembly the week before. Thus, the older kids were polite but a little removed. That’s why we have Kevin…. our secret ingredient.

The trip back was a tad more arduous – Friday afternoon, of course, I was pretty whipped when I got back to Fourth Street. Still, it’s great to be out there with RockRoots.

Friday, May 27th, 2022

Dave’s Night Out with Jack Murray

I was a little bushed from a RockRoots doubleheader in the morning, but had some time to recompose for Wednesday’s Dave’s Night Out with my friend Jack Murray. We figured we’d explore the space between Country Music and Folk Music, and it turned out to be very good topic. Jack has a mind and a gift for exposition on stuff like this so he came armed for bear with a great list of songs, and I put some thought into it as well. The conversation was easy between Jack, myself and the audience.

I found out that Mike Duck is helping to sponsor this series by doing sound for free for mention of his Web Foot Digital web-building business. Big thanks, Mike!

Jack brought out Four Strong Winds, Last Thing On My Mind, If I Were A Carpenter, Irene Goodnight, Long Black Veil, and Girl From Mexico, a song from Ramona’s dad. Jack gave up early on that one, but I insisted on him reciting it. It turned out to be quite wonderful and I hope he does it again as spoken word. There’s power in that medium.

I brought out Bill Monroe Georgia Rose, Carter Family’s Wildwood Flower, The Byrds’ Farther Along, Bill Staines’ Roseville Fair, Dylan’s Girl From the North Country Fair, even The Temptations’ My Girl.

We were able to mark important shifts in the folk/country continuum like, the Dylan/Cash duet on TV, The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the Will The Circle Be Unbroken album, Woody and Leadbelly’s Goodnight Irene, Tom Paxton, etc.

There were a few more in the audience, breaking into double figures for a change. I really am proud of this series for the content and the way it is delivered on this historic stage. Tonight was a perfect example. Thanks, Jack.

Friday, May 27th, 2022

Governor’s Award in Arts Education on Thursday

This was a pretty big deal for me in my strange but not-so-little world as an arts educator. The folk world knows that I been playing for kids for thirty plus years, but few have had the chance to see me do it, nor do they realize the creative challenge of doing what I do. It’s not part of the folk scene, but I play for thousands of people every year and that counts for something. This was one of those moments that counted for me.

I was nominated by my friends at Young Audiences of NJ and E. PA, a booking group I’ve been with since 1991. They were the first to book RockRoots early on, and have been the major consistent source of income for me (and my family) for thirty years, and have been instrumental in my development as a Teaching Artist. Lots of diverse performance possibilities and situations, as well as numerous high-level workshops with fellow TA’s over many years.

I was part of a roster of YANJ awardees, along with fellow TA’s Mary Knysh, Erik James Montgomery, David Gonzalez, booking pro Carol Hunt and a few corporate supporters. Waiting for things to begin, I was able to connect with Mary, a world music specialist from Bloomsburg. We both know Rand Whipple who’s from that town and travelled with me and Touchstone in Mexico in the early 80’s. Deep roots, again.

We finally we allowed in to the hall, and I found that my assigned set was an empty space. That was disconcerting, but didn’t matter a great deal. Lots of seats. I sat next to a principal being honored for Distinguished Service in Theater Education and we struck up another fine conversation about my high school theater experiences, financial support for the arts in schools. She said she had to leave early since the Prom was that night. I said I hope she gets a corsage.

So, the Young Audiences roster came up, and then my name. I hopped up on the stage to make the long walk across and I did a little dance for about four beats and the audience ignited. (not much spontaneity from the awardees so far.) I acknowledged the audiences response, and while getting my photo with the proclamation, I looked at it and said, “Paper,” again tickling the crowd. Curious and spontaneous but I got several compliments from folks later on. How little it takes, and how unconscious I am about being on stage to engage an audience.

The rest of the program featured many very talented high schoolers in Debate, Art, Music, Theater with some very nice short pieces and lots of awards. It was great to see the next generation of performers, and the salute to their talents was fine to see.

I drove off to a YANJ reception at a restaurant near Princeton for some wine and pretty good snacks. As we stood around, I picked up conversations and congratulations with many of the YANJ staff, many of whom I go back decades with. It was cool that when I walked into the small reception room, I got some applause and thanks for my impromptu dance. Funny that it rung a bell with the arts folks.

After an hour of standing around drinking my ginger ale and inhaling the tasty hors d’oeuvres, I headed out home, thanking every one for this honor. I looked forward to a crisp hour and a half drive through the Jersey landscape. It ended up being three hours, with some navigation errors on my part and a large accident on Rt 78. I arrived home after 11:30 exhausted. Still, a great day for me.

 

Friday, May 27th, 2022

RockRoots on Wednesday

This turned out to be a remarkable gig at Coopertown ES in Bryn Mawr, PA this morning. It was good for me, for a change, not to worry about my part in the show. The post-Covid cobwebs have been, for the most part, banished and the show and my confidence  is back in good shape. Travel was easy and Kevin called and said he’d be late. No problem.

As I headed into the school with my guitar and mandolin, one mom in a drop-off lane commented that I might be pissing off a lot of people. What? As we struck up a conversation, she was referring to the tragic incident in a school in Texas the day before. I finally connected that my carrying a black case into a school was disconcerting to some parents. We straighten that out with a little humor, but, apparently (pun intended), the concern was in the air. And, we helped a little bit with the show. More, later.

The principal introduced us, saying that this was the first assembly in three years, and for many of the kids in the house it was their first ever (the 1st and 2nd and some of the 3rd grades weren’t in school), so that was interesting. Assemblies were the best part of going to school for most of us, I think.

Two shows with about 225 K – 5th students each, but the grades were mixed around so we had to aim for the middle ground. No kiddie show. The kids were great, a wonderful 5th grade girl nailed the Irish Jig, the Peanut Butter do-wop groups rose to the occasion and were delightfully giggly, zany and being kids. Everyone got up and danced.

The teachers and the PTA liaison loved it. One teacher said that she has I Like Peanut Butter and will play it for her kids in class. Again, deep roots. But the general feeling was that RockRoots provided a tremendous relief for the whole school on such a grey emotional day. YANJ got this message from the school:

“We all very much enjoyed RockRoots yesterday!  The show could not have come at a more perfect time for the students and teachers after such sadness in the news from Texas. It was so good for all of our hearts to see the kids laughing, dancing and singing.  The joy was palpable. Thank you!”

We’re making a difference sometimes when we don’t even know it.

 

Sunday, May 22nd, 2022

Touchstone’s Young Playwrights Festival on Saturday

I was honored to be asked to do the lobby pre-show for this production from our local community theater outfit Touchstone, one I have deep connections with, having being an ensemble member back in the 80’s.

This is a wonderful part of Touchstone’s outreach in the community, reaching creative teens and preteens artists, writers, actors and more, across the Lehigh Valley. The kids get to work with some of Touchstone’s ensemble as directors. A noble endeavor.

My small part is to engage kids and families as they make their way into the large Baker Theater. I like the fact that I was along one wall, between two bubble machines! I was asked to play from 7 to 7:30 when the show would begin. I got there early, and so started in about 6:45. Why not? I immediately engaged a young family with two older sisters and their younger brother. He was wearing shades and immediately put one of my sunglasses over his, upside down, of course. The other folks picked up on this right away. I knew this was going to be fun.

As folks gathered in the building, I motioned for other kids to join in. I even told one older teen girl to put down her cell phone and take up a maraca. She smiled, and she did, and played along, When her two friends showed up, they joined in, as well. Smiles all around. That was nice. Shoo That Fly, I Like Peanut Butter, We Gave Names to the Animals, etc. All upbeat and playable.

Things dried up about 7:25 as folks drifted in for the show. I finished with Branching Out to an empty hall. Not so, as my friend Carol Schachter walked up from her station at the entrance, and said she was singing along to the song. Sweet. Lisa, Touchstone’ managing director, mentioned toward the end that it didn’t matter if it was a throng of people or that one girl in front of me, I make connections. That was a spot-on reflection.

I packed up and headed to the parking lot to retrieve my car and then back to Fourth Street.

Saturday, May 21st, 2022

Marvine Climate Change Residency – final day

Bill Christine and students discussing art work.

Bill Christine, Katie Santoro and I came down to the final day to wrap up our Climate Change residency at Marvine. We had to document the project for Doug Roysdon in order to give him the ability to market this process for prospective funding, so we had an hour and a quarter to finish it up.

Painting the cardboard costumes

Doug was able to arrange to have Al Silvestre to bring his camera for stills and video, something I was particularly glad for, since I was prepared to take videos with my own equipment, while trying to interact with the students. Whew!

We decided to break the studio sessions into three pieces. The first manageable slot was to record the kids doing the Who Dat choruses for the four verses. One older girl proved to be a problem, saying that she didn’t want to be in no video. I had to prod her several times, often doing my mean ole grump to convince her to look like she was smiling. (I eventually apologized to her and she eventually relaxed).

Chorus: Who dat?  Who dat? Who dat, you say.

We’re the Brezz Family, here to save the day. 2x

I’m a Wild Fire in the forest, better get out of my way. 2x

I’m Old Man Pollution, making your blues skies grey. 2x

I’m Carbon Dioxide, changing our climate every single day. 2x

We rehearsed and did several takes and managed to get some good footage, but it was an introduction to production for these kids and it took a lot of focus and energy to get through this.

Next up was recording the verses with the kids in the cardboard “costumes”. With the help of Doug and Bill, we were able to put together the kids moving behind the cut outs, adding construction paper props, working on “faces” of the characters, etc. We decided to skip the kids singing and went with my guitar as the sound track, to add the lyrics later. This turned out to be a very successful and rich session.

Working on the lyrics for the song.

With only about fifteen minutes left, I turned to working with a fifth grade boy as the narrator, and have him be the vocal actor doing the verses. We did them out loud and then had him do them solo. That worked really well, and, though the verses were new to him, he was able to pick up on the inflections and delivered nicely, to the delight of everyone listening. He really stepped up. We’ll be able to sync his narration with the guitar sound track from the earlier video. We might be able to pull this off.

I hope that Al does a good job editing his version of the song (we still have to find funding for him) and I plan on working on my version of Who Dat? for my own purposes (and the fun of home productions). Doug hopes to put together a short video of the project in order to find more work for us all.

 

Saturday, May 21st, 2022

RockRoots in Warrington on a stormy Friday

This is the third RockRoots in Catholic schools this spring, and it’s good to back in the saddle again. Mother of Providence School is in Warrington, PA, not far from our school gig on Wednesday and about an hour and a quarter down the Blue Route (476) into the burbs outside Philly. We set up again in the gym on an increasingly hot Friday afternoon.

I’m finally feeling secure and confident in my handling of the show, with two gigs under my belt with lessons learned. This was a full house of about 270 K – 8th graders and teachers.

Early on in the show when we do the Folk Dance segment, I always ask if someone takes Irish step dancing and, often, especially in catholic schools, some one steps up, so to speak. After some prodding, an eighth grade red-headed girl was volunteered by her teacher and she really delivered to the delight of the whole school. When this happens, the entire audience hops on our side.

When we do Blue Suede Shoes, I pick on the teachers to get up and “Go, Cat, Go”, another way to prod the audience and have the teachers loosen up for the kids. Once the teachers are up, we get the kids to get up too, and it’s the first actively dance moment for the entire group. I noticed two men who didn’t initially get up, so, as I’ll often do, stop the show and spotlight the teachers who aren’t participating. Invariably, the teachers do it, to the delight of the students. This time, one gentleman, immaculately dressed refused to join in and leaned on him to no avail. As I found out after the show, he was the major donor for this assembly. Again, I amaze myself with my ability to amplify my ignorance.

We rolled through the show today, with kids and teachers up and dancing for the last ten minutes – Beatles, Disco and Rock and Roll Music. As we packed up, several teachers came up and thanked us for the show.

As I drove home in Friday afternoon traffic, I was walloped with several torrential downpours and by the time I eventually landed on Fourth Street, I was whipped. As much as I love the travel, the whole process makes for a long and exhausting day.

I figured one thing I’ve missed, though, with the long commutes to gigs, is the chance to take in a whole album of music. Today, in spite of the traffic and weather, I was able to fully digest a new album from my friend Geoff Bartley and unpack some beautiful moments in his new CD Eyes on the Road (an apt title if ever there was one for this trip). He made the hassle all worth while.

 

Thursday, May 19th, 2022

RockRoots in Media – Spring Catholic School Tour rolls on

St. Mary Magdalene School in Media, PA

We headed to Media, PA for a doubleheader at St. Mary Magdalene School on Wednesday afternoon. Only an hour plus drive from home, I got there early enough, set up the PA in the gym and waited for the lads. We were ready to go for the 1:15 start. We were scheduled with only a 5 minute turn over so we discussed that we should run a tight 45 minute show, something that Kevin wants all the time. (He will occasionally give me a “keep it moving” poke during one of my introductions. Noted.

I did some homework to help me recall what the show was like pre-pandemic and found our disco section. We decided to put that in, extend the dancing from the previous Beatles set, and head for the ending. It worked well and I even recalled the call-and-response during the second show. I only drew one blank with my cue for Good Golly Miss Molly, as the band was looking at me while I was looking at them. Anyway, I recovered quickly…. I’m still thinking too much.

The first show was for 130 6th – 8th graders and, per usual for a catholic school, polite though reserved. The teachers were similar but enjoyed the show. The second show for 3rd – 5th grades was predictably more spirited and responsive with lots of dancing at the end.

The band played well and the boys put up with a slightly scattered set list. Thankfully, after two years in hibernation, the show is gelling again. Personally, I’ve been worried that I have lost the total recall of the show that was the case three years ago. Yes, some of it is due to my age – I don’t have the muscle mental memory I once had, but we stumble through and put on a great assembly. Again, teachers love it (the music teachers thanked us at the end of the second show) and the kids left the gym charged up, yelling “Kevin! Kevin!” like old times. Wayne and Nick get some shouts, too. Good for their egos, too. I have to settle for the smiles and chuckles from the teachers during the show.

We’re headed back this way for a Friday afternoon show at another Catholic school nearby.

Monday, May 16th, 2022

First Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market of the season

Clouds roll in towards noon.

Twas a spectacular morning on Sunday, with temps in the high 60’s, no wind and drifting clouds and May green in the trees. I settled in for my 9:30 start with my new amp, my bag of instruments and took a survey of the place. It was nice to see the vendors consolidated; post Covid, they didn’t have to have a vast lawn like the last year, and there seemed to be a stronger sense of community.

I saw the former market manager Terry as I first landed and congratulated for no longer being in charge. He chuckled and said he was feeling good about just being a volunteer. It was good to see him. The new folks came over as I set up and I thanked them for the work. I know we’ll do fine over the summer gigs.

The smaller amp seemed to do just fine, though with less bass, but enough volume to fill the space in front of me. I’m able to keep things down so the vendors can chat with the customers. Rule #1. I started off with Shoo That Fly and felt right at home.

Lots of dogs show up with their humans. Directly to my right is the Dog Biscuit couple, and happy dog tails are shakin’ that thang when they arrived. The dogs know (nose). It certainly takes the spotlight off me, and I have a front seat. There were few families at first, and parents (and kids) were hesitant to commit to playing shakers. I’m fine with just giving them a CD. That even coaxes a few bucks for the case/cause. Eventually, a few familiar kids and moms stopped over and we had some good moments, and I could see some older folks stopping and watching from a distance. I love the fist bumps with the kids. One kid Oliver through in a high five for good measure.

It was good the exercise the repertoire again, with most stuff in good shape. I played well and the time flew by. I usually don’t even look at my pocket watch til after an hour. My mahogany Martin remains a joy to play, and certainly makes me sound competent.

As I packed up a couple vendors came over, signaled a heart-bump, and one lady gave me a small loaf of Japanese Milk Bread. (??!!) I’m enjoying some luxury toast these mornings.

I was simply a delight to be back at this Farmers’ Market, and have the chance to mix things up playing live music in the neighborhood. Record tips and a few CD sales! I can do my laundry this week!

Friday, May 6th, 2022

Amy Forsyth’s Design Class, Mountain Top Campus, Thursday

My friend, Amy Forsyth, runs an instrument design class for Lehigh students, and invites me for the final display and critique of the class’s projects. I did this several years ago in the basement of one of the buildings on campus, but this year, they’ve moved up to a spacious lab on the Mountain Top Campus.

Amy invited my pal Russ Rentler up, to join in on some jamming and commentary. We were out on the lawn this afternoon in temperate climes. As the students demonstrated their works, we talked about what worked and what didn’t, and I was able to add some folk history and context to some similar instruments, noting that colorful instruments helped the joy of community music in many culture.

Students, Russ and myself.

The students’ work was inspired and the fact that Lehigh even has such a course for non-musical students is quite amazing. Amy is amazing as well.