The first of two gigs on Thursday, opening up International Day at the school.  I worked in a few international songs, including Irish jigs on the mandolin (which six girls from the school came up and did a fine tandem routine to the amazement of all) as well as adding La Bamba to the end dance.  Spontaneous conga lines formed, and its something I could use again.  Off to the Bethlehem Farmers’ Market at noon.

We had a relatively close gig in Califon, NJ in the foot hills outside of Clinton.  Prek through 4th grade, two shows.  Very polite and friendly crowd.  One teacher suggested that we should have stressed Gospel music, and perhaps not “Shake Your Booty”.  Hmmm… 

My only gig at Mayfair was today at Kids tent, and it was a good time, with some familiar faces, and some adult there just to enjoy the set.  The sound was great, as always, and it wasn’t too hot.  My good friend Ro Gesick, artist for the Shake It album stopped over from her mural chores not far from the tent.  and, as always, Hub Willson stopped over, too.  Home to CT tomorrow…

Friday was a long trek to an ES in the Jersey Pinewoods, Pemberton Township.  It was the end of ‘field day’, kids all sweaty, charged and with red ‘ice water’ tongues.  (Me, too…)  The kids were pre-k, K, 1st and 2nd, and that’s a pretty wide range, even though they’re all young.  But I get to watch them have fun, learn, and dance.  I wish I had someone to film the individual kids dance.  It’d be a killer video…..  Mayfair tomorrow afternoon.

Two shows in NJ today, starting at 10 am in Little Falls for a MS show for 5th, 6th, 7th grades.  The kids were very cool, some coming up afterwards to check in.   Kevin broke a snare head during the show, added some duct tape to finish out the set, then stuck his sticks into the head like salad forks.  He has a shot of the poor thing on FaceBook

Off to a 2 pm show in Wyckoff, a mere 15 miles away.  It was Americana theme day, and we were the big finish.  and we were.   The kids were all dressed up in red, white and blue, and many parents who had helped out during the day were there, too.  All up and dancing at the end.

The principal thanked us, and told the crowd that we were the best assembly she had seen in her decades of work in the school.  You know, that’s really cool, and I think it’s true.  It has all the info, music, theater, community-engaging tools in it – that is the reason it works so well. 

600 + kids, 100 adults and four guys in a band.  Good day…

RockRoots played two shows at an inner city Trenton school, “old school”, said one teacher, “lots of stairs, and no fresh air”.  Yes, we were on the third floor of this old school, with an old auditorium, but lots of fresh little kids.

The first show was for K – 3rd grade, and frankly were just glad to be there.  Pretty noisy and rambunctiousness, but to be expected for the age unfamiliarity with large gatherings like assemblies.  Anyway, the teachers led the way and got involved, and it was a fun show, though less informative.  but, what the hey!

The second show was for 4th – 6th, and we got our info for a really good show.  The kids were great, as were the teachers.

Then down the fire escape to the cars and a long drive back the the LV through traffic. 

We used to play more inner city schools, but they need all funding they can get.  YANJ helped them out on this one. 

A rare Sunday gig at a library in West Deptford, NJ, below Camden.  We were part of a series of American Roots music at the library.  It was a small crowd, but interesting, with a young kid asking all the right questions, wearing a Beatles hat.  Very nice.  Mitch and John sat in on bass and drums and we pulled it off.  Long drive.

I was invited by my friend Justin Solonynko, who teaches math at Abington Friends School, to participate in a TED talk on the Philosophy of Folk Music.  It was a long day of 20 minute talks on the the theme of Ideas worth spreading.  Speakers on Math (Justin), Buckminster Fuller, Italian architecture in Philly, HD Thoreau’s influence on Frank Lloyd Wright, and other interesting topics.  I was the big finale (??), so I pontificated on Pete Seeger, Higher order thinking, and basically played with the folks.  A fine event and a good time to cogitate on what I do. 

I returned to a small, rural K-3 school in Lower Milford, PA for an assembly, and it was a hoot.  The teachers and kids saw me last year, and they were ready to boogie. There’s always something new, and this time it was three conga lines snaking through the gym at the end of the show.  Controlled chaos is my specialty. 

Tomorrow, my big TED presentation at Abington Friends School. 

I opened up the Campus Square (Lehigh) Farmers’ Market on Thursday.  A big break from a week of rain, and it turned out nicely.  My kindergarten friends from a block away at Holy Infancy School came on up, and we mixed it up in center, to the delight of the students, venders, professors, and cooks.  I’ll be back several times this summer.  Playing outdoors is a treat, especially after a long winter in doors….

I filled in for my friend Steve, the Puppet man of YANJ, and fellow wee-kids performer, at the Princeton Day School, part of their Blue and White day of food, frolics and frivolity.  I supplied the later.  A gym of 100 pre K, K and 1st graders, with no sound system.  Yes, a little noisy and scattered, but what else would you expect for a Friday afternoon?  We hooped it up, or ‘romped and rolled’ as a friend suggested today, and back to PA for recoup.  Off to Middletown’s Buttonwood Festival on a farm in Higgamun, CT tomorrow at 2 pm.

A rare afternoon double assembly in the hills of North Jersey at Mountain View ES, for about 500 kids.  The kids were cranked, partly because two of the grades had just finished testing that day.  The principal was familiar with Memphis, so he linked in right away.  Wayne Smith sat in for Donny, who has a big load of guitar students now a days.  The last show at 2:50 was foot to the floor to get out before the buses, but we’re getting good at getting gone….

The drive to Bethlehem afterwards included some beautiful rolling fields on a sunny spring afternoon.  Nice.

What a wonderful concert in a wonderful home in New Haven on Sunday.  I shared the afternoon with Cece and Ruth, a nice ballady duo from CT.  It was nice to play a full set in front of some relatively new faces, and I dragged out my Waldzither, my banjo, mandolin and Macheche Martin.  A clear, blue sky day in May.

Lou is a stand up bass player with Cornbread, and a patron of the acoustic arts, and Anna, his wife is a world class artist.  Their house is a veritable museum of her pieces (big) as well as some very old paintings from some masters.  Incredible.

I had a good time, and Lou paid some nice compliments to what and how I do what I do. 

A long drive from PA to CT.  Stay over at home and back to NJ for a RR assembly on Monday afternoon.

I participated in a workshop today at the LV Music Conference on songwriting.  Strange in that it’s becoming clearer that I’m not considered a songwriter, in my mind or in the minds of other state agencies.  I was next to P– Funk’s Bernie Worrel, a lady rapper from Philly, two heavy metalers, a pop songwriter and a song licensing expert, and Gloria. Scattered but interesting….

I had the opportunity to return to the Nazareth Arts Center for a set/emcee event on Friday night, part of the LV Music Conference.  I shared the evening with the LV Folk Music Society, a young girl with a powerful voice, Erin Kelly, and Sterling Witt, a lefty guitarist and emerging songwriter.  Few folks, but I had a good set, not the less.  Tomorrow, I’m on a panel for the Conference at 6 pm on songwriters and muscians.  Not sure what that means….

I am constantly amazed by the difference in school audiences, especially between middle school grades: 6th, 7th and 8th.

We played for 300 8th graders on Wednesday afternoon, and I made the mistake of calling them 7th graders.  Oops.  …and right they were.  They displayed great respect, especially for the ‘obscure’ parts of the show (roots), and were responsive, but not to the point of dancing mode (except for a bunch of goofy guys).  But that’s expected.  We played a crisp set and the teachers were glad we were back.  A nice, yearly visit with this school in rural NJ. 

Monday was an open evening, and I was glad Ron called me up to see if I wanted to trek up to Windsor and Danielle’s Open Mike at the Union Street Tavern.  It was a slow night, so we got to stretch out with longer sets.  I did a longer set, and got to play for my bro’s. 

Kent played his ‘Giants’, which I haven’t heard in a while.  He prefaced it with, ‘Here’s a Dave Fry song.’  Cool. 

It was a good time amongst friends.

I did a full day residency at this PA school on Thursday, with two assemblies and several songwriting workshops with the 3rd grade.  I opened with an introductory assembly, and did three workshops with individual classes, a performance workshop with them, and a final assembly introducing the new song.

We democratically selected to do a song about homophones, and each class added to the verses, including a final verse incorporating the weather alert we went through during the last session.  We performed the song for the final assembly, along with ‘Peanut Butter’ for the whole school.

The next part involves producing a DVD with the song, the lyrics, student art works, live video and still pix of the kids, to be returned to the school after much DF production work. 

It’s all so amazing.  

This is the classiest gig I’ll have in CT, and its at Lou Audette’s home in New Haven.  It sells out quickly, is in an amazing home filled with world-class art, and I’m appearing with my good friends Cece and Ruth.  You have to reply by email to Lou at  24everit@concentric.net and tickets are $15, payable at the door.  Jump on it.

I opened for Lucy Kaplansky at Listen Live in Zionsville, PA on Saturday night.  A nice community of folks keeping music alive outside of Allentown, PA.  I did a short set and it was fun to play for these folks, especially for those who didn’t come to see me.  I’m a strange opening act for folk who like songwriters. 

Good to be back in PA.