The blog will be in suspended animation for 12 days while I am out gigging and pushing the new album. While this may sound like a pile of work I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. I will be playing with old friends during the offstage periods and just having a great time in general. As is always the case at various festivals, I will be making new friends of the musical sort and playing with everyone that I can.
I am travelling extra light this year thanks to Chavez, Saudi Arabia, and $4.10 a gallon. No camper for me this time out……I intend to sleep in the Camry. I am only hauling a flattop guitar, a mandolin, and a fiddle for instruments and leaving the rest of the equipment at home. I am also travelling alone since no one who loves me thinks that sleeping in a car for 12 days will be fun in any way, shape, or manner. Showers will be subject to availability and taken on an as needed basis. (Aren’t you happy to know that little detail?) I have bought a giant pile of lunchmeat and will have a backup jar of peanut butter on hand. This will all be very similar to how I lived 40 years ago. I remember life being great fun during those times and hope to relive it with my 58 year old body. I will post how it turns out and try to capture the entire process on digital film for those of you who may be considering similar personal research. I will post again on July 27th.
For those of you who wish to burgle the place in my absence you should know and understand that the wife, dog, and all the guns are still here. All three are likely to be loaded and angry.
BTWI am trying my first hand shot at remote/time stamped publishing. If everything works right then there will be more added to the blog every other day. Otherwise I am dumber than I had thought and this will be the end of things for a while.
A couple of people have written in say that some days I don’t seem to do very much according to my blog entries. Welllllllll……….. I don’t actually write EVERYTHING I do in a day. Usually I simply write what I have done that I think might be of interest to some of you out there in interland. So, to prove I really do have a life I will give you a tally of today’s activities. Keep in mind that this is a fairly typical day for me. Many days are substantially more frenetic than this one. (I am regularly accused of ranging somewhere between hyperactive and manic.
This morning it was off to pick strawberries. I only picked 27 pounds because this was the third time I had picked this year. They were brought home and cleaned.
Next I started smoking three lake trout that we caught last night. When they are done we will start canning them in pint jars. While smoking the fish I weeded the garden. The garden is 2200 square feet of raised beds so that this is pretty much a daily activity.
Next I picked, rinsed, and dried lettuce for our lunch salad and made a strawberry vinagrette for topping. I played violin while waiting for the rest of lunch to be served. Then it was back to the garden for another hour of weeding.
After that I worked on the bills for my mom’s estate and then talked with the lawyer. I didn’t shower afterward even though I felt like I really needed one.
Then I came to the studio, checked my email, the three forums, the sites I host, and wrote my blog.
As soon as I go back outside I am jacking and hooking up a large trailer that will be transported to my friendly mechanic for the addition of surge brakes and new bunkers for the large boat.
When that is done I am off to the music store in Houghton to inspect a damaged upright bass and give an estimate of the repairs necessary for their insurance company. (It seems that a leak filled it with water which then disolved the hide glue which holds everything together.) They feel it is totalled but would like to know if it can be repaired before filing a claim. It sounds to be in pretty bad shape but if I can fix it that would be my preference. Those old Englehart and Kay basses are gems to keep and play. I hate to see one head for the junk heap if it can be avoided.
Tonight I have one lesson and then I have to start packing for a 12 day festival tour. I am leaving Thursday and going to Cadillac, Evart, Hastings, Sault Ste Marie, and Newberry. The playing should be great fun but it will be equally nice to return home on the 27th of the month and get back in the daily grind.
Anyhooooo………that’s today in a nutshell. Lively enough?
All right. The powers that be say that I don’t do nearly enough to sell the new album. Here’s the pitch. Many of you have listened at CDBaby or itunes to the song snippets. Now it’s actually time to get out and buy the thing. If you want the high quality mp3 version for your ipod then go here. If you prefer the hard copy CD then go here. If you are still unsure and want to read the expanded liner notes for the album then go here. In any event, do what you can to help get my manager off my back. Buy a copy of the album or even just a song. (Let’s Go to Milwaukee does well across the bandstand.) Thanks in advance for helping to support the musical cause here at In the Chips Production.
Last night after lessons were done I fell into a very special treat. (For me, anyway.) I was able to play rhythm guitar behind Brian Juntikka and MR. Katalin while they played their squeezeboxes. Brian Juntikka is known to most of the free world as the voice, announcer, and disc jockey of the syndicated radio show Polka Time America. He is also a great piano accordion and button box player to boot. MR. Katalin (My emphasis) is known around the copper range as one of the great local accordion players who played countless dances through his lifetime. In the world of polka these two are known as big dogs. It was a pleasure and an honor to play with them for almost two hours. It was an evening I won’t soon forget. I came home and dusted off my button box when it was all done. Now, 24 hours later, I am still smiling.
PS The you tube link above isn’t even close to the quality of the two players mentioned in the story. It was one of the few I could find though. It will give you something to listen to while you read. It will also give you a deeper understanding of child abuse.
This morning I worked in the shop on a couple of violins. One was particularly nice and the other was one of my own. I carved and set bridges, soundposts, tapered pegs, strung, and polished them. It was a great way to spend four and a half hours. Both violins turned out and played just this side of super. I was pleased with myself for a change. Now it’s off to Houghton to educate the musical masses in the fine arts of banjo and fiddle. Then I plan to stop into the Lunch Bag for some free entertainment and a bit to eat.
Finding something erstwhile to say on a daily basis is more difficult than one might imagine. For that reason, and general quirkiness on my part, I have decided to devote Thursdays to musical dorks. It should be easy enough to find material since there seems to be no shortage of dorks in the wacky world of music. Enough intro…….on with the show. This weeks entry comes all the way from Israel. Personally my ears have a problem with the pitch control in this particular performance. It seems that the balloon played flat. The saw, however, was always a bit sharp.
Now that the horrid puns are out of the way I should mention that another piece has been added to the Psalter for the 21st Century. To be honest, it wasn’t one of my better efforts but it is from the heart and that is probably what matters most.
Here is the link I promised everyone last week. He and his wife Crista are wonderful musicians and definitely worth the listen. There are a couple of tune samples you can listen to on his site to get a feel for what is on the albums. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Yesterday was Beck’s birthday but it is likely that he is the only one who really cares. Beck has great talent. It’s just a shame that more often than not he chooses not to use it. (Mini rant ends here.)
Last night and today I was still inspired by the Natalie McMaster and Donnel Leahy conert and started playing jigs on the violin. (Way too fast for dancing!) An hour and a half later I stopped and put the violin down. It seems I know more 6/8 jigs than I thought I did. Today I did the same for almost an hour. I have decided that I am going to play nothing but 6/8 time tunes for the remainder of the week. The pets have decided to sign up for a week at the voluntary animal shelter in the county. Their loss. I’ll pick them up next week when they get homesick.
BTW-I spent a couple of hours writing and editing the Psalter this morning. There have been a few semantic changes but nothing remarkable. I also wrote another piece that I seem to like. If I still like it by Friday then I will post it here.
Lastly, wehadcancer.com will be up and running soon. It is meant for cancer survivors and their families. They can use it to commiserate, praise, uplift, and console each other. Sometimes it is easier to correspond with a common stranger than with a loved one when talking about cancer.
This video is older and shows Natalie showing some set tunes. Her husband Donnel Leahy is also a champion contest fiddler. Last night we went to their concert at the Calumet Theater. It was indescribable. I have NEVER heard two fiddlers play as well together as they did. They both tour with bands of their own and only play 8-12 gigs per year together. Last night was their respective pianists and the two fiddles. It was two full hours of energy mixed with step dancing and some of the best live sound I have ever heard. This video doesn’t nearly do it justice but it was all I could find on short notice that wasn’t copyrighted. If you ever have a chance to see them play be certain that you do. It is an experience you won’t soon forget and will never be sorry for.
I have to get back to tending my bonfire. I have decided to burn all my violins.
The news for today is good. (As it is most days.) It is also the birthday of Huey Lewis.
As far as the studio front is concerned, yesterday was VERY busy but things are starting to slow down. Thursday night I did house sound for the L’Anse Waterfront Concert and was wonderfully surprised. The musicians were from New Jersey and they were fantastic. Brett, Brent, and Krista played accordions and keyboard and simply wowed everyone there. (Even the sound guy!) I will get a link up soon where their CDs can be found and purchased. Brent played polkas (Naturally!), standards, and even a couple of classical pieces that were simply wonderful. Flight of the Bumblebee was particularly well done. Yes he DID play both parts and both hands. The tune Fancy Fingers was also a thriller which he performed solo. During the break I found out that he was a graduate of the Berkeley School of Music. I will write more in the next couple of days.
Work is back to flowing but not overflowing on the Psalter for the 21st Century. I wrote a rather longish piece this morning but have to edit, rewrite, etc. Usually they shorten up considerably during that process since I try to remove everything I can without losing the storyline. As Samuel Clemens once stated,”Sorry this story is so long. I would have written a short piece but I didn’t have time.” It is hard to be succint but it is a challenge I enjoy.
