We hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Weekend and are having a good Memorial Day. I also hope you take few minutes to reflect on the true meaning of the day.
Saturday night we had the privilege of kicking off the summer concert season at Unicoi State Park in Helen. We have played many times at Unicoi and it is always a pleasure to play there. Jessica, Smith, Ellen and all the others are always helpful and friendly. They promote the shows and have not only the guests of the park attending, but residents of the surrounding area as well.
Over the years we have played just about everywhere they have had music at Unicoi. In the campground area, we have played on the old back deck of the trading post, in the room in the back of the Trading Post, at the amphitheater, on the porch of the log cabin, and even on the old kiosk that has now been removed. We have played for several groups at the beach house and even a couple down at the meadow near the staff housing. The lodge has become one of the best places of all. While we have had the chance to play in most of the meeting rooms and some of the lobby areas, Master's Hall seems to be the best area to get everyone in (though A,B,C of the Logo Lobby is pretty good as well).
This weekend's concert was held in Master's Hall 1 & 2. We had a crowd of over 200. It was good to see the numbers up again. Hopefully they will have good crowds all summer. If you get a chance, go see some of their acts. We will be back again before the end of the summer as well.
See you down the road.
Nelson
Monday, May 25, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Playing Solo
There is a little different way of thinking when you are playing a solo program as compared to playing a program with someone else. It is different with a duo or trio as compared to a full band as well. I have played several solo gigs over the years, and there are things I enjoy about doing this.
The picking and instrumentation is often different when playing solo than it is when you have someone else playing along. You have to make sure to keep some rhythm going while playing a melody. It is often a chance to do some songs that we do not normally do as a duo. It is also a time to try out things that I think are fun or just want to see how they go over. Of course, I do some of that when we play as a duo as well.
While I enjoy doing solo programs all along, I do not really want to do them all the time. I enjoy the give and take of playing in a duo or even a trio (though it has been quite a while since we played in a trio). There are things we can to together that is just not possible when playing alone. Additionally, I find an extra energy to a program with more than one personality involved. Not to mention how good a picker Buck is.
The first of this month I played at a festival in TN. Because Buck had to be somewhere else, I played solo. This was the first time in a while that I had played alone. The first day went well enough, though I was trying to get my solo feet back under me. The next day I was more relaxed and at least had more fun myself. I wasn't on the listening side, but I did feel it was a few steps ahead of the program from the day before.
An extra gift for me from this festival was the chance to see Steve Kaufman perform. I even had a chance to meet and talk with him for a while. I have followed his career along since he won the Flatpicking Contest in Winfield several years ago, and was glad to have the chance to finally hear him in person. It was a good evening.
Full bands are enjoyable to listen to, especially those that have played together enough to really perform and play relaxed and tight. However, it seems that the groups I most often want to hear these days are solo, duo, or trio. Not to say there aren't bands out there that I will go a long way to listen to, but there is something about the sound of a small group that I find particularly appealing.
Nelson
The picking and instrumentation is often different when playing solo than it is when you have someone else playing along. You have to make sure to keep some rhythm going while playing a melody. It is often a chance to do some songs that we do not normally do as a duo. It is also a time to try out things that I think are fun or just want to see how they go over. Of course, I do some of that when we play as a duo as well.
While I enjoy doing solo programs all along, I do not really want to do them all the time. I enjoy the give and take of playing in a duo or even a trio (though it has been quite a while since we played in a trio). There are things we can to together that is just not possible when playing alone. Additionally, I find an extra energy to a program with more than one personality involved. Not to mention how good a picker Buck is.
The first of this month I played at a festival in TN. Because Buck had to be somewhere else, I played solo. This was the first time in a while that I had played alone. The first day went well enough, though I was trying to get my solo feet back under me. The next day I was more relaxed and at least had more fun myself. I wasn't on the listening side, but I did feel it was a few steps ahead of the program from the day before.
An extra gift for me from this festival was the chance to see Steve Kaufman perform. I even had a chance to meet and talk with him for a while. I have followed his career along since he won the Flatpicking Contest in Winfield several years ago, and was glad to have the chance to finally hear him in person. It was a good evening.
Full bands are enjoyable to listen to, especially those that have played together enough to really perform and play relaxed and tight. However, it seems that the groups I most often want to hear these days are solo, duo, or trio. Not to say there aren't bands out there that I will go a long way to listen to, but there is something about the sound of a small group that I find particularly appealing.
Nelson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
