Well, my friends, it's just two weeks until I change the date back to the American style. I know you're holding your collective breath. In the meantime Trad Scribe Karen wants to share her thoughts on the Christmas fundraiser concert at the Egg:
Irish Christmas in America @ the Egg on 12/12/2006
by Karen White, Trad correspondent
"Irish Christmas in America" was a pleasant evening's entertainment despite the fact that the performers turned out to be not exactly as originally billed. Cathie Ryan did not appear and two members of Teada (Damien Stenson, Flute/Whistle and Paul Finn, Button Accordion) were also among the missing. Tommy Martin (Uillean pipes), Grainne Hambly (Irish harp), andMichael Londra of Riverdance fame proved to be wonderful surprises though. Tristan Rosenstock (Bodhran) of Teada served as narrator for the evening and recounted many of the traditional Irish holiday customs as slides were projected behind the performers. The musicians were joined from time to time by smiling dancers whose straight locks were a nice departure from the usual ringlet curl wigs. The first set featured Michael Londra's rendition of Wexford Carol and the singer later proudly announced to the audience that he is indeed from County Wexford.The second set involved more great music and a few chuckles brought on by a short skit. The images of the thatched cottages and people dressed intraditional garb were a nice touch and a reminder to the audience that Christmas was not/is not ALL about the craziness we Americans participatein each year at this time. The compact performance came to a close about an hour and 45 minutes after it started. Soloist Londra sang a verse of Silent Night in Gaelic and then, at his urging, the crowd joined in singingthe English version. And for a brief moment after the carol was finished, everyone seemed quietly surprised at how lovely it had turned out!
__________________________________________________
We have to agree with Karen on her point about Irish Christmas not being all craziness like in America. We had friends visiting from Ireland this Autumn who shared their dismay at our collective Christmas psychosis. They did say that things were changing at home (i.e. becoming more commercial), but they were completely shocked at how much Christmas had taken over everything around here so quickly and so soon after Halloween!
Thanks again, Karen, and Happy Christmas to all!
The Trad
12.14.2006
Great December Session!
As the Trad is just learning how to be a blog of any interest to anyone at all, we've been trolling around, reading any blogs we can get to come up on our screen. This one brought us to tears: http://www.drbobcares.com/blog/. Please read and weep. Dr. Bob is an amazing man with a mission that should inspire anyone to greater generosity in their own life. He and his team inspire me to be more connected to the folks around me, and to be grateful for what I do have.
Speaking of grateful, I am grateful for the folks who come to the session, because there is just nothing that beats looking around the table at faces young and old, concentrating hard on picking up a bit of tune. Or to see the smiles when we get it, and we're chugging along through a reel: playing off of each other, listening to each other, having fun! Let's keep this nice energy going through May.
We'll be putting the links to some tunes up, as well as the tune list from this month. Please, please practice the tunes between now and January 10! The whole idea isn't just to learn the tunes, but to come back to them over and over until they come to your mind and your fingers easily. We're building a repertoire here, so please send us any suggestions for tunes you want to work on. We want you to walk away from slow session in May with a pile of tunes, and have a load of fun playing tunes at all the summer festivals!
Our session scribe Karen White is thinking of writing a review of the "Irish Christmas in America" concert held at the Egg on Tuesday. Keep your eyes on the blog, and feel free to send us your writing submissions to be posted, as well!
Warmest Wishes for a Happy Christmas and an Abundant New Year!
The Trad
Speaking of grateful, I am grateful for the folks who come to the session, because there is just nothing that beats looking around the table at faces young and old, concentrating hard on picking up a bit of tune. Or to see the smiles when we get it, and we're chugging along through a reel: playing off of each other, listening to each other, having fun! Let's keep this nice energy going through May.
We'll be putting the links to some tunes up, as well as the tune list from this month. Please, please practice the tunes between now and January 10! The whole idea isn't just to learn the tunes, but to come back to them over and over until they come to your mind and your fingers easily. We're building a repertoire here, so please send us any suggestions for tunes you want to work on. We want you to walk away from slow session in May with a pile of tunes, and have a load of fun playing tunes at all the summer festivals!
Our session scribe Karen White is thinking of writing a review of the "Irish Christmas in America" concert held at the Egg on Tuesday. Keep your eyes on the blog, and feel free to send us your writing submissions to be posted, as well!
Warmest Wishes for a Happy Christmas and an Abundant New Year!
The Trad
12.13.2006
Foreign Correspondent!
Great news! Kyle Carey from Skidmore has agreed to send us some entries from her diary when she's over in Dingle, Co. Kerry! We'll look forward to hearing from her about her experiences there, and hopefully get some new songs to learn...hint...hint....
We here at The Trad want to wish Kyle all the best in her Final Exams this week. You go girl!
We here at The Trad want to wish Kyle all the best in her Final Exams this week. You go girl!
12.11.2006
Nice blog...but what's with the date?
So my crankiest friend of all my cranky friends (not you, of course) e-mailed me and complained about my using the "british" mode of listing the date on my blog page. Well, it's european I'll have you know, my friend. I was just getting myself into Irish mode for various reasons. So, after January 1, I'll change it and you can have it your stupid American way. See if I care. As Opus would say: "phhhhhbbbbbbtttttt!!!!"
The good news: we're getting our Colleen O'Sullivan handmade dinner plates at the session on Wednesday! I'll post a picture when we get them. We have mugs and bowls already, and now we're going to have to commission some dessert plates (if she doesn't kill us first). This woman is one talented artist, if you didn't already know, and quite a nice whistle player to boot!
I promised to post Carty's Jig again, but I can't get it up on the page! Grrrr! The version I have I got from one of Mike McHale's students. (I'll try to post it elsewhere for January and provide you a link.) Mike is great. He's got such flowing, beautiful versions of tunes, and he's a real pleasure to play with. You're more likely to get 'hold of him south of Catskill, where he lives, but sometimes he ventures into the great north (you know, Albany) and then, look out! Here come the tunes! If you play flute or whistle, you might want to consider taking a class with him at the Catskills Irish Arts Week (http://www.east-durham.org/irishartsweek/).
By the way, the date for Irish Arts Week has been moved out a week. It's now July 15-21, 2007. The organizers in Ireland moved the dates for Willie Clancy Week, and Paul didn't want to conflict with the father of all teaching weeks, so don't forget to put in for your vacation time as soon as you can. You don't want to miss this. From what Paul tells me, it's going to be a humdinger of a week.
Don't forget: slow session at Old Songs Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 PM. (www.oldsongs.org)
The good news: we're getting our Colleen O'Sullivan handmade dinner plates at the session on Wednesday! I'll post a picture when we get them. We have mugs and bowls already, and now we're going to have to commission some dessert plates (if she doesn't kill us first). This woman is one talented artist, if you didn't already know, and quite a nice whistle player to boot!
I promised to post Carty's Jig again, but I can't get it up on the page! Grrrr! The version I have I got from one of Mike McHale's students. (I'll try to post it elsewhere for January and provide you a link.) Mike is great. He's got such flowing, beautiful versions of tunes, and he's a real pleasure to play with. You're more likely to get 'hold of him south of Catskill, where he lives, but sometimes he ventures into the great north (you know, Albany) and then, look out! Here come the tunes! If you play flute or whistle, you might want to consider taking a class with him at the Catskills Irish Arts Week (http://www.east-durham.org/irishartsweek/).
By the way, the date for Irish Arts Week has been moved out a week. It's now July 15-21, 2007. The organizers in Ireland moved the dates for Willie Clancy Week, and Paul didn't want to conflict with the father of all teaching weeks, so don't forget to put in for your vacation time as soon as you can. You don't want to miss this. From what Paul tells me, it's going to be a humdinger of a week.
Don't forget: slow session at Old Songs Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 PM. (www.oldsongs.org)
12.09.2006
We're havin' a heat wave....
Hi! It's a beautiful day in the mid-Hudson Valley today. It's about 45 degrees F around here, and it's quite sunny. Hard to believe that two days ago it was about 5 degrees with the wind chill. And last week, we had weather in the low 60s. This wild weather makes me kind of skittish, though. I worry about my instrument handling the transition from warm house to cold car to stuffy session.
Is that a chicken or a fiddle?
I finally had to cave and put my little humidifier thing in my fiddle because my pegs kept shrinking and slipping and the strings would loosen all up. My husband says the dampit looks like one of those built-in chicken roaster thermometer things. Halfway through the session it'll start to pop out, and then somebody says, "I think you're done!" (Oh, I'm sure they're joking! ...um...aren't they?)
I said "dampit"
Anyway, you ought keep an eye on the humidity, or lack thereof, in your house, and think about buying a humidifier for either the room you put your instrument in or for the instrument or case itself. (I think I might do both this year, because my short-haired cat is starting to look like a fuller brush.) I'm especially concerned for my friends with wooden instruments: your mandolins, guitars, zouks, flutes, and fiddles. If you don't own a damp-it for your instrument, please get one. They are worth ten times their weight for people who live in cold, dry climates. And they really don't cost much. As for flutes, I suspect you might have to clean them out a little differently in winter and use a damp-it when you're not playing. Check out this link for more info on flute care: http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/care.php.
The Case with Cases
My friend Linda Baker (RIP) told me that when her band was on the road they had a little mishap with a cold guitar: they'd been traveling with the instruments in the trunk of the car. It was really cold outside, and when they arrived at the gig, they brought all the instruments inside. Without waiting for stuff to warm up, somebody opened up a guitar case and it was so cold inside that when the instrument came in contact with the warm air in the room, the finish cracked. So, take your time and let your case and instrument get warmed before you start playing at a session or a gig. The music'll keep and you can finally get that pint you've been pining for.
Glacial tunes...
So, next Wednesday is our December slow session: 12/13 at 7:30 PM at the Old Songs Building, 37 S. Main, Voorheesville, NY. Last month, we handed out the sheet music for The Three Sea Captains, a set dance piece, for study fun! We'll try it out next week, along with the jigs and reels we did last time. Also, there's been a request for Carty's Jig, so let's dust it off and play it. I've got to scan it in, but I'll post it here for y'all to practice.
Stay Warm and See You Soon! -- Hilary
Is that a chicken or a fiddle?
I finally had to cave and put my little humidifier thing in my fiddle because my pegs kept shrinking and slipping and the strings would loosen all up. My husband says the dampit looks like one of those built-in chicken roaster thermometer things. Halfway through the session it'll start to pop out, and then somebody says, "I think you're done!" (Oh, I'm sure they're joking! ...um...aren't they?)
I said "dampit"
Anyway, you ought keep an eye on the humidity, or lack thereof, in your house, and think about buying a humidifier for either the room you put your instrument in or for the instrument or case itself. (I think I might do both this year, because my short-haired cat is starting to look like a fuller brush.) I'm especially concerned for my friends with wooden instruments: your mandolins, guitars, zouks, flutes, and fiddles. If you don't own a damp-it for your instrument, please get one. They are worth ten times their weight for people who live in cold, dry climates. And they really don't cost much. As for flutes, I suspect you might have to clean them out a little differently in winter and use a damp-it when you're not playing. Check out this link for more info on flute care: http://www.caseyburnsflutes.com/care.php.
The Case with Cases
My friend Linda Baker (RIP) told me that when her band was on the road they had a little mishap with a cold guitar: they'd been traveling with the instruments in the trunk of the car. It was really cold outside, and when they arrived at the gig, they brought all the instruments inside. Without waiting for stuff to warm up, somebody opened up a guitar case and it was so cold inside that when the instrument came in contact with the warm air in the room, the finish cracked. So, take your time and let your case and instrument get warmed before you start playing at a session or a gig. The music'll keep and you can finally get that pint you've been pining for.
Glacial tunes...
So, next Wednesday is our December slow session: 12/13 at 7:30 PM at the Old Songs Building, 37 S. Main, Voorheesville, NY. Last month, we handed out the sheet music for The Three Sea Captains, a set dance piece, for study fun! We'll try it out next week, along with the jigs and reels we did last time. Also, there's been a request for Carty's Jig, so let's dust it off and play it. I've got to scan it in, but I'll post it here for y'all to practice.
Stay Warm and See You Soon! -- Hilary
12.08.2006
Are you a people, too?
Power to the People!
I went to a concert last night at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. Nine amazing musicians (two of whom come regularly to our slow session), spent an evening sharing songs, tunes, stories and folklore from the Adirondack region and the world. There should have been a campfire in the middle of it all...building codes be damned! It was great, and it was exactly the way this tradition should be shared: from person to person. Folk music is the same the world over: made by the people for the people about their stories, their lives, their loves, and their joys and sorrows. What is so exciting is that evenings like these, with many, many talented local, regional, and professional musicians, are happening all over the world, every single night of the week!
I hope you'll stick with me...
This blog is for my friends at the Old Songs slow session, and anyone else who's got an interest in traditional Irish music. Even though we're just focusing on learning tunes at the session, I want to encourage you to read and listen and look around and meet people who are doing what you're doing. Visit the links below for ideas and connections. I'll post concerts I think you should know about, and I'll include my listening suggestions, and I want to hear yours, too.
I'm no expert, that's for sure, but I'm trying to do my part in passing the tradition along: I'll give you the tunes I've got, the bits and pieces of stories and information that get shared around, some recommendations on music, and some tips on playing as I get them from the masters who let me pay to watch what they do with their bow hand....um, when they play...ahhh..oh, dear, that did not come out right....but you know what I mean. I'll share what I learn, if I can. So, you're all welcome to our slow session. We're focusing specifically on Irish music, and trying to do as much as we can to practice our new tunes or instruments by ear.
Ah, well, in the meantime: stay warm, practice lots, and keep the faith! This is the people's music, and everyone can play (one bodhran at a time, though, OK?). -- Hilary
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
p.s. I want to thank my friend and co-leader Colleen for giving me the courage to start (and maintain) this session. And to my friend Karen who comes faithfully to the session, records all our tune lists, and keeps on plugging away at the music. You are my inspiration! Thanks also to the pros who take the time to come and make the session a success (you know who you are), and I do mean Thank You all so very much!
I went to a concert last night at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. Nine amazing musicians (two of whom come regularly to our slow session), spent an evening sharing songs, tunes, stories and folklore from the Adirondack region and the world. There should have been a campfire in the middle of it all...building codes be damned! It was great, and it was exactly the way this tradition should be shared: from person to person. Folk music is the same the world over: made by the people for the people about their stories, their lives, their loves, and their joys and sorrows. What is so exciting is that evenings like these, with many, many talented local, regional, and professional musicians, are happening all over the world, every single night of the week!
I hope you'll stick with me...
This blog is for my friends at the Old Songs slow session, and anyone else who's got an interest in traditional Irish music. Even though we're just focusing on learning tunes at the session, I want to encourage you to read and listen and look around and meet people who are doing what you're doing. Visit the links below for ideas and connections. I'll post concerts I think you should know about, and I'll include my listening suggestions, and I want to hear yours, too.
I'm no expert, that's for sure, but I'm trying to do my part in passing the tradition along: I'll give you the tunes I've got, the bits and pieces of stories and information that get shared around, some recommendations on music, and some tips on playing as I get them from the masters who let me pay to watch what they do with their bow hand....um, when they play...ahhh..oh, dear, that did not come out right....but you know what I mean. I'll share what I learn, if I can. So, you're all welcome to our slow session. We're focusing specifically on Irish music, and trying to do as much as we can to practice our new tunes or instruments by ear.
Ah, well, in the meantime: stay warm, practice lots, and keep the faith! This is the people's music, and everyone can play (one bodhran at a time, though, OK?). -- Hilary
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
p.s. I want to thank my friend and co-leader Colleen for giving me the courage to start (and maintain) this session. And to my friend Karen who comes faithfully to the session, records all our tune lists, and keeps on plugging away at the music. You are my inspiration! Thanks also to the pros who take the time to come and make the session a success (you know who you are), and I do mean Thank You all so very much!
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