oh My GoOdnEss!

This weekend is an anniversary celebration for fiddler's dream, the club where i played last night.....

To hold with tradition, i got to the venue early as i like to 'dial down' a bit before i play...the doors were to open at 6:30pm...i was there just after. I wasn't scheduled to go on until 8:30. the sets were supposed to run in half hour slots, so i picked 8 songs to give time for interaction/engaging the people.

this venue is held on the campus of a Quaker Church. i love a lot of things that i've learned from some quaker friends of mine and the way it works usually is....the folkies meet at a smaller 'fellowship' building for the gigs and the sanctuary sits right down the way from it. Well, i noticed a gathering of people in the sanctuary and thought, 'lovely, i'll go sit with the Quakers in silence for at least a half an hour or so before my gig....i was starting to feel 'spiritual' ha ha. Anyway, it turns out that the sanctuary was the gig site.....no 'sitting in the silence' waiting on the "Divine Presence." i did get to read some douglas v. steere though....i've got to get some of his writings me thinks....

first up: the dusty buskers they were unshaven, un-showered, and excellent!!! they did songs that i usually keep on my ipod, they smiled, they were sweaty, and got their folk on!!!

second: sule greg wilson kind-hearted, comedic, full of energy and engagement, percussive, and he let me play his banjo and banjo ukulele (i now want a gold tone deluxe banjolele)

thirdly: little ol' me....i was starting to feel like i was going to be the beer and 2 benadryl tablets after these guys....one man, a baritone uke, a soprano uke, vocals, and a smattering of kazoo. but lo and behold!, i was very very very very wrong (do you get my drift?). i prefaced my set with my history....a young kid who used to listen to punk rock, who now forages around for old time music, field recordings, and who is in love with early Burl Ives music...???!!! the crowd came to a hush...you could hear a pin drop...and so my set went:

(these are all on my YT page btw)
-the fox (baritone uke)
-the wagoner's lad (baritone uke)
-Sue Cow (baritone uke)
-Broke down engine (soprano uke)
-ain't she sweet/5 foot 2 medley (soprano uke)
-brief recognition on tiny tim and then...tip toe through the tulips (soprano uke)
-dry bones (baritone uke with dropped first string)

smiling people from 20 somethings to 70 somethings, cds sold, some super-encouragement from my buddy Paul....who i also got to hang out with a bit...good guy, positive heart...

what can i say, but...'thank you?' now....of course the drive home is a little quiet and pensive and you often feel like you'd like to sit with a small group of friends after...sipping tea and talking quietly....but such is the life of a working class folky who SINGS HIS GUTS OUT!

so again...'thanksgiving above all.'