Last night's fun
It occurs to me that I've likely used that as a journal title at least three other times, but what do you want, eh? Creativity? A pox on that. I've seen creative people before - I have. They wear poorly fitting purple berets and sport twirly felt-tip moustaches. It's true.
And I'll have none of that, will I?
Right then. From where I stood (which is usually between mishajames and typsygypsy, last night's fun was fantastic. I'd many reasons to believe that I'd fall on my face and that would be that, only I rose to the occasion.
I even remember how I got home last night. Usually, I'm so absolutely fagged out at the end of a gig night that I lose time on my drive home. It's dangerous, I know. I did something yesterday that I usually don't do - as I knew I was ailling, I had a long lie in. Not leaving my bed till I absolutely had to do stopped me from falling over between the second and third sets - which is usually when I realise that I've got a problem.
My voice behaved itself, Mallory didn't gnaw away any more of my hand (I've still got a nasty mark on the back of it from last Sunday's seisiun - my mother was appalled when she saw it tonight), and we had a fantastic crowd. Seriously, they were brilliant, and engaged, and there wasn't the usual thinning out that happens round midnight. We closed to a packed house.
Being mindful of crowd dynamics is something that I'm still working out in my head (not speaking for the rest of us). I made set lists...a while ago, and to minimise the possibility of somebody needing to re-tune something in an awkward place, I've simply been reusing them. Now, I'm wondering whether it wouldn't behoove us to have a hard look at them and possibly rearrange everything again. Sure, there are certain pieces that will always be in certain places, but everything else is moveable, I think. So...I'll say this is a reminder to ask the rest of us about this.
mishajames's girlfriend shot video of us, so we'll have that to look at as well. shaddowshoes has seen a bit of it thus far (it was his camera she was using), and it's his opinion that we might have something fit for the web. We need a video presence, so this is a good thing. And...if nothing else, we get to see ourselves from the audiences' point of view. Admittedly, this can be awkward, but I think I'd rather know if I pull faces when I play (and I think that I do).
shaddowshoes has just showed me the video that Leonard Nimoy made for his alarming ode to Bilbo Baggins, and now I've completely lost my point.
So, last night went really well - my only bit of drama was breaking two strings. I never do this, I should add. Other people break my strings, but I never do myself. Or at least, I've not done in years. I was needing to replace them at any rate, those strings were a godawful menace.
Today's seisiun...erm, it went well enough. There was a bit of awkwardness at the beginning borne of a bit of miscommunication, but I think it's sorted out. I'll find out a bit more on Tuesday night (or perhaps even tomorrow). Me, I'm prepared to let it all go - I realise that it's difficult to keep track of as many players as we've got in the rotation. I'd really love to blame the beats I dropped today on being a bit worn out, but I think it's that I've fallen into a routine that isn't exciting me enough, so I'm walking away in my head. Not exactly fair to the other players or to myself, is it? No. I can do better than this, and I think a bit of experimentation is in order. I know there are things that I used to do that I found really challenging, and I would work till I'd got them perfected. Lately, I think I've not been doing that. Time to start, eh?
Well, it's half-eleven, and I've really no business being awake at this hour, much less blathering in my journal.
And I'll have none of that, will I?
Right then. From where I stood (which is usually between mishajames and typsygypsy, last night's fun was fantastic. I'd many reasons to believe that I'd fall on my face and that would be that, only I rose to the occasion.
I even remember how I got home last night. Usually, I'm so absolutely fagged out at the end of a gig night that I lose time on my drive home. It's dangerous, I know. I did something yesterday that I usually don't do - as I knew I was ailling, I had a long lie in. Not leaving my bed till I absolutely had to do stopped me from falling over between the second and third sets - which is usually when I realise that I've got a problem.
My voice behaved itself, Mallory didn't gnaw away any more of my hand (I've still got a nasty mark on the back of it from last Sunday's seisiun - my mother was appalled when she saw it tonight), and we had a fantastic crowd. Seriously, they were brilliant, and engaged, and there wasn't the usual thinning out that happens round midnight. We closed to a packed house.
Being mindful of crowd dynamics is something that I'm still working out in my head (not speaking for the rest of us). I made set lists...a while ago, and to minimise the possibility of somebody needing to re-tune something in an awkward place, I've simply been reusing them. Now, I'm wondering whether it wouldn't behoove us to have a hard look at them and possibly rearrange everything again. Sure, there are certain pieces that will always be in certain places, but everything else is moveable, I think. So...I'll say this is a reminder to ask the rest of us about this.
mishajames's girlfriend shot video of us, so we'll have that to look at as well. shaddowshoes has seen a bit of it thus far (it was his camera she was using), and it's his opinion that we might have something fit for the web. We need a video presence, so this is a good thing. And...if nothing else, we get to see ourselves from the audiences' point of view. Admittedly, this can be awkward, but I think I'd rather know if I pull faces when I play (and I think that I do).
shaddowshoes has just showed me the video that Leonard Nimoy made for his alarming ode to Bilbo Baggins, and now I've completely lost my point.
So, last night went really well - my only bit of drama was breaking two strings. I never do this, I should add. Other people break my strings, but I never do myself. Or at least, I've not done in years. I was needing to replace them at any rate, those strings were a godawful menace.
Today's seisiun...erm, it went well enough. There was a bit of awkwardness at the beginning borne of a bit of miscommunication, but I think it's sorted out. I'll find out a bit more on Tuesday night (or perhaps even tomorrow). Me, I'm prepared to let it all go - I realise that it's difficult to keep track of as many players as we've got in the rotation. I'd really love to blame the beats I dropped today on being a bit worn out, but I think it's that I've fallen into a routine that isn't exciting me enough, so I'm walking away in my head. Not exactly fair to the other players or to myself, is it? No. I can do better than this, and I think a bit of experimentation is in order. I know there are things that I used to do that I found really challenging, and I would work till I'd got them perfected. Lately, I think I've not been doing that. Time to start, eh?
Well, it's half-eleven, and I've really no business being awake at this hour, much less blathering in my journal.