NCUHS Spring Concert

Well, I think it went alright.  People say it was the best ever, but I've heard that before.  As I think about it, the band really did do quite well.

• GRAND SERENADE for an AWFUL LOT OF WINDS & PERCUSSION was written by Peter Shickele as PDQ Bach.  Comedy piece.  I ran out to conduct after the band started without me.  As I started conducted, a weird little soli would happen.  So I pretended to be confused, and turned pages,etc.  It went over pretty well.  In the 2nd mvt a few odd things happend - the french horns didn't play a note, and it was only supposed to be them but the clarinets came in anyhow.  Whew.  Also, the piccolos cam in two measures early, but EVERYONE in the band adjusted with me.  The 3rd movement was the best we'd played it, although a bit slow.  Couldn't really hear the trumpet fanfare that's stuck in towards the end.  Splash cymbal didn't get played; he used the big crash instead ("I couldn't find it!")  The percussion nailed the ending, and that was a big relief.  I think the audience got the joke, too.
• JIHAD BIS SAIF - Saige's piece.  Maybe a little weak start.  Sounded very strong overall, with dynamics that were good (could've done a bit more).  A bit slower than I wanted to go.
• SERENADE FOR SOLO CLARINET, featured Maggie on clarinet.  VERY well done all-around.  I got lost in one part, though.  My mind wandered a bit and I thought SHE was lost.... Being lost then meant that I didn't cue the 3rd trombone or the horns.  I heard the horns come in and it helped me get back on track.
•  METAMORPHOSIS - I didn't conduct.  It was all the Q.  The band played this piece REALLY well.  Dynamics were top-notch.  A few wrong notes here and there.
• UNDERTOW - Didn't get a recording of this one, which is too bad since it was the best we'd played it.  I need to put some instructions on the recording device.  I included the rehearsal recording from the day before.  You hear the front row a bit too much, and the tenor starts to run away at one point, but it's still really good.

Here's the band portion of our Spring Concert. If you'd like the whole concert on a CD, they're available with a $10...
Posted by NCUHS Band on Monday, March 30, 2015

Big Whiskey Social Club at Mona's "Fifty and Fabulous" Party

Big Whiskey Social Club was lucky enough to play at Mona's fiftieth birthday party at the Irasburg Town Hall on 3/14/15.  Overall, we played pretty well.  Our tempos were better than at Brewski's and our set was rounded out by Mona singing some tunes.  However, there was too much space between a lot of songs and as the last set went on we got tired - I'd conducted the jr high festival the night before.

SET ONE

Drink in my hand - Stu

Watermelon Crawl - Stu

Little less talk - Stu - It seems like this one started weird, like John started it instead of Stu.

Cocaine Blues - Stu

I hold on - John

Sweet Home Alabama - Andre

Possibly at this spot in the set Mona joined us.  She started with Landslide, which was just her and John.  Then we played Melissa Etheridge's "Come to my Window."  I read Mona's music.  I think we followed that with Rhiannon.  Mona asked if I was going to sing backup on it and I responded with "Hell, no!"  Even if I could hit the right note, the bass part would have kept me from doing it.  Her last one at this point was Summer of 69.  She read my music, but it was printed so small!

 

Born on a Bayou - Stu

Get rhythm - Stu - I think we skipped this one again.

Big Green Tractor - Stu

Friday night - Andre

God bless Texas - Stu

SET TWO - There was great energy in the room when we played this one.

Kickit in the Sticks - John

Neon light - Andre

Cruise - John - People loved it.

achy breaky heart - St

Something about a truck - Stu

Country Girl - John

Folsom Prison - Stu

Can't You See? - Stu

How I got to be this way- Bill - Much better with the stops and everything.  Still not sure I got the bridge, but Deb even admitted that I sounded ok.

Take a little ride - Stu

Wagon Wheel - Stu - We played this one too slow

My kind of night - Andre

Booze Cruise - Stu- Great one.

SET THREE

Parking Lot Party - Andre

Save a horse - John - people like this one

Homegrown Honey - Stu - much better tempo.  Got all the hits

Mona came up again, and we played Long Train Runnin' and Black Velvet.  Black Velvet was weird because I'm pretty sure we got some chords wrong.  Through all of her pieces, Mona sang with such confidence and strength, even if we weren't playing that way.

Aw naw - Bill - I would still like to hear myself better.  Pretty sure I started on the wrong note (still fit into the chord, but...)

Sweet Caroline - Stu - We switched keys back to Neil's key, but we were getting tired.  John & I kept disagreeing on chords.

5-1-5-0 - Stu

In the AM - John

Turn the Page - Stu - This went well.  I focused on hearing the vocals during John's solo.

Boys 'round here - Stu - Too slow

Red Solo Cup - Andre - This tune isn't going over very well anymore.

Family tradition - Stu

Honky Tonk Be-donk-e-donk - Stu

Copperhead Road - Stu

Ain't Worth the Whiskey

Mona asked us to do Wagon Wheel again.  She jumped up and sang harmonies.  During the tune, I lost power to the effects board.  I unplugged from it and went directly into the amp.

At this point we could have ended, but we played one more, and it was a good one:

Coming to your City - John

Northeast Jr High Music Festival

On March 13, 2015, I got to rehearse and conduct one of the Jr High Music Festival bands.  It was a great day.  Really good bunch of kids.  The flute and clarinet sections were fantastic and the trumpet and alto saxes were really good, too.  One really good trombone, and Mike O played euphonium parts.  The tenors wouldn't play the same things twice, and the bass clarinets, bari saxes, and even electric bass could barely be heard.  I honestly couldn't tell if they were playing most of the time.  The drummers had various issues, including playing the melody instead of their written part.  I'm not being negative - it really was a good day, but I had to prioritize the issues.  I was expecting to focus on dynamics and articulations, but instead tried to get the low and tenor instruments to be heard at all.  I worked on the countermelody in the trombone2 and tenor sax part way too long, because I never heard it again after I thought we made some progress.

The concert went well, really:

Themes from "Jupiter" - We started off with a huge chord that sounded great.  Triangle came in, saxes played their melody, we nailed the syncopation but then we couldn't hear the trumpets or horn parts.  Something happened when the woodwinds started in on their 8th notes and the percussion didn't come in, but we all sort of stopped together.  The andante went well, and although the percussion came in on the wrong beat they fixed it at the next section.  I think the ending went okay.

Saxophonic Boogie - This was fun.  I don't remember any problems, and the dynamics and repeats seemed to be followed.

Cruisin' in Five - FIVE MINUTES to get the triangle on her hand!  We all waited in painful awkwardness as she tried to get it right.  If she'd just done as I'd suggested it would have been fine!  But she played the part fine.  Woodwinds were awesome, although the clarinets had a hard time with a rhythms that we'd worked on, and that imitated what the flutes did for three measures before they played it.  And we worked on it several times that day.  I'd thrown a little solo at the conga player that wasn't written, and he nailed it.  Dynamics were nonexistent.  Low instruments may well have been absent also.  But we were together.

Colonel Bogey - I'm so glad that Jane played along!  The drummer played the melody instead of their part, and I don't understand why!  We worked on it!  Whistling part of the melody was really cool, and the kids had fun with it.  Never heard the countermelody from anyone other than Mike O.  That was very frustrating.  Barely heard the low instruments.

In discussing the concert with parent/teacher, she said she could hear the low instruments.  I guess it might have been that they were just way quieter than I'm used to.

ETA at the Legion

The Evansville Transit Authority played at the American Legion in Orleans on 3/7/2015.  Their regular bassist Chris couldn't do it, so I joined them for another substitute gig.  When Kyle's parents arrived, they had a hat for me:

Cowboy Hat!

The gig started right on time, at 7:00.  There wasn't really a set list, Travis just yelled out the tunes and we played them.  There were a few songs that I didn't have in my binder, and had never played before, but it was really ok.  I fell right into place with them, although sometimes I felt like I need to make sure I stayed with Travis a little better.  He's a great drummer, but I haven't played with him quite enough to completely lock in with him.  I think I noticed it when we played Folsom Prison Blues.  But overall I think we sounded really good.  Somebody in the audience (MG) offered us $100 to play "Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog" so between the 2nd and 3rd sets we jotted it down and then played it for the first time ever.  I hope they add it to their list, although there was at least one chord that wasn't quite right.....but he still paid us $100!

During the 2nd set there was this really annoying guy who wanted us to play whatever song he could think of, including everything from Metallica to Garth Brooks.  He asked for two songs we'd already played.  Very drunk.  And he kept coming to me.  I was worried about him falling over on stuff.  He tried to request a song before Long Train Running was done.  I hope I didn't sound too annoyed.  Another woman came up and asked for a twostep or a waltz.  I think she'd asked Kyle for a waltz earlier and we'd played To Love Somebody.

Here's a list of what we might have played:

Already Gone

Amie

Bad Case of Loving You

Brown Eyed Girl

Fast As You

Feelin Alright/You Can't Always Get What You Want/Season of the Witch

Folsom/Cocaine Blues

Gimme Three Steps

Good Hearted Woman

Green River

Honky Tonk Women

Hurt So Good

Jenny (867-5309)

Johnny B Goode/Let It Roll

Keep Your Hands to Yourself

Little Sister/Get Back

Long Cool Woman

Long Train Running

Mustang Sally

Oh, Lonesome Me

Roadhouse Blues

Runaround Sue

Spooky

Stuck in the Middle

Sweet Home Alabama

The Break-Up Song

To Love Somebody

Up On Cripple Creek

Wagon Wheel

Wild Night

There were a few others, too, that I need to add to their list:
Shout (Isley Bros, not Tears for Fears!)
Friends in Low Places
Mony Mony
Polk Salad Annie
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