summery summary

[a non-amos]

BBB asked how things were going here in Roanoke, so here goes.

My wife and I decided to take up bicycling.  The objective was to drop a few pounds (mass, not currency), but so far that is not really happening.  I weigh the same, but my endurance is improving.  I think I am losing fat and gaining leg muscle, which is not entirely bad.  We are exploring the bicycle trails that Roanoke is gradually accumulating.  Some are finished, and others are still under construction.

The band took the summer off, or so our leader says.  We drummers have practiced sporadically throughout the summer, in an effort to stay sharp.  We are just now getting back together once again, and have a major performance coming up this next weekend.

It has been rather embarrassing that we never have anything to sell at a performance.  We have no CD, and no T shirts or other trinkets to offer the crowd.  I cannot singlehandedly make a CD, but I did work up some graphics to have printed on T shirts.  We hope to have these on hand in time for the next performance.  Wish me luck, because I'm going to need it.

We have had not one but two new Irish pubs in Roanoke.  Well, maybe one and a half.  There was much fanfare when the first opened, with press releases and newspaper stories and the like.  Many of us had great hopes that it would be a great place for friends to gather, and maybe volunteer to play some music every now and then.  This was a big disappointment.

The management makes no accomodation for groups coming together at his establishment, and will not even rearrange the tables.  They disapprove of musicians, even those who volunteer to play for free, and even when scheduled ahead of time.  The combination of the two, musicians who draw a crowd, is really frowned upon.  We had some musicians visiting from Ireland, who wanted to play with us at the new Irish pub.  They would not rearrange tables to allow room for musicians, and would not even offer them chairs.  Have you ever tried to play a harp while standing?  Musicians had a few inches of space around the perimeter of the room, so long as we did not get in the way of the people at the tables.  They would not even turn down their canned music when the performance started.  A patron was curious, and asked who we were.  The bartender said we were some Irish group, but not to worry because we would go away sooner or later.

The bartender was correct.  Once the second Irish pub opened, we went away.  We were absent in droves.

The second pub started slowly, but is much better already.  The (German) owner had no experience in running an Irish pub, but he listens well and learns very quickly.

I was invited to play with Warpipe because they liked my playing with the ceilidh group.  We are getting the old ceilidh group back together.  The third Friday of every month is now reserved for us to perform.  This new owner, oddly enough, did not mind the fact that he would not have to pay the band.  He also was not offended that we might bring in a couple hundred hungry and thirsty customers.

The first month we volunteered to do this, the owner was uncertain how this would go and he went ahead and also payed for a different band to start at 9:00.  We started early, played for a couple of hours, then cleared out in time for the "real" band to set up.  They started playing, and everyone left.  The owner gained an appreciation for the ceilidh group, and he will not do anything that might cut us off at 9:00.

In all honesty, I can see that it might be difficult for a pub owner to accept this group.  There is a tendency to believe that if we get up and play because we enjoy getting up and playing, we could not be as good as a band that plays for money.  We are an unorganized group of volunteers, so we do not know who will show up when, with what instruments or what we will play.  The combination of hammered dulcimer and harp can be hauntingly beautiful, but is much different from when we are playing fiddle and banjo music, or when we have a couple bagpipes show up.  On some nights, it is all of the above.  Nobody knows what to expect, but sometimes it is better not to plan.

Oh, well.  I need to start getting ready for another busy day.  Cheers!

[biggerbirdbrain]

Thanks for such a detailed update!

First: you're probably right that you might not be losing weight because muscle weighs more, I'm sure you know.

Second: it's wonderful that you're getting back into the music, and I'd just love to hear your group play live. Sadly, that's not in the budget.

and Third: I am always astonished at the way people run a business. Our music scene locally has several venues that feature artists and welcomes them, but it's always a struggle with some obstinate and short-sighted owners. Half of them don't really know what they're doing, and it makes you wonder why they even bothered to sink a wad of cash/credit/sweat into it, only to see them drown in their own stupidity!

There's one big musical event in the Central Texas area at Quiet Valley Ranch every year called the Kerrville Folk Festival, and it's been going on for more than 30 years (well, two events, if you count the one this weekend, the Kerrville Food and Wine Fest, that only lasts 3 days). It's very well known, so you may have heard of it.

It features acoustic groups and has had some big names over the years: Arlo Guthrie, Judy Collins, Peter Yarrow (of PP&M fame, who comes yearly), Jimmy LaFave, and many others -- plus other Texas folk like Austin Lounge Lizards, Trout Fishing in America, and then of course, a passel of newcomers from the US, Canada, Europe and even Russia.

It's a whole encampment for about 3 weeks, with tents, villages, and nightly campfire jams, workshops with guest music teachers/performers, and lots of other fun! Vendors, etc. etc. etc. Like Woodstock for old hippies!

[rogue_mother]

a non-amos,  there is a wonderful Irish pub in Falls Church that would probably let you play if you decided to go on the road -- Ireland's Four Provinces.  There is a place set aside for musicians; in fact, musicians are regularly scheduled there.  If you are amateur and free, they might even let you play on an off night.  The owners are genuine Irish.  You can bring your bikes and ride the trails here all the way from Mount Vernon to Purcellville.

I can't believe that someone operating a business would not want more customers.  How crazy is that?

[a non-amos]

RM:
Crazy, indeed!  The simple fact is that for the time being, he seems to have enough customers.  The 20-something crowd "discovered" the place, and the last I saw the novelty was only beginning to wear off.  The solution to the problem is at hand.  They named the place "Annie Moore's", since Annie Moore was the first Irish immigrant to come through Ellis Island.  My solution is not to go there Annie Moore.

Yes, we have been to Ireland's Four Provinces in Falls Church.  It is a delightful pub.

Last year we marched in the Fall's Church Independence Day parade, and it was extremely convenient that Ireland's Four Provinces is located within a block of the end of the parade.  The heat was unbearable, especially for someone over 40 and playing a marching bass drum.  Fortunately, the bus was waiting for us at the pub.  We piled our instruments beside the bus, let the driver load everything, and went in to cool down.

I had to soak my head in the men's room, then drank four or five pints of water before I could bear to have a Guiness or two.  Once we cooled down, we had a great time at Ireland's Four Provinces.

BBB:
You would have such a delightful time in this area!

Between the Galax fiddler's convention, Floydfest, and a variety of other events, it might be hard to pry you away.  We do support local music; this one place that calls itself a pub is the exception.  I can find live music in an ice cream parlor, or while camping on top of a mountain.  We might not have the population to draw that many big names, but we try to make up for it.

 

[Alonzo Quixote]

Enjoyed your summery summary  (especially how well these two words go together).

Your experiences with the two different business establishments make quite a story.  Especially the establishment where you played before the "real" band came in, and then after they played, everyone left!!!

Your description of the randomness of the musical instruments (especially the hammer dulcimer, harp, fiddle, banjo, and bagpipes) sounds like it would be a truly enjoyable musical session.  I would think that the combination of the hammer dulcimer and the harp alone would be quite uplifting and beautiful.

Sounds like your group truly enjoys making music together.  Bravo!! 

[rogue_mother]

Give me a holler if you come back this way!  I would definitely make an effort to come out and support your band.

If Annie Moore came through Ellis Island, then she was a real latecomer.  It wasn't established until 1892.  My Irish ancestors were already in North America by 1850, along with hordes of others fleeing the Potato Famine of the 1840's.

One of my nieces who lives in Texas took up the Irish fiddle for a while, but I don't think she is keeping it up.  She and her sister, along with my sister (their mother) have participated for many years in a project that brings together Catholic and Protestant children from Northern Ireland in a neutral environment in an effort to foster better relationships in that war-torn country.

[biggerbirdbrain]

If I ever find myself in your area, a non-amos, I will certainly look up those places, and perhaps get a treat by hearing your band play!

As to immigration, the Germans immigrated early here as well, coming through what was known as Indianola. Sadly, all that remains of it (due to several hurricanes) are a few stumps of pier, and a historical marker. Thousands of folks came here by ship at about the same time (1840s-1880s) as the Irish (and some Irish did as well) and went inland, up as far as New Braunfels (est. 1845), one of the early German settlements.

The latter town was named for: "SOLMS-BRAUNFELS, PRINCE CARL OF (1812-1875), known as Friedrich Wilhelm Carl Ludwig Georg Alfred Alexander, Prince of Solms, Lord of Braunfels, Grafenstein, Münzenberg, Wildenfels, and Sonnenwalde, the first commissioner-general of the Adelsvereinq and imperial field marshal (born at Neustrelitz on July 27, 1812, the youngest son of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Solms-Braunfels and Princess Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz). ... In 1844 Carl was appointed commissioner-general for the first colony that the society proposed to establish in Texas. Provisioned with two cannons, table linens, and twelve place settings, he traveled to London, where his assistant's diary suggests there was a royal audience, then to the United States, and westward down the Ohio and Mississippi to the Republic of Texas,qv where they arrived in Galveston on July 1, 1844." *(ref.: Handbook of Texas Online, a project of the University of Texas)

They moved up into Fredericksburg as well and all around the Hill Country, some say because it reminded them of the hills in their homeland, and it was good farm and ranch land. Most of the Germans built sturdy rock homes, while the Irish and English tended to start a bit more modestly with log homes. It is not unusual to find many 100-150-year-old homes out here, and although that pales in comparison to the 400-year-old ones in the East, here's, that's OLD! The oldest structures in this area, of course, are the Spanish missions, some of which are in San Antonio, and built in the 1700s.

Well, that's our history lesson for the day. Probably more than anyone ever wanted to know, but it happens to be my passion, so I thought I'd throw it in anyway, with my apologies to a non-amos and anyone else who couldn't give a rat's arse!!! 

[technomc]

Wow Anon...
You have been having a busy time of it...
Thanks for the summary..[i loved the title..very witty..]
It is nice to hear from you, especially with such an 'upbeat' report of your activities.
It was nice to read.
take care..
T

[Binkie]

Don't apologize, Threeb.........I'm finding this fascinating. 

[a non-amos]

BBB:
Me?  Not giving a rat's arse about history?  Surely you have me confused with someone else.  I would give several rat's arses . . . let me see . . . where did I put them . . .

Seriously, I really do enjoy learning more of the history that made us who we are.  I admire those who have wisely invested the time to learn more than I did.

Yes, we went to Poplar Forrest to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.

We did have one building in Roanoke that predated the Revolutionary War, but they tore it down to make way for a strip mall.  Egads!

RM:
You are quite correct that Annie Moore was a latecomer.  She was the first one through Ellis Island, in January of 1892.

AQ:
Yes, very uplifting and beautiful indeed.  However, I mistakenly left out the best parts.  Shame on me!

For a while we had a vocalist who, when she could be persuaded to sing, would bring the entire place to a standstill.  It did not matter if there were 50 people trying to get a Guinness, and twice that many carrying on other conversations.  She was that good.  It did not matter if she was singing in English or Gaelic.  Absolutely breathtaking.  No matter how many times we tried to convince her to make a recording, she always refused.  She performed for her friends.

I also forgot to mention the dancers.  What was I thinking!?!?  One of them also performed at the Kennedy Center, in D.C.  When she told me that was why she was absent, I made the wrong assumption.  She also played the hammered dulcimer, and I had incorrectly assumed that she went there to play the dulcimer.  It's hard to keep up with friends who are so good in more than one field.  Mea culpa.  She was not the only excellent dancer, by a long shot.

Believe it or not, one of the best things about a ceilidh night was not the excellence of the musicianship or the dancing.  It was the spirit of family and participation.  The ultimate in "local music" is when you encourage everyone who walks in the door to at least try to play something.  Yes, we had a few very talented musicians walk in that door, and some of them had already won international competitions.  The man on the street was still encouraged to play along, in this gathering of friends.

Everyone had a great time, and every now and then they ran across something like an engineer who had not done much in the way of music, but with a little encouragement went on to become a drummer whose group won some awards.

Alas, all good things come to an end.  The pub and the ceilidh group met an untimely demise.  They were both the victims of a nasty divorce between the owners.  The ceilidh group tried to meet at people's houses for the next couple of years, but has never been the same.

Endings are also beginnings.  I mentioned that there are now two Irish pubs in town.  A gentleman of German heritage reopened the very pub where the ceilidh used to be.  The new name?  Well, I mentioned that the owner is German.  The name is Gunther O'Darby's.

The musicians and dancers have become tired of being insulted at Annie Moore's, and are starting to come back to the old place.  The event is gathering momentum every month, and even the people who did not approve of it the first time around have come to an appreciation of it.

Cheers!

[biggerbirdbrain]

Great story about your musical passages, a non-amos.

As to your not caring about history, I really was referring to others who might find some of my lengthy  discourses a bit tedious. However, I've found that all the regulars on the forum are pretty deep and very well-educated. That's what makes this whole group such a joy!!

[a non-amos]

I could not pass up the opportunity to make fun of a common phrase.

A rat's arse?  Why would one have a rat's arse?  Giving a rat's arse implies that someone would take it.  Why would anyone want to take one?

Oh, well.

[biggerbirdbrain]

I know -- it was too precious to ignore! That's why I loved using it! 

[anonsi]

That all sounds fascinating.  My mother always liked to listen to Irish music, especially the hammer dulcimer.  I know find myself attracted to it, most likely because of her love of the music.

Too bad you don't live around here so that I could hear your performance for myself.

[bobbi]

hi T, not the best thread to say hi, but it's where you are now. Hope you're well and happy and geared up for the new school year.

Just spent the last week working on a huge essay. Bigger one follows next 2 weeks! ]

Stuffed physically,well...still stuffed. But marginally better so hoping to venture back into the gym tomorrow  All strength to the half marathon capabilities!