Lovely housefilk

[tigertoy]

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending a housefilk at the home of bedlamhouse and ladyat.  I've been hoping to attend one of the Indianapolis filks for about as long as I've been aware that there are such, and this time it came together, because (a) they're not actually in Indy, but conveniently just west in Danville (Indiana, that is, not Illinois), and (b) they generously offered crash space and a willingness to get up early enough the next morning that I could be at EFRC at more or less my regular time.

The sad thing is that it's really hard for me to say much about the actual events of the evening, because most of the people there were people I either hadn't met, or whom I vaguely recognized but couldn't attach names to when they first arrived, and even though we did a round of introductions, by the end of the evening I still didn't know their names.  Ernest Clark, who wrote a whole bunch of really great songs back when I first started in filk but whom I only see sometimes at Chambanacon, was there and he told me he's in Lafayette these days.  There was an older fellow with an odd looking but nice sounding guitar (which he explained is actually an Elizabethan-styled instrument, based on the first proto-guitars that actually sported metal strings) and an impressive repertoire of Irish songs.  I managed to pick up that he's an SCA member and his SCA name is John of someplace.  When we broke for eating and socializing, he and I told each other how much we enjoyed each other's music.

Sitting in the circle helped me to remember why I've spent all this time and effort on music.  Going through my filkbook as my turns came up kept whacking me with the painful knowledge of how many songs I used to do in circles that I no longer remember fully.  (The book helps with words, and a little bit with chords, but when I can't remember the playing style and rhythmic feel I used with a song, I'm just reduced to trying to reinvent something on the spot, and when I can't remember the tune, having it in the book doesn't help.)

I hope we can do it again real soon.

Comments

[tollermom]

Sounds like a fun evening! I really wanted to be there, but Sally and I were drumming for the Indianapolis Women's Chorus this weekend and by the time the Saturday night concert was over and our stuff was put away and we escaped the Eiteljorg, it was almost 11, which means I wouldn't have made it to Danville 'til midnight, which seemed kinda silly.

Next time, though, for sure!

[bedlamhouse]

We didn't break up until about 1:30...

[tollermom]

Oh, believe me, I walked out of the Eiteljorg calculating whether I could drive to your house, hang out for awhile, and still make it home (hadn't arranged for dogsitter) before exhaustion knocked me over.

As much as I hated to miss it, going home was the right choice... especially since we had a Sunday afternoon concert too and I owed it to the Women's Chorus to actually be awake for the gig. :-)

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

I was disappointed that you weren't there; I still owe you a hug in person.

Any feelings I might have had that it wasn't worth the trip as a musical experience without you and Barry and Sally were quickly dispelled when the songs got flowing.

[tollermom]

I'll definitely take that hug, when next we're in the same place. It's been a helluva a couple of months. *sigh*

I knew the housefilk would be a great time... I'm really looking forward to being able to be at the next one!

Envy

[markiv1111.livejournal.com]

I would be absolutely thrilled to be at a housefilk at the home of ladyat and bedlamhouse, and it's too bad I missed this one (and would comparably miss all the other ones -- the Indiana state line is quite a drive from here, and gas prices are up *so* high these days....) but I was very happy to read your story about it. There are things I've lost and would like to get back, by the way, but it mostly doesn't translate as individual songs (although there is at least one electric guitar part that worked just fine for my hands back when I was gigging six nights a week every week that I can no longer play.) I have to play keyboards a *lot* to be able to remember how to improvise a fancy keyboard solo, maybe not "jazz" but fancy enough to keep a crowd impressed. This matters as I have had an audition for a band needing a keyboard player recently, and possibly another audition coming up this Wednesday; it's nice that I can show off my ear for chords by playing along with songs I haven't previously heard, but just about everybody wants to see your improv chops, and if mine remain at the current level, I may not be able to get a keyboard gig. (I haven't been offered any steady gigs on bass or lead guitar either, but my lack of skill does not seem to be the issue.)

Nate

Re: Envy

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

I can't understand why people aren't knifing each other for better places in the line to beg you to play bass for them. A good bass line is a necessary foundation for a song and keeps the other musicians on rhythm, but a great bass line goes beyond that to add real character to the song. You play a great bass line.