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—at venerable Brooklyn dive bar Hank’s Saloon, where we’ve generally had good gigs. Moreover, thanks to this newfangled idea called “rehearsing”, we may even remember most of our notes and words this time. 8:30 PM, 46 Third Avenue in Brooklyn (corner of Atlantic Avenue), no cover.
Here, have some authentically muddy sound and video from last month’s appearance at Kenny’s Castaways:
Scraps and I will be there. We're looking forward to it.
I find myself somewhat geographically inconvenienced. Raise a toast to absent friends, willya? And break a leg, Patrick.
Dang. Wish I could, but I'll be in rehearsal myself all evening (for this, OMG). See you next time.
Andrew: You're singing Kinks songs in a chamber choir? That is indescribably cool.
Are you going to be part of the performance on Letterman mentioned on the site you linked to?
Rehearsing. Dude. Who knew?
Getting in and out of Brooklyn from New Britain on a work night is a dodgy proposition, but I'm sore tempted. I hope you'll let us all know when you're booked for a weekend gig.
(There, I got through the comment without shamelessly plugging my band ^_~)
I wonder how much tech and organization it would take to set up an ad-hoc Making Light house band? (See: copious spare time.)
Andrew, you are just ridiculously talented.
Mark, that's you on the bodhran?
Teresa: Yes, I am that modhran. I also do half the lead vocals, and some pennywhistle fills (nothing fancy, more accompaniment than lead).
Alas, the closest the Exiles are getting to New York any time before spring is Meriden, about 20 minutes north of New Haven. But at least it's on a Friday.
New Britain, PNG to Brooklyn, NY (USA) in 2 hours? Goodness. Even to Brooklyn, NSW (Aust) might be pushing it.
Epacris: And boy are my arms tired.
Bit sloppy of you though, I never said anything about two hours. And with traffic, I can't think of an hour of the day I could get into Brooklyn (NY) from New Britain (CT) in two hours flat, even if I took the Hutchinson-Whitestone-QBE route rather than the I-95. (I wouldn't take the I-95 into and through New York City at gunpoint.)
Ooo, can I be in the ML house band? I mean, I do this sort of thing, but I figure the Fluorosphere Chamber Ensemble of all places has room for a guy with an ersatz folk sensibility and a penchant for doing weird things to a Martin Backpacker.
(Um, and you should also totally go see Whisperado. I went to the show in September '07 and had an enormously good time. One highlight was Patrick doing vocals on a cover of Richard Thompson's "Down Where the Drunkards Roll," which, due to some dreadful oversight in my musical education, was the first time I'd heard that song. I am, alas, not up in The City very often, but I'm glad I was that weekend.)
Tempting, however, I'm committed to the Sacred Fall Ritual, game 2. Phillies delendi sunt. (The Yankees are Not. Helping.)
I wish I had the chops to be in a Making Light house band. My three weeks in the MIT Concert Band disabused me of such aspirations. There were some very good flutists around, and my two years of lessons didn't come close to measuring up. The MIT musical community was surprisingly strong for not having had a real academic music program at the time ('86-'87); it seems they do have one now.
Mark @9, apologies, my bad. Was sure "two hours" was in there. Must be another thread. You must have good upper body strength from that bodhran work, too.
Just like to make jokes about all these duplicate names across globe. Appear to be two New Britain's, in CT & PA, in the US. Haven't checked whole world, but island in PNG has been in our news over time, so it was first association with the name. Oddly, tho' Brooklyn, NSW is closer & well-known, the NY version is first association. Good publicity, probably.
Teresa, there's always the old-fashioned custom of chipping in to rent some studio space and time, bringing supplies, and having a jam party, as a way of starting this sort of thing, so not everyone has to bring amps. I've done it before, but not in years. Should I look into studio space in Brooklyn and Manhattan?
I don't know as my whistling is up to snuff, but I have some experince as a band photographer.
I could do the one, and see about the other.
Epacris, no worries, though I admit I was confused; I looked over that map of PNG and didn't see New Britain indicated. I'll look again when I have time.
Interestingly enough, New Britain, PA is a comparable distance from Brooklyn, NY, in the opposite direction from New Britain, CT. Probably a longer drive though, as you'd have to take secondary roads across the waist of New Jersey into the suburbs north of Philadelphia.
Hey! Yes, I'm going to be part of the Letterman thing. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that.
Andrew Willett, that is too cool for words. Break a leg!
Mark @15, try CIA Worldbook, Papua New Guinea. Map smaller but better labelled, plus info. G--gle Maps only has labels at certain degrees of magnification.
Congratulations, Andrew Willett!
Long-time lurker, first-time commenter. It was nice to see the band and meet you guys last night. As a nerdy middle-aged guy, I love it that a bunch of nerdy middle-aged guys can start a band, sound pretty darn good, get gigs, and have fun with it.
The show I mentioned we'll be going to tonight:
http://www.jalopy.biz/performance_show.php?eventid=648
http://www.jalopy.biz/performance_show.php?eventid=649
Hope to run into you guys again at some point.
There were glitches in the sound system in the first two or three songs (Jon's lead vocals and Alisa's harmonies dropping out), and the stage is so small that if Patrick moved more than eight inches, he wound up with feedback, but once those were taken care of, it was a good, fun gig, with new songs, new harmonies (I think), and some really nice guitar solos. Half the people there were preoccupied with the World Series game on the televisions.
Ahh, I'll be rehearsing too, for my chorus part in "Carousel" here in Pittsford, NY. I am in the right state. Of the union.
Teresa @6, that's "Copious Free Time" (as seen on page 1), but it's not like I post a lot.
House band? God, that'd be great. Did I mention that my piano is tuned now and has had minor glitches fixed? I feel like I just learned how to play the thing. My intonation is so much better.