A funny old game

It’s a funny old game this amateur music game.

The harder you try the harder it gets sometimes.

Sometimes the things you think are going to be great turn to ashes in your mouth while the gig you feared above all turns out to have a sweet taste of success.

A funny old game then.

Be Welcome Gentle Reader and read on…

Below is the latest adventure featuring our new chums, The Iron Pirates. The Iron Pirates are an acoustic duo performing more or less original progtastic folk songs. They are working hard to get on the Folk Club circuit[1]. This week they happened across a club called The King’s Head and Washerwoman’s Legs. The poster said it was singer’s night, so they went in…[2]

 

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Another busy week – aren’t they all. We began with a visit to the ever genial Jim and Marilyn Gibson’s informal acoustic night at The Cross Keys in Esh. You could makes jokes about Esh if you had that sort of mindset (I have) but the evening is very gentle and laid back. All are welcome to a round the circle format evening. Very nice.

Next, another gig at Van Mildert College, not as jolly as last week as it was in the JCR[3] (this is Durham you know) and the seats were very hard so we had an audience with numb bums by the end. However, it went well enough and we worked well. Then to Blackhall library to do a Beat the Drum show for 50 Year 5 pupils.
The library was well set up for us as we’ve been before – but not to peform for children. We set up and wondered how it was going to go.

Would it be above their heads?

Would they respond?

Would they let us live?

Never Fear, Gentle Reader, all was well. Or even weller than that. The gig was great fun, I had the most fun since leaving the classroom and we had a very good hour or so. A couple of bookings for schools means it all went well – a good gig.

Lots of practice and a couple more Christmas gigs picked up during the week, but the main event was Langdale Folk Festival Fundraiser this Saturday. Two and half hours there and…

A stunning setting at Dungeon Gill, a lovely pub, great beer and fantastic setting. Plus a music hungry good mood audience.

What could possibly go wrong?

…it didn’t really work for us.

We were first on after the house band (featuring an excellent lead guitar from Acoustic Chum Den Fisher) and we struggled to get the hang of the PA. Following the excellent  Rock and Roll (more or less) set from the house band, the contrast to us was too big and we had to work very hard indeed. Not too comfortable then.

Still all was not lost as we had an all acoustic spot in the folk lounge in the afternoon. Forty minutes on much more comfortable turf for us.

And it was to a point.

Sadly late running meant that 40mins turned into more like 25.

…and two and a half hours back.

Hey ho.

Still it looked like the Air Ambulance buckets were filling up very nicely, and that’s what it was all about. Well done to all who laboured!

Onward Mes Braves.

 

Next week, hopefully we’ll get a bit more on the new album done. I had a firtle through Cubase the other day and found that all the guide tracks are there and two if not three tracks are finished! Still more work needed…

No time for lallygagging about here then.

 

As so as the roundabout of Folk whizzes past, and the prancers of fate go down as well as up, some riders wave and just a few are loudly sick, I notice it is the end of this blog,

Until next time Acoustic Chums

Keep Srummin’

[1] It sounds oddly familiar…

[2] …oh! That’s OK. We’d never be that stupid.

[3] Junior Common Room. Keep up at the back.