That certainly could've gone worse; also, tonight's Tricky Pixie

[solarbird]

So I got down to the shops and discovered O HAI STAGE AND BAND AND AMPS, not on the calendar, and they've moved some things around so the good spot under the tree isn't available anymore. So I was What! Gir! and they were "technically it's not us, and no, you can't stand at the end of the table." And they made me go face a road in the parking lot, which I tried for like three songs and then said "screw this" and moved over to the other side of the traffic island at least facing part of the market. But I still had to compete with the stage act, which was loud enough to be a problem.

I tried what I could with my flute set, but that mostly failed, so then I got out the mandolin and started playing, and then got just a little annoyed and decided THE PARK IS MINE or at least this corner of the market, and started playing like that was actually true, and as loudly as I could...

...and it worked. I actually took over that part of the market, at least while on mandolin. It was kinda awesome in that omg-I-can't-believe-this-is-working kind of way. It cost me four strings (!ouch! !ouch! !ouch! !ouch!), but it turned a crap and nearly-abourtive day into a genuine success.

As for tonight's Tricky Pixie show, there aren't a lot of audiences who will deliver five-part layered harmony singalong - at least, not outside Wales - but tonight's audience did. That was pretty epic, and I was proud to be a part of it. Good show all around, really; the room, acoustically, was a bit of a problem (way too live) but the sound crew did good job of dealing with it, and the band was nicely on. Plus it's just nice to see s00j and stealthcello and Alec and everybody ^_^. Alec also gave me some suggestions for more durable mandolin strings. I'll apparently be needing them. *^_^*;;

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

*nods* particularly when you're faced with a hostile environment like yesterday, you need all the help you can get... a turbocharged, nitro-burning mando with flames coming out the sound-hole would be only marginally inappropriate, and that just 'cause the city fathers get antsy about open flames :) :) :) (ha ha only serious)

now, that breaks my brain... resonator mando? you could use an open tuning, get you a slide, and do blues-grass :) But you'd be *heard*.... :)

(I know they make a resonator uke, I've seen'em at Dusty Strings, or at least that's what I remember....)

[solarbird]

Resonator mandolins exist! Here's a whole bunch of 'em.

But, aside from the loud, which is useful - I want all the tones. I want the fully extended chords available.