Banjo Case Project

Early in November I won a music video contest and the prize was a $50 gift certificate for Guitar Center.  My little banjo’s gig bag has been wearing out (there’s a hole in the bottom of it), so I immediately went online and found a hardshell banjo case for $49.99 with free shipping.  As soon as my gift card arrived, I ordered it.  Of course, the case is designed for a normal-sized banjo, so I had to make some modifications.  I read in one of the reviews for this product that this guy found he could easily remove the interior partitions by just taking out the screws.  That proved to be the case (ha–bad pun!), and after a couple of hours of work my little ‘jo fit perfectly.  I did have to get a styrofoam circle about an inch thick and install it below the banjo head, so the neck would lie flat.  The first picture shows “before” and the second one “after.”

I’m not the handiest guy when it comes to building stuff.  Sometimes I feel like I’m doing good to tie my shoes successfully each morning, but I figured, since the case was free, I could risk ruining it.  Fortunately, it turned out just fine.  Now I have a good, sturdy case for my banjo, with some extra storage space in the upper neck area.  I’m happy.

Now if I can only find or make a hardshell case for my little guitar…

Music in an Auction Barn

Last Saturday I performed at an open mic in Metamora, Indiana.  It was held in an auction barn–a huge, high-ceiling room.  The auction dock provided a perfect place for a sound system and stage area for the performers.  There was food and drinks available for purchase as well.  There was quite a variety of music:  two bluegrass bands, a man playing Native American flutes, someone on electric guitar singing 50’s rock songs, and, of course, me, playing some of my songs and some covers.

The music started at 6pm and was still going on when I left around 9:30.  All too often at open mics there are few, if any, audience members aside from the other performers.  But this one had an audience of about 20-30 folks who thoroughly enjoyed the music.  It was a fun night.  Darius, the owner of the Metamora Auction Barn, is planning another “Music Night” for Dec. 5th, and might make them a regular monthly event.

It’s fun to discover new places to play.  Often they’re in what seems like the most unlikely places.

Another Blast from the Past

This is a picture of my great-grandmother, Margaret Farrell, taken in Ireland in 1866.  It’s the earliest photograph of any of my relatives that I’m aware of, since photography itself was only about 40 years old.  Needless to say, I never met this woman, but I did know her daughter, my grandmother, who lived in our house for the last few years of her life.  (I was only twelve years old when she died.)  Nevertheless, I can still see some family resemblance between her and my grandmother, even though I only remember my grandmother when she was in her seventies.

This ancient photo is the kind of thing that makes you think about things like the phenomenal degree to which the world has changed since the middle of the nineteenth century.  Margaret lived in a world which was not that much different from the Renaissance in terms of day-to-day living.  Most people lived on farms, traveled very little, were seriously religious and had little education.  Life was short and hard.  There was no such thing as self-esteem or living one’s dreams.  Children were treated like little adults, and those that married did so in their late teens, and lived with one set of parents, working on the family farm.  Other than newspapers, which had a limited circulation, they had very little knowledge of what was happening in the world.  Sometimes, when I see all the war and other mayhem on the TV every day, I wonder if they were better off in that regard.

By contrast, my great-grandkids and their kids will have full-color pictures and videos with sound to show them how their ancestors looked, sounded and interacted with others.  If looking at this old photo is a time trip for me, I imagine that’ll be a very weird experience for them.

The Hawk

Usually, we see hawks soaring gracefully in the sky, far away.  The other day I was shocked to see one perched in the tree right outside our living room window!  Why he was there became clear when he suddenly flew, not into the sky, but right down in front of our house, to pounce upon a mouse that was in the grass there.  He then carried it back into the tree, and, as we watched, swallowed it nearly whole.  It was a compelling little drama, one that you usually only see on those animal documentaries.  Every once in a while we’re reminded that, indeed, we live in the country!

Family Dinner

Every Monday night is family dinner at our house.  There are, of course, times when one family or another can’t make it, but most of the time everyone arrives around 5:30 and claims a seat at the big table.  This time I managed to get a picture of all six grandchildren, although all their faces aren’t showing.  Believe me, it was enough of a challenge just to find an instance where all six of them were actually in the same room, much less on the same side of the table!  Anyway, from left to right:  Ellery and Alex, both 2, Shep, 4, Chris (in the hooded sweatshirt) 5, Neko, 6, and in the high chair, Joe, seven months.

It’s a fortunate set of grandparents who have all their grandchildren living in the same town.  Fifty years ago or more, it was common, but now most of our same-age friends have grandkids spread out all over the country, and some overseas.  We’re lucky to be able to see almost day-to-day growth of all our descendants, and to know that, as they grow older and more independent, most of them will be within walking distance of our house, and will come and go as they please, like having a second home.  So we get the convenience of living in a modern era, coupled with the closeness of family from a previous era.  Nice.

Farm Day 2009

Every year for the past seven years my daughter, Wendy, and her husband, Tom, have hosted an event they call Farm Day.  It starts about three in the afternoon and over a hundred adults and children gather to celebrate the fall, enjoy a tasty dinner, make t-shirts in the shop, and just socialize in an atmosphere that resembles a huge family reunion.  My musician friends and I generally provide the music in the living room after dinner.  Usually there are about a dozen of us, but this year a bunch of major musical events seemed to fall on this day, so most of them couldn’t make it.  Bob Kotz and I were the “band” for the evening.  Even though we haven’t played together that often, we pulled it off.  The picture shows us playing while two of Wendy’s children, Neko and Ellery, frolic nearby.  Ellery, who is two, donned a helmet and did a wild dance in front of us, while Neko, 6, put glowing necklaces and other stuff on us while we played.  You can’t see the dozens of other folks in the house from this angle, but they were there, singing along and tapping their toes.

There were a number of folks who traveled significant distances:  my brother-in-law, Keith, flew in from Virginia, and my daughter Susie’s in-laws, Robert and Jane Lute, drove from Clymer, Pa.  It’s become quite a tradition.  Next year’s Farm Day is already set for Oct. 9th of 2010.

Fun in the Fall

After a summer of gigs and trips, fall came quickly this year, or so it seemed to me.  Fortunately, the opportunities to play music haven’t disappeared with the summer.  Besides my open mic at Crosswalk Coffee every Thursday evening, and the jams at Leo Coffeehouse each Sunday, I’ve also found a third musical “home” in Metamora, Indiana, which has extended its Final Friday open mics through the fall and winter months.  Starting the last Friday in September, the open mic was moved to the Mill Street Pizzeria, because of the rain.  It was so successful that they decided to hold it there every month (except December) until May, when it will return to the Back Porch stage of Lane’s End Barn.  The picture shows me performing there with Margie Stoller and Gene Webb, who are also regulars at Crosswalk Coffee.

In addition to the Final Friday open mics, the Mill Street Pizzeria also hosts an open jam with Metamora’s Baggy Bottom Boys, on the second Wednesday of each month.  I went there last night and had a blast.  There were about a half dozen musicians there in addition to the Baggy Bottom Boys, and  there was also free pizza and cake in honor of Catrina’s birthday (she plays bass and does vocals with the B.B. Boys).   A good time was had by all.

Performing solo is wonderful, but performing as part of a group is especially fun and rewarding.  The jams are not only fun, but they are one of the best ways to grow musically, particularly when there are players that are instrumentally more advanced than I am.  I can almost feel my skills building when I have to stretch to find the right chord or fill in a stretch by picking out the melody of a song “on the fly.”  It gives me motivation to continue practicing at home, too.

iPhone Generation

Wow–it’s been more than two weeks since my last entry.  I could offer excuses, but I’d just waste space.  Instead, here’s a picture I just couldn’t resist taking and posting.  My daughter Bonnie got a new iPhone the other day.  And, since her seven-month-old son, Joe, has been fascinated by this gadget, she gave him the old one to play with.  So here they are, mother and son, playing together with their iPhones.  How very 21st-century!  I could write all kinds of comments on how technology has wormed its way into our lives and such, but, as the old adage goes:  a picture is worth a thousand words.  Besides, this way I don’t have to write a thousand words, which makes it possible for me to finally get back to blogging!

Every Thursday I have the distinct pleasure of hosting an open mic at Crosswalk Coffeehouse on Main St. in Eaton, Ohio.  I arrive around 6:30 and set up the microphones, stands, etc., and set out the sign-up sheet for the evening.  Folks start arriving shortly afterwards, and there are usually half a dozen or more performers signed up when the music starts at 7pm.  I was so frustrated by driving sometimes over an hour to open mics, only to find that all the time slots were already filled, sometimes weeks in advance, that when I got the opportunity to host, I decided to do things differently.  So my policy is that everyone who shows up will get a chance to play–I just divide the two hours (7-9pm) by the number of acts, and that determines how much time each act gets at the mic.  This has been pretty successful so far.  We have a lot of repeat business, and this past year the “regulars” usually hang around for an open song circle/jam that starts at 9 and goes until closing time at 10.

The picture shows one of the jam sessions with Mark Ward, Gene Webb, Margie Stoller and myself.  Of course, I sign myself up for one of the slots, so I get to play out, even if just for 15 or 20 minutes, at least once a week, and that helps keep my performing skills, such as they are, up to date.  But more important, it’s just plain fun in an atmosphere of good friends and good coffee.  So if you’re looking for an open mic in a friendly, non-threatening venue–come on down!  Just be sure you get there around 7 or so, so I can determine the length of each time slot.   For more information about Crosswalk Coffee, go to their website at www.crosswalkcoffeehouse.com.

Lately I’ve been getting to know my newest grandchild, Joe (we call him “Little Joe” since I’m “Papa Joe”), as his mom, Bonnie, started a part-time job and I’m helping out with baby care a couple of afternoons a week.   When my kids were six months of age, I was very busy going to graduate school or experiencing my first year as a college professor.  I don’t really remember doing much baby care, so this has been a real learning experience.  I can change a diaper very quickly and efficiently now, and feed him solid foods without managing to get the food all over myself and my surroundings.  Babies this age pretty much need constant attention when they’re awake, so I’ve discovered a number of activities that can more or less keep his attention.  The wonder saucer in the picture, which looks like it could provide hours of fun activities, actually only keeps him occupied for about ten minutes, max.  Apparently, this is not unusual, according to my daughters’ accounts from when their kids were that age.

So I’ve discovered some odd things that keep him amused, like washing dishes.  For some unknown reason, he’s just enchanted watching me wash and rinse dishes in the sink.  And the same goes for loading laundry and folding it.  One day I tried playing my guitar and banjo for him, but that didn’t work at all.  Good thing he’s not in charge of booking venues.  Apparently, at this age his taste runs to the mundane.  Whatever–as long as he’s happy.