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I also watched the crowd, always a fascinating exercise. Pop culture has become a staple, including people dressed in anime and manga tributes alongside straight youth culture with spiked hair and trendy clothes. I probably saw more caucasians in kimonos than any other group, go figure.
Taiko drumming is fun and there are a lot of groups in Phoenix and Tucson that study it. It's more than just rhythm, there is an element of choreographed theater in it, with banks of drummers performing synchronized movements as they carry their part of the piece. The groups I watched usually went with some kind of uniform dress with individual variances in color and pattern.
And the drums themselves are great props, from little spuds up to big monsters that the drummers strike with exaggerated movements.
So what can I use to improve my performances? Once again, staging, costume and props are a part of the story. Drums have a limited emotional palette but within that range, they are very powerful. I've always liked having some exotic percussion when I play, so I will continue exploring that, too.
Dr. John has a good schtick, his voodoo jazz thing. I saw him at Celebrity Theater on February 1 along with the Neville Brothers (more on them later). A skull on the piano, feathers, gris-gris bags, fetishes - in a word, props. They help get across the feeling that the music has power, a kind of intimate power that verges on black magic.
Dr. John's a good musician who has an encyclopedic grasp of New Orleans jazz and blues styles and all the world influences that have found their way there. Some tunes sounded like Calypso, some were standards like St. James Infirmary, and he included his regular hits.
He uses a lean backup band, just guitar & bass & drums. He's got the B3 organ and a fold-up baby grand - and a gritty voice that is such pure noise that I have trouble understanding him even when he's just speaking. But that just adds to the mystery somehow.
The schtick and the music fit well together and I think it enhances the performance. If he were to dress and play like a classical musician, neat and restrained, it would rob the music of much of its power.
So I figure it's time to purge the list and consider how to build a new one. I also figure it's time to build my network with people who are interested in music and art like I am. I'm reemphasizing these things in my life, so my social circle ought to reflect that.
I've also been thinking that to be successful as a musician, I can't do it just by myself. I need partnerships with other creative people to put together a package.
How to get there, I have no real ideas but I'm open to anybody's suggestions.
I'm
playing with Entourage at a great event:
ARIZONA SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS
Join us
for an evening of music featuring
Saturday,
August 9, 2008
6:30 to
8:30 p.m.
Continental
Villas West
1745 W.
Stella Lane
(via
18th Avenue off of Maryland Avenue)
Sadly, Lightfoot has been ill and had to cancel a number of concerts earlier this decade. I thought the illness showed in his voice which was not as rich and vibrant as it had been. His guitar playing was still good and his stage presence was just fine - and the songs, well, that's the whole point, isn't it? The songs were just as pretty, quirky, catchy and interesting as they've always been. It's easy to forget that Lightfoot's songs have been picked up by a lot of people, including Elvis.
He didn't introduce his backup band and I would have liked to know more about them. Their playing was subdued, the focus was on Lightfoot - but the guitar player was quietly tasteful and I really liked his work. It was the first time I'd heard a synth player using a harmonica patch, though. It was oddly both familiar and jarring.
And what is it about men with deep voices shouting from the audience that they love the (male) performer? This happened at Ringo's show, too. Lightfoot made a joke that it would be even better if it was a woman's voice - and several woman promptly cried out that they loved him, too.
New songs come along and old songs step aside for them - but there's gold in Lightfoot's catalog of tunes that can be mined for a long time.
Don H.
Ringo's doing good, he started on time and they rocked continuously for over 2 hours. He did his old standards and some of his new stuff, too. Many people say that Ringo's compositions are pretty simple and basic - and I agree. But I'm a simple person with simple tastes. When Ringo sings "choose love", it's profound enough for me. "Choose Love" and "Memphis In Your Mind" were my favorites from the newer material. It's hard to beat "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "Yellow Submarine" sung by the original, though!
The All-Star band was great, with Edgar Winter earning overtime playing keyboards, sax, even drums. The band included Billy Squier, Colin Hay of Men at Work, keyboardist Gary Wright ("Dreamweaver"), bassist Hamish Stuart (Average White Band) and second drummer Greg Bissonette.
They must have had a concession on guitars, because Colin and Billy changed guitars almost every song and "old" guitars were slow to reappear.
An exciting and energizing concert, I'm really glad I got to go.
I'm playing with Entourage at a great event:
SUMMER MUSIC FUN
Join us for an evening of music featuring
We will entertain you with a variety of music including selections from the Beatles, folk, cowboy, ballads and Pop songs.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Continental Villas West
1745 W. Stella Lance
(via 18th Avenue off of Maryland Avenue)
Light and cool refreshments will be served
For more information, you can email Don at donharrington@msn.com,
and Debbie or Bob at debbob_jones@msn.com
Or visit us online at www.donharrington.net and www.entourageaz.com
However, the Tilted Kilt is essentially Hooters in tartan. The young and shapely waitresses wear a bikini top and miniskirt made of plaid material. The miniskirt is more of a broad belt. I guess the food was OK, the french fries were good, but my attention was elsewhere.
Jan had a great time pointing out waitresses on the move and watching me try to appear to NOT be staring. She'd deliberately choose waitresses behind me so she could see me try not to swivel my head 180 degrees. I kept my head down when we were being served because otherwise, my eyes were at the level of, well, you know.
On the other hand, it cheered me up greatly from what had looked like it was going to be an unpleasant Friday. Jan and I got into a discussion of why there weren't similar places for gals but we had no easy answers.
Don
It's a guilty pleasure, but I had a great time at the Hippiefest concert at the Dodge Theater in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, last night. A great deal of it was pure nostalgia, but it wasn't all just navel-gazing.
Jonathan Edwards is perhaps best known for "Sunshine" and the audience joined in gleefully. "How much does it cost?", he crooned and the audience screamed back "I'LL BUY IT!". I didn't realize what a great harmonica player he is, especially since his hands are busy with the guitar. He did a song? chant? poem? called "This Island Earth" that was awesome and I must learn it.
Just like last year, Joey Molland did a pile of Badfinger hits which just served to remind me how much good music is in the Badfinger catalogue. Behind the band was a projection light show which included some pics of a very young Joey. This was a theme they came back to often with some of the acts not looking all that different from their younger selves and some of the acts - well, it would have been hard to match them up.
Janis Ian performed beautifully. Her voice is still a fine instrument. Along with the hits, she did a great and funny tune about her autobiography, about how lucky everybody was to be in her presence. And the autobiography part was not a joke, she has just written a book. I've run across Janis' online writing about electronic copies of music and taking some strong views, check it out.
After rearranging the stage, the Turtles came on and did their usual fun show. Flo & Eddie are great frontmen, they work the audience. The tunes were as contagious as they were in their heyday and people were dancing in the aisles. The Turtles part of the show was one of the highlights last year and they certainly came through again. The sarcastic, pungent wit of the lyrics has been co-opted by time, I guess. "Eleanor, gee, I think you're swell..." has become part of the anthems of our lives.
Then Jack Bruce, singer, composer, bass player. He's playing fretless bass (his website says he picked it up in the 70s). A couple of Cream tunes brought down the house but some of the other tunes fell a little flat. When Jack talked, he seemed out of synch with the audience and it was reflected in the music. I got the feeling he was more inwardly focused than the other acts. I'm not saying it was right or wrong, just that it took an extra effort to try and follow his musical path and you had to leave behind the ecstasy of the moment to do it.
Eric Burdon finished it off with a tear-down-the-house-and-feed-it-to-the-f
Can't wait 'till next year!
I will be performing with Entourage on Saturday, August 9, 2008, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Continental Villas West Clubhouse. This will be 2 hours of music with refreshments, good times for everybody with selections from the Beatles, folk, cowboy, ballads and Pop songs.
Again on September 10, 2008, I'll be with Entourage at the Encanto Park Coffeehouse. The location of this event is currently in flux, I will post more information when I've got it.
October 4, 2008, is the Prescott Folk Music Festival at Sharlot Hall. I'll be playing with both Brass Ring and Entourage on Saturday afternoon. This is my third year at the Prescott Festival and you should make plans to attend, they are tons of fun.
Don Harrington
Saw Get Smart over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised. I can't call it an "A" movie, but it was pretty entertaining. They went back to the first few episodes of the TV series in the sense that Maxwell Smart wasn't a complete nincompoop and was actually competent some of the time. I always preferred that over the "laugh at me, I'm an idiot" schtick that came to dominate the show.
Steve Carell is OK as Maxwell Smart, Alan Arkin is GREAT as The Chief, and the Rock turns in a suprisingly good comic performance.
They kept the show up-to-date, but paid appropriate homage to items and bits that were used in the original series. It was good to see that old Sunbeam in action even for a little while! I remember buying a model kit of that car when the show first came on.
Don H.
Entourage had an excellent night at The Music Corner last weekend - we performed for almost 3 hours, doing a Beatles set along with our regular fare. We're looking to reprise the gig at the Encanto clubhouse, stay tuned for more information. Video was taken so I'll deliver the goods on my home site as soon as I get the stuff!
Recent events - I just finished a gig with Entourage at Fiddlers' Dream on May 30th. It was a good show. We introduced a new John Stewart tune ("Never Going Back") that went over well. I'm still sad about John Stewart's passing earlier this year. Jan joined us on the flute, thanks Jan!
Coming up - Next weekend, I'm performing with both Brass Ring and Entourage at the Prescott Folk Arts Fair. That's June 7th, Entourage starts at 3:15 and Brass Ring comes on at 4:30, both in the amphitheater (our favorite performance venue in Prescott). Check out the Fair at Sharlot museum. Sharlot Hall is at 415 West Gurley Street in Prescott, Arizona 86301.
Right after, on June 14th, Entourage takes over the Music Corner for a full night of entertainment starting at 7:30, including a lot of Beatles' songs. Visit the Music Corner on the web at www.themusiccorner.org. It's at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 1500 W Maryland, Phoenix, AZ.
12-24-2007
Had a great Christmas show on December 16, with lots of people attending. I played with Entourage and Brass Ring and did some backup for Ron Cordova and other folks. I'll be posting some video when it's available.
We went and saw Golden Compass yesterday, and it was very enjoyable. Hard to say what the controversy was about, we didn't see anything but a fantasy movie. Of course, I visited the website. One of the premises of the fantasy world is that your spirit exists as a separately embodied talking animal. The website gives you a test and assigns you an animal spirit (called daemons in the film). Somehow I got the jackal. I don't know what that means, but feel free to go to the Golden Compass site and let them know if you think it's accurate or not.
- Location:space
- Mood:
geeky - Music:Bollywood
Herbie Hancock was great, doing tunes from Watermelon Man up to selections from his latest album of Joni Mitchell songs. He had a couple of synths, a grand piano, multiple computers and his Roland jam-like-a-guitarist keyboard, which was quite fun. The band was Herbie Hancock, west-African guitarist Lionel Loueke, Vinnie Colaiuta on percussion, Nathan East on bass, and an appearance from extremely young vocalist Sonya Kitchell. Herbie was astonishing as expected, but Nathan East was a standout, playing fat 6-string bass and electric upright. He was always tight and always right. Lionel Loueke did a very interesting solo song, b-boxing a west-African song and singing beautifully, accompanying himself on what looked to be a Godin Multiac – beautiful guitar, that.
From there to the So You Think You Can Dance Tour 2007, full of very short spots, really young people with astonishing athletic bodies doing gymnastic and enthusiastic dance numbers. Herbie’s show was loose and stretched out, the Dance tour was canned and planned every step of the way. This show was at the Jobing.Com arena in Glendale. Good sound system, lots of lighting effects with strobes and giant TV screens, topped off with confetti and streamers in the finale. There was a lot of good music that I would just get into and then the dance would be over, way too abruptly in my opinion. Men were outnumbered about 4 to 1 in the audience, and I would estimate that tweener girls held the mode measure.
To get into the arena for the Dance tour, I had to go through a metal detector. My Swiss Army pocket knife did not pass muster, I had to take it back to the car. Lord only knows what kind of killing spree I might have gone on, what with all that estrogen in the air. Women’s purses were just passed around the detectors and cursorily glanced at, so we could have smuggled an army’s worth of guns in if we wanted to – or the mighty 2-inch blade I nearly got in with. The story of America today – extra procedures that inconvenience harmless people, do nothing to provide actual protection to anybody, and give some people the feeling that they’re important and powerful (the employees, not the attendees).
- Location:All over the valley
- Mood:
enthralled - Music:Yes
HOWEVER - what made the movie truly great was the color commentary originating from the row behind us, a lady who spoke continuously during the film commenting on the action. (It reminded me of my Mother, who never could stop putting her own two cents in on every film or TV show.) From this color commentary, I learned many things, such as Denzel Washington is "fine" (as in "Ooooh, he fine!"), that a boy should listen to his momma and tons of information about the characters in the film, including how bad they were and what mistakes they were making.
In my opinion, the color commentary, though unsolicited and not part of the director's vision, was the best part of the film and made the movie truly entertaining for me. Whoever this lady was, her viewpoints and mine coincided for the most part and I found myself nodding in agreement with most of her comments ("oh, that boy is bad, he is bad and wrong - look what he's doing! Oh, my, that boy..."). Whoever you are, I salute you!
Don
10-08-2007
Well, it's the day after the 29th Annual Folk Music Festival at Sharlot Hall (www.sharlot.org). I had a great time in the cool pines, performing with Brass Ring and Entourage (and providing a little backup to smooth crooner Ron Cordova). I heard good comments about all the performances, and spent a lot of time listening to the other musicians - that park was packed with very good players and singers. It was inspiring.
There's a little slack time in our current schedule. Brass Ring performs December 3rd at the Peoria Monday Night Melodies and I'll be joining all those groups and a host of other people for a big Christmas show on December 16th. I'll be looking for some open mike nights and post the info when I get it. Please come out and help support us.
- Location:Home
- Mood:
contemplative - Music:alternative indie
Big excitement coming on Sunday, October 7th. Come up to the cool pines of Prescott, Arizona, for the 29th Annual Folk Music Festival at Sharlot Hall (www.sharlot.org).
I'll be performing twice on Sunday the 7th, both times in the Amphitheater. At 10:00 in the morning, I play with Brass Ring, and at 1:30 in the afternoon, I'll be performing with Entourage. (Entourage fans, take note that Ron Cordova has a solo performance at 4:00 in the Sharlot Hall building that same day.)
This is a great festival, featuring Fiddles and banjos, storytellers, dancers, and songwriters, a Sunday morning musical instrument swap meet, and over 150 performers; workshops on instrumental styles, song swaps, singer-songwriter sessions, theme jams, mini-concerts, sing-alongs, Sunday morning Country Gospel sing, teaching workshops, contra dancing, clogging, Flamenco dancing!
- Location:Home
- Mood:
artistic - Music:Nature's sounds
09-06-2007
Brass Ring had a great show on August 29th at the Encanto Clubhouse. Of course, it worries me the number of people who sang along with "Mama, Don't Whup Little Buford", but what the hey, they were entertained.
Entourage played a private party on the 31st and raked in the biggest tip take ever. So, all in all, it was a good week musically.
Both groups will be appearing at the Prescott Folk Festival the first weekend in October, I'll post more information when I've got it.
And thanks to everybody for their support. See you soon, Don
On a personal note, I'd like to take this opportunity to honor the memory of my Father who passed away last year. Francis E. Harrington, November 7, 1924 to September 7, 2006. Dad was in the Navy and worked on the Avenger aircraft. His favorite song was "You Are My Sunshine", and that was one of the songs played in the bluegrass jam at Encanto last Wednesday.
- Location:Home deep
- Mood: thoughtful
08-19-2007
I have another show coming up with Brass Ring, Wednesday, August 29th, at the Encanto Clubhouse, where we will be performing the last set starting at about 9:00 PM. Encanto Clubhouse is maintained and administered by the City of Phoenix Parks Department in downtown Encanto Park and is located approximately 1/4 mile South of Thomas Road on the East side of 15th Avenue.
Brass Ring is an eclectic group of musicians who believe strongly in live music. Founded by Diana Clark (singer) and Don Harrington (singer / instrumentalist), they have added to their ranks with Susan Watson (singer) and Shawn Maxwell (percussion). Fusing exotic percussion with grass-roots trio harmonies, they bring to life a broad spectrum of American sound that reflects the diversity of this country. The music includes folk, pop, Western, American, blues and gospel, and original material, all served up with a dash of spice from the original homes of our peoples. Visit them at www.brassringmusic.net
I'll be performing with both Brass Ring and Entourage at the Prescott Folk Festival in October. More information when I've got it!
