Things (long, and long overdue?)
I started sliding more or less into lurker mode several years ago at this point, but was still reading the board at least daily for the most part up until maybe a year ago.
I posted a bit about it at the time, (and got some much needed help, too, from a few of you) but I lost my job of 20+ years about a year and a half ago. It was dicy for a bit, but I lucked into a pretty soft landing after happening to spot a former coworker posting an opening on LinkedIn. I'm now working in legal tech, which is an interesting niche to be in. But it's for the most part, been a really good transition for me. I love most of the folks I work directly with, I'm doing interesting things, and I feel like I have more upwards trajectory than I had in a long time.
But between that shift in focus, the fiasco left in Harbaugh's wake, the dismal state of the world, and just general life priorities, I pretty much stopped even checking in. I was thankful that Nikos (and GoBrew) sent me the new board info, but it was a while before I even got around to really stopping in, and I've still only skimmed it a bit, to be honest.
Last Saturday's events didn't exactly make for compelling reading here, either.
But I haven't stopped thinking about this community, and what it's meant to me, and to all of us over the years. Even if I was only ever sort of a fringe part of it.
Of course, that sentiment is especially poignant right now, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the event that changed the world, and as many have pointed out...it changed this community (for the better).
We all have a story about that morning. For me, I'd just flown back home the night before after a whirlwind three-legged trip that started with a work trip to Rochester, NY before heading out to Seattle for the Washington game. We had a nice, if somber, gathering out at Caelus's place after that loss. Trying to remember who all was there... Craig. Don? Davepy, maybe?
Anyways, I spent the next day touring around Seattle, then flew home Monday, connecting through Denver and getting back late Monday night, or maybe in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The next day I got up and headed into the office. I don't know why the radio in the car was on--I rarely listened to the radio, even then, but I must've had it on previously. When I got in the car, the morning radio show hosts were already talking about a plane hitting the tower. Weird and sad, but assumed it was a small private plane, and not a huge deal other than for those in the immediate impact area, so I mostly shrugged it off. Got to the office, and realized I'd forgotten my laptop. Checked in with my manager, dropped my (empty?) bag at my desk, and headed back home. By this point, the radio story was making it clear that this was a much bigger deal. When I got home, I turned on the TV and saw the images for the first time.
When I got back to the office, everyone was gathered around the TV in the breakroom. The first tower had already just fallen. I saw the second one collapse live. I spent the next several hours going back and forth between the TV, and coming back to my desk to read updates on the board. We were here for each other in a way that even the coworkers in the next room weren't... the shock was just...detaching in a way.
Fast forward 25 years. Tomorrow (okay, later today I suppose, as I look at the clock) is going to be a tough one mentally. But... I have lucked into one of the most positive and creative ways to flip the remembrance on its head, and be a part of something very special, which I am incredibly excited about.
As most on here know, I play traditional Irish music. Its a niche, nerdy hobby that doesn't get a lot of mainstream recognition and opportunity outside of St Patrick's Day season. But, a few months ago, I got an email from a guy who was looking for a bodhrĂĄn (Irish frame drum) player. He was the music director for an upcoming production of the musical Come From Away.
Come From Away is a critically acclaimed show that had a lengthy run on Broadway and a successful National Tour. It tells some of the stories that came out of Gander, Newfoundland--the town of 10,000 people who took in 7,000 stranded passengers for a week when the airspace was closed immediately following the attacks. It is uplifting, emotional, heartwarming, and even funny. It is about the very best of humanity coming together and rising out of the worst of circumstances. And it's about how Canada was there for us, literally opening their home to take in our stranded, scared and angry people with kindness and compassion. That just adds yet another layer of how important this story is to tell right now.
The music leans heavily into traditional and celtic-rock themes, with Newfoundland music being heavily inspired by the music of its Irish and Scottish settlers. It's a rare opportunity for traditional styles and instruments to find themselves heavily used outside of the small, tight-knit trad community. The bodhrĂĄn in particular plays a significant musical role in the show. And while I'm technically in the 'pit' and not a cast member, in this particular show, the musicians ARE on stage for at least part of it, as come out and interact with the cast and serve as the 'pub band' in one key scene.
I hadn't seen the show, or even really listened to it. But I was familiar with the story. And tight knit as the trad community is, I had a few friends who had been involved with the show on Broadway and/or in the National Tour. I even had one friend who'd played in a production down in Australia! Being asked to be involved even in a Community Theatre production was kind of like being asked to join a secret cool kids club--something that basically *never* happens for bodhrĂĄn players! lol.
I was pretty involved in theatre when I was a young kid, but haven't been in a stage play since junior high. It was one thing that just got squeezed out as I got into high school and had too many other things to juggle. I have never thought of myself as a 'theatre kid'... but reflecting on this, I realized I was never that far from it, either. I dated a 'theatre kid' in high school and hung out with her and her fellow drama kids. I worked in a scene shop my freshman year at UM (and even briefly considered changing majors from engineering to technical theatre, much to my parents chagrin. lol). When I later moved to Galway for a short stint, I wound up sharing a house with a handful of hardcore theatre folks. I even married a former musical theatre nerd.
And I've always been a casual fan of musicals. Saw Phantom several times. Miss Saigon, Tommy, Evita, Avenue Q, Rent... we even have a dog named Hamilton. It's always been present, but I never once thought I'd be performing in one.
Musically, it's been a huge challenge, too. As a trad player, I play completely by ear, and by feel, when playing bodhrĂĄn. I improve constantly around standard, common rhythmic themes. I come in and out when I want. I just try to add spice. And aside from an occasional glance or heavy foot tap, no one really notices or cares if my rhythm drifts a bit this way or that as long as it's 'close enough'.
This is been a whole new ballgame. A whole new language to learn. I do read music, albeit slowly--not a site reader by any means. So I spent months consuming the recordings, listening, memorizing, learning, then aligning what I hear to what I see in the book. Trying to break all my bad habits of 'vibe' playing, and learning to count, to lock in and bury the click.
And on top of all that, the part calls for more than just bodhrĂĄn. All told, I play *seven* different percussion instruments throughout the show, none of which other than bodhrĂĄn did I have more than a passing familiarity with! Djembe, udu (Nigerian clay pot drum), two types of shakers, a miniature cajon, and... an ugly stick. Literally a broom handle with a boot screwed to the bottom and bottle caps, tin cans and any other noise makers screwed into the side, hit with a notched stick. It's a quirky Newfoundland tradition, and at one point, find myself with a featured solo on it. I had fun making it, and have a whole lot more to say about that still, too, but I'm already getting winded and need to get to sleep at some point, so... another day. But I'll try to include a picture below.
Anyways... with it being the 25th anniversary tomorrow, and the show having just gone into licensing, it's been an especially popular choice for community theatre programs around the country right now. We are one of *11* productions happening in Michigan this fall, including *five* in the greater metro Detroit area that open tomorrow night!
If anyone is interested, the production I'm in is put on by Stagecrafters, at the Baldwin theatre in Royal Oak. I don't know how links are handled on this board yet so I'll just paste in the URL here:
https://www.stagecrafters.org/on-stage/main-stage/114-from-away.html
Clearly I'm biased, but also based on what I'm hearing from my much more seasoned band and cast mates... I really do think we are going to be one of the better productions. We've got an amazing cast, and I am incredibly humbled to be part of the 'band' alongside some really talented folks. I have no delusions--I am the weak link, but they've been super welcoming, supportive and helpful, and have elevated my playing, and I've been busting my ass to get my chops down and give this whole work its due. The first couple group rehearsals were... yikes. But things really came together during the final two the last couple nights, and I'm beyond excited.
Okay... I had a lot more I wanted to touch on... family life, having a teenager who's driving and starting to look at colleges and getting to do some cool shit with her equestrian sport, other hobby stuff, etc. Oh! And my thoughts on Saturday's game.... lol
But it's already way too late and I need to get some sleep.
I will wrap this up with one more 'thing' though, on the emotional side of the scale...
While I was completely elated by our final rehearsal yesterday, it was bittersweet as I had also learned that one of my all-time favorite Irish music icons passed away yesterday. Legendary uilleann piper Paddy Keenan, known for his work with the Bothy Band as well as a lengthy solo career and various collaborations. I know he's not a household name to most, but in the Irish trad world, he was as close to a rock star as there was. And yet, paradoxically, he proved that rock stars do not exist in that world, because he was the most humble, friendly, kind and generous soul you could imagine.
Anyways, my FB feed has been flooded with tributes and just about everyone who has been involved in the trad scene for a few years has their own personal stories about Paddy. He was just that kind of guy who was easy to sit and talk with and forget that he was a living legend. And he had the big personality to have stories develop around him wherever he was, whoever he was with, whether it was fellow luminaries of the genre, or random nobody hobbiest/newbies like myself.
He could've been a household name, perhaps, if one of his most famous stories had ended differently. At some point in the 60s, he found himself living a nomadic hippy life in London. Somehow, word had gotten around that John Lennon had taken an interest in the uilleann pipes when he was experimenting with different ethnic sounds, and Paddy was invited to come sit in and perhaps work on some recordings with the Beatles. The morning he was supposed to go down to the studio, he got cold feet and he just ran. Totally chickened out. Guess John moved on to the sitar after that, but what could've been, for Paddy, and for the pipes...
Alright. On that note... peace and comfort to you all today as we remember the events.
I posted a bit about it at the time, (and got some much needed help, too, from a few of you) but I lost my job of 20+ years about a year and a half ago. It was dicy for a bit, but I lucked into a pretty soft landing after happening to spot a former coworker posting an opening on LinkedIn. I'm now working in legal tech, which is an interesting niche to be in. But it's for the most part, been a really good transition for me. I love most of the folks I work directly with, I'm doing interesting things, and I feel like I have more upwards trajectory than I had in a long time.
But between that shift in focus, the fiasco left in Harbaugh's wake, the dismal state of the world, and just general life priorities, I pretty much stopped even checking in. I was thankful that Nikos (and GoBrew) sent me the new board info, but it was a while before I even got around to really stopping in, and I've still only skimmed it a bit, to be honest.
Last Saturday's events didn't exactly make for compelling reading here, either.
But I haven't stopped thinking about this community, and what it's meant to me, and to all of us over the years. Even if I was only ever sort of a fringe part of it.
Of course, that sentiment is especially poignant right now, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the event that changed the world, and as many have pointed out...it changed this community (for the better).
We all have a story about that morning. For me, I'd just flown back home the night before after a whirlwind three-legged trip that started with a work trip to Rochester, NY before heading out to Seattle for the Washington game. We had a nice, if somber, gathering out at Caelus's place after that loss. Trying to remember who all was there... Craig. Don? Davepy, maybe?
Anyways, I spent the next day touring around Seattle, then flew home Monday, connecting through Denver and getting back late Monday night, or maybe in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The next day I got up and headed into the office. I don't know why the radio in the car was on--I rarely listened to the radio, even then, but I must've had it on previously. When I got in the car, the morning radio show hosts were already talking about a plane hitting the tower. Weird and sad, but assumed it was a small private plane, and not a huge deal other than for those in the immediate impact area, so I mostly shrugged it off. Got to the office, and realized I'd forgotten my laptop. Checked in with my manager, dropped my (empty?) bag at my desk, and headed back home. By this point, the radio story was making it clear that this was a much bigger deal. When I got home, I turned on the TV and saw the images for the first time.
When I got back to the office, everyone was gathered around the TV in the breakroom. The first tower had already just fallen. I saw the second one collapse live. I spent the next several hours going back and forth between the TV, and coming back to my desk to read updates on the board. We were here for each other in a way that even the coworkers in the next room weren't... the shock was just...detaching in a way.
Fast forward 25 years. Tomorrow (okay, later today I suppose, as I look at the clock) is going to be a tough one mentally. But... I have lucked into one of the most positive and creative ways to flip the remembrance on its head, and be a part of something very special, which I am incredibly excited about.
As most on here know, I play traditional Irish music. Its a niche, nerdy hobby that doesn't get a lot of mainstream recognition and opportunity outside of St Patrick's Day season. But, a few months ago, I got an email from a guy who was looking for a bodhrĂĄn (Irish frame drum) player. He was the music director for an upcoming production of the musical Come From Away.
Come From Away is a critically acclaimed show that had a lengthy run on Broadway and a successful National Tour. It tells some of the stories that came out of Gander, Newfoundland--the town of 10,000 people who took in 7,000 stranded passengers for a week when the airspace was closed immediately following the attacks. It is uplifting, emotional, heartwarming, and even funny. It is about the very best of humanity coming together and rising out of the worst of circumstances. And it's about how Canada was there for us, literally opening their home to take in our stranded, scared and angry people with kindness and compassion. That just adds yet another layer of how important this story is to tell right now.
The music leans heavily into traditional and celtic-rock themes, with Newfoundland music being heavily inspired by the music of its Irish and Scottish settlers. It's a rare opportunity for traditional styles and instruments to find themselves heavily used outside of the small, tight-knit trad community. The bodhrĂĄn in particular plays a significant musical role in the show. And while I'm technically in the 'pit' and not a cast member, in this particular show, the musicians ARE on stage for at least part of it, as come out and interact with the cast and serve as the 'pub band' in one key scene.
I hadn't seen the show, or even really listened to it. But I was familiar with the story. And tight knit as the trad community is, I had a few friends who had been involved with the show on Broadway and/or in the National Tour. I even had one friend who'd played in a production down in Australia! Being asked to be involved even in a Community Theatre production was kind of like being asked to join a secret cool kids club--something that basically *never* happens for bodhrĂĄn players! lol.
I was pretty involved in theatre when I was a young kid, but haven't been in a stage play since junior high. It was one thing that just got squeezed out as I got into high school and had too many other things to juggle. I have never thought of myself as a 'theatre kid'... but reflecting on this, I realized I was never that far from it, either. I dated a 'theatre kid' in high school and hung out with her and her fellow drama kids. I worked in a scene shop my freshman year at UM (and even briefly considered changing majors from engineering to technical theatre, much to my parents chagrin. lol). When I later moved to Galway for a short stint, I wound up sharing a house with a handful of hardcore theatre folks. I even married a former musical theatre nerd.
And I've always been a casual fan of musicals. Saw Phantom several times. Miss Saigon, Tommy, Evita, Avenue Q, Rent... we even have a dog named Hamilton. It's always been present, but I never once thought I'd be performing in one.
Musically, it's been a huge challenge, too. As a trad player, I play completely by ear, and by feel, when playing bodhrĂĄn. I improve constantly around standard, common rhythmic themes. I come in and out when I want. I just try to add spice. And aside from an occasional glance or heavy foot tap, no one really notices or cares if my rhythm drifts a bit this way or that as long as it's 'close enough'.
This is been a whole new ballgame. A whole new language to learn. I do read music, albeit slowly--not a site reader by any means. So I spent months consuming the recordings, listening, memorizing, learning, then aligning what I hear to what I see in the book. Trying to break all my bad habits of 'vibe' playing, and learning to count, to lock in and bury the click.
And on top of all that, the part calls for more than just bodhrĂĄn. All told, I play *seven* different percussion instruments throughout the show, none of which other than bodhrĂĄn did I have more than a passing familiarity with! Djembe, udu (Nigerian clay pot drum), two types of shakers, a miniature cajon, and... an ugly stick. Literally a broom handle with a boot screwed to the bottom and bottle caps, tin cans and any other noise makers screwed into the side, hit with a notched stick. It's a quirky Newfoundland tradition, and at one point, find myself with a featured solo on it. I had fun making it, and have a whole lot more to say about that still, too, but I'm already getting winded and need to get to sleep at some point, so... another day. But I'll try to include a picture below.
Anyways... with it being the 25th anniversary tomorrow, and the show having just gone into licensing, it's been an especially popular choice for community theatre programs around the country right now. We are one of *11* productions happening in Michigan this fall, including *five* in the greater metro Detroit area that open tomorrow night!
If anyone is interested, the production I'm in is put on by Stagecrafters, at the Baldwin theatre in Royal Oak. I don't know how links are handled on this board yet so I'll just paste in the URL here:
https://www.stagecrafters.org/on-stage/main-stage/114-from-away.html
Clearly I'm biased, but also based on what I'm hearing from my much more seasoned band and cast mates... I really do think we are going to be one of the better productions. We've got an amazing cast, and I am incredibly humbled to be part of the 'band' alongside some really talented folks. I have no delusions--I am the weak link, but they've been super welcoming, supportive and helpful, and have elevated my playing, and I've been busting my ass to get my chops down and give this whole work its due. The first couple group rehearsals were... yikes. But things really came together during the final two the last couple nights, and I'm beyond excited.
Okay... I had a lot more I wanted to touch on... family life, having a teenager who's driving and starting to look at colleges and getting to do some cool shit with her equestrian sport, other hobby stuff, etc. Oh! And my thoughts on Saturday's game.... lol
But it's already way too late and I need to get some sleep.
I will wrap this up with one more 'thing' though, on the emotional side of the scale...
While I was completely elated by our final rehearsal yesterday, it was bittersweet as I had also learned that one of my all-time favorite Irish music icons passed away yesterday. Legendary uilleann piper Paddy Keenan, known for his work with the Bothy Band as well as a lengthy solo career and various collaborations. I know he's not a household name to most, but in the Irish trad world, he was as close to a rock star as there was. And yet, paradoxically, he proved that rock stars do not exist in that world, because he was the most humble, friendly, kind and generous soul you could imagine.
Anyways, my FB feed has been flooded with tributes and just about everyone who has been involved in the trad scene for a few years has their own personal stories about Paddy. He was just that kind of guy who was easy to sit and talk with and forget that he was a living legend. And he had the big personality to have stories develop around him wherever he was, whoever he was with, whether it was fellow luminaries of the genre, or random nobody hobbiest/newbies like myself.
He could've been a household name, perhaps, if one of his most famous stories had ended differently. At some point in the 60s, he found himself living a nomadic hippy life in London. Somehow, word had gotten around that John Lennon had taken an interest in the uilleann pipes when he was experimenting with different ethnic sounds, and Paddy was invited to come sit in and perhaps work on some recordings with the Beatles. The morning he was supposed to go down to the studio, he got cold feet and he just ran. Totally chickened out. Guess John moved on to the sitar after that, but what could've been, for Paddy, and for the pipes...
Alright. On that note... peace and comfort to you all today as we remember the events.
Thread:
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Things (long, and long overdue?)
- great post....we'll always have that near-hockey NC in St. Paul together*
- Great stuff and post.*
- Thanks for checking in. I don't read many posts multiple times, but I did yours. Great hearing from you. *
- So great to see you here and to share this post
- Good to see you back. Come FromAway is fun and heartwarming. Enjoy it!*
- Great to hear from you***
- Love the Pic of the ugly stick. *
- FĂĄilte ar ais*