A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
0
It had been awhile since I’d visited the Pickens Flea Market. I had visited once since returning from the west coast, and at that time I didn’t play with the musicians circle. I figured Halloween would be as good a day as any to pay another visit, and this time I was loaded with guitar, banjo, melodica, and tin whistles.
There was a time when I was directing the music for two different churches. I was rehearsing with several choral groups and finishing up my Masters degree, and singing the title role of The Mikado with the Greenville Savoyards. I had some sort of rehearsal three or four nights a week. Laura complained about being a “Choral Widow.” She had a point. This past week I had just about as many musical events and she once again felt like a music widow. However, I do have a strategy.
Now that I’ve started looking closely I’ve found many more music making opportunities than I thought possible in our area. This past week I was able to check out two more of those venues, one with blues-oriented rock, and the other with old time mountain music.
Read More “Even More Music – Upstate Guitarists and the French Broad Valley Musicians Association” »
I’m still seeking out groups similar to those with which I played in Washington. I’m still scouring the pages of Facebook and Meetup.com for ideas and I have had some success. Last week I played with two different Celtic gigs. This week it was pop standards, mountain music, and an abortive attempt at ukuleles.
I left a rich musical environment in the Pacific Northwest, wondering if I could find something analogous back home. All I’d been able to find before I left for Washington were song circles like the Pickens Flea Market, featuring old country and gospel, or bluegrass at the Oolenoy School. That’s OK in small doses, but not really what I was after.
When I got back to SC I started searching for music groups that might work and I found several events of interest. This week I tried out two different Irish music sessions – one at Ftizpatrick’s Pub in Greenville and one at The Stomping Grounds in Greer.
I’d only been away a year and I grew up here, but I was still suffering from culture shock. I’d gotten used to certain things in the Pacific Northwest and found some things (mostly behaviors) either odd or downright irritating. I decided what I needed was a full cultural immersion, so on Wednesday morning I headed to the Pickens Flea Market.
Read More “Cultural Re-Acclimation at Pickens Flea Market” »
Since I finally have a chance to catch my breath, I’m also catching up on a few blog posts. A couple of weekends ago I had the opportunity to attend the Skagit Valley Highland Games, sponsored by the Mount Vernon Celtic Arts Foundation. I almost didn’t go. We were busy packing and I’d been to the Greenville games so many times. I’m glad I did, and I wound up participating much more than I thought I would.
With our time in Washington getting short I’ve stopped checking the newspapers and online sources for things I might want to do. Quite frankly, it just gets me depressed. There is so much going on up here and I can’t do it all. It’s best if I just don’t see it. It certainly makes no sense to get involved in yet another music group. However, there was one session that caught my attention and I just had to check it out. After our ferry trip to Friday Harbor I headed up to Taylor Dock in Fairhaven for Music on the Dock.
A couple of months ago I had an unexpected windfall by selling a large number of photographs. I decided to reinvest that into another hobby – music. I bought two fine instruments at exact opposite ends of the tonal spectrum.
Until a couple of months ago I had never really played a ukulele. Now it’s one of my favorite instruments to pick up and just noodle. I’ve also been enjoying playing in groups. I bought my first ukulele so that I could join my friends at Bring Your Own Instrument on ukulele night, but I wanted to see what other groups were out there. Over the last couple weeks I’ve visited three other active ukulele groups to see what they are like.