Way Hey Hey, no Ordinary Day!

It is Sunday morning. I am sitting in the KBEK airstudio listening to the broadcast of this morning's service from Cambridge Lutheran. This has been my smoothest Sunday morning, probably ever. I was even able to edit the Pease service with only 2 extra minutes!

I got here at six, and shortly after Tony, a new guy from Cambridge arrived to be trained in. I never thought I'd be training someone in...

August.

After staying for most of July, Colin went home. It was fun having him around, and I think I am just now getting back into my pre-Colin routine. Hopefully, we will be taking the Megabus to Chicago next week!

I will share two cool and musical events.

First, on Friday I went to Sara's house for a jam session. Sara (Clarinet, guitar, piano), Lucas (piano, guitar) and Savannah (trombone, guitar) were there.We have had jam sessions before, but we really need a manager. We are all too easily distracted, and we never have a set plan for what we are going to do. Someday, I would like them to become actual band PRACTICES, but we did make progress this time.

We began by playing through a couple songs we'd done before, and then went our own ways for a while. Then, Lucas started playing chords on the piano, and Savannah joined him on accordion. When I felt brave enough, I joined on trumpet playing long notes in the chord. It reminded me of the graphic notation and crazy weird improv stuff we did in Jazz band last semester; play what you want, but with each other, and let things modulate naturally. Dynamics, articulation, even rhythm patterns. Major breakthroughs happened when we discovered the pre-set beats on Sara's keyboard. We put on a rhythm, and Lucas played the chords, then we just sat in our circle and PLAYED.

Suddenly, I synthesized (or at least started to) what people mean by "What key is it in?" and how to play along with that. It blew my mind how GOOD we actually sounded! We'd groove for a while until someone threw in a solo or a little riff, and then play off each other, or rest for a while.

It gave me hope for my own abilities, and the realistic possibility of actually being in a band one day. Today, when I go home, I am going to study blues guitar, and play my trumpet.

If I am not too tired from yesterday...

WHICH WAS AWESOME.

Second, yesterday was Irish Fair. My parents and I left the house at nine thirty to make it to Wyoming for the dedication of the Wyoming Public Library's new rain garden. My parents' band, "Second Fiddle" was providing music. I hung out in the library and ripped a pile of cds into my computer. I got lots of new stuff; Boston, Blonde on Blonde and another Bob Dylan album, Fleetwood Mac and a bunch more. I am most excited about the 5 or so "World Music" albums I got.

I've been wary of "World Music" because it feels like a lazy North American cop out, but recently I have really wanted to have more to listen to, and to study for my own music. Particularly, I wanted to learn about what modern French music is like, and different trumpet styles, but I was at a standstill because I didn't know where to start. WELL, I struck it rich.

Now I have World BLUES, Latin, Latin/African, New Orleans, Paris and some more. All of the artists are modern, and chosen to present the diversity, history, and culture surrounding the music today. I really can't wait to get home and study!

After the Library show, we left for the Cities. We got to Irish Fair around 5, and were able to wander around a bit. I ate DELICIOUS deep fried corned beef and cabbage rolls. Our neighbor goes to Irish Fair every year. She camps out and stays for each day. My dad noted how easy that would be to do, with everything there is to do! We watched some musical acts, and one dance show, but there were so many tents, with so many great things in each one! Story telling, seminars, dance lessons, sheep dogs, rugby...

In all of Irish Fair's glory, I was most excited for the last concert of the day, Great Big Sea.

Great Big Sea is a band from Newfoundland that I saw when I was 12 when my mom won tickets to a zoo concert from KVSC. I got one of their cds then, and it is still one of my favorites. I know all the words to every song on it. I saw them again on St. Patrick's day a couple years ago (won tickets again!).

I made it to the front of the audience to see them, and it was glorious. There was a little girl in a pink dress up on somebody's shoulders, she must have been about 3 years old and was singing along to every word too! Do you know how great it is to see a small child happily belting out rowdy pirate drinking songs?

I also thoroughly enjoyed how thoroughly joyous everyone there was. Even though it was a free concert at Irish Fair, and that many people might have just stuck around for the fun of it, when the band stopped singing, the whole audience could fill in the chorus. *shudder*

About half way through, it started raining. Lead singer and guitar player, Alan Doyle was glorious. I even heard some girls my age remark, "It's so beautiful, with the wind blowing through his hair while he sings!" I agreed whole heartedly. Even more so, when it was guitar solo time they shined the lights on the rain... I don't know how to properly express it... Long haired Canadian, electric guitar solo, IN THE RAIN, with thunder and lightning. !!!!!!!!!!!!

Joyous.