Blog
June 7, 2021. After more than a year of being cooped up, we figured "On the loose" (the title track from our most recent CD) was an appropriate song to submit to the 2021 NPR Tiny Desk Contest. We had a lot of fun filming the video, which included some choreography (sort of). https://tinydeskcontest.npr.org/2021/browse/?id=3986273
October 26, 2019. Our gig at Gateway Lodge tonight was a musical marathon, spanning two separate seatings of a five-course wine-paired dinner. We served up all the tasty songs we could think of, along with some others, for garnish. While the menu was gourmet, the atmosphere in the dining room was relaxed, and we enjoyed interacting with guests at nearby tables.
October 24, 2019. Our concert at the Western PA School for Blind Children this afternoon was a joy, with some students sitting on floor mats in the front and the rest in chairs or wheelchairs behind. When one child got agitated, his attentive caregiver took him to the back of the room where he was able to settle himself while still being included. At the end of our set, a few kids tried our instruments, waiting patiently for their turn. One young girl played the portable snare with excellent rhythm, coordination and confidence.
October 19, 2019. Rupert Wates is an extraordinary guitarist who plays with great precision even when his fingers are flying across the strings. He’s also a fantastic whistler. We got a great clip of him whistling at Trinity House Theatre where we shared the stage with him tonight. For his fingerstyle prowess, check out the videos on his website: https://rupertwatesmusic.com/video.
October 19, 2019. One of our first tours as a duo was our "NY Roots Tour" back in 2013, which included stops in Rome and NYC, our respective hometowns. This weekend, we are in MI where a longtime friend of ours was born and raised. Always an avid reader, she spent many hours at the Troy Public Library, and we thought of her as a little girl while we performed there this afternoon, and the many articles and books she has gone on to write, as an author and journalist.
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October 5, 2019. For almost 100 years, Koehler Brewery was a fixture in Erie, PA before closing its doors in 1978. Now Koehler beer is being brewed again. Bruce Koehler, who is unrelated to the original owner, was able to register the logo because the trademark had expired, and he and his wife, Mia, decorated their new brew pub in Ellwood City with vintage signs and other memorabilia. The place looks great!
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August 7, 2019. Our buddy, Richard Gordon (aka Mando Richard), invited us into the WRCT 88.3 FM studio in Pittsburgh today for a live spot on his weekly folk radio program, Whiskey Before Breakfast. While we tuned up, he played a recording by Joe Crookston, a brilliant singer-songwriter who has been a musical inspiration to us. He chose this artist because we had turned him onto him a few years ago but what he didn’t know was that the song he selected — “Good Luck John” — is one we happen to cover and are currently recording for a new album we are working on. #synchronicity
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August 4, 2019. We were back at the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market today, this time to kick off National Farmers Market Week with support from the City of Pittsburgh. They put us and our solar-charged sound system under a tent which provided a bit of shade for our listeners, including a mom, her toddler and their dog who hung out for a while. It was fun to play for them, hundreds of passersby, and the vendors. Special shout out to Dillner Family Farms which was in the stall next to ours.
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June 12, 2019. The folks at Longwood at Oakmont, a retirement community near Pittsburgh, spoiled us again tonight. In addition to laughing during our funny songs and tearing up during the sad ones, residents treated us to dinner before the show, hung around afterwards to chat, and helped us haul equipment to and from the car. We left feeling refreshed rather than worn out. Special thanks to Jane and the rest of the Music Committee.
June 1, 2019. We debuted a brand new song called Bury Me Green at Penn Forest Natural Burial Park’s 9th annual picnic today. In addition to music, the event included guided tours, a labyrinth, and a rotary “wind phone” for communicating with friends and family who have died.
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May 17, 2019. Rain prevented us from performing in the lovely Welcome Garden at the Cooper-Siegel Community Library near Pittsburgh tonight, but Kelley, head of adult services, created a very comfortable and inviting space indoors. Towards the end of our hour-long set, the rain let up so we unplugged and did the closing song outside. It was too early in the year for fireflies to make an appearance but we imagined them flashing on cue during the instrumental.
May 12, 2019. Sunny skies would have been nice for today's opening of the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market, but the steady drizzle wasn't a problem for the plants in the uncovered stall next to where we were performing or the folks selling hot coffee under a tent across the way.
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April 14, 2019. We just submitted our entry for the 2019 NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest!
April 1, 2019. We are back from our FL tour, with warm fuzzy feelings about the folks we met and the experiences we had, on and off stage. Special shoutout to our roadie Diana, Jenny’s soul sister since preschool, who flew out from LA to be part of the fun.
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March 31, 2019. Dan Frechette and Laurel Thomsen get four thumbs up! Great groove, super friendly. Total pleasure opening for them at the Central Florida Folk concert yesterday. They are based in California but tour extensively. Go see them and tell them the Pittsburgh duo with the left-handed squirrel sent you.
March 30, 2019. We made several new friends at our Orlando Public Library gig on Saturday, including Venice. She sat in the front row and responded to every song with enthusiasm. Her “yeehaws” during Cowboy Song and “meows” during “Fat Cat Skinny Cat” were so well timed other audience members asked if we had rehearsed together. Thanks for your clever contributions, Venice!
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March 28, 2019. We found an old magazine rack in a storage room at the Port Orange Regional Library near Daytona, and converted it into a multi instrument stand for our Thursday afternoon concert. There were a couple mishaps but nothing broke. And it was a great visual! We’re looking into trademarking the design, since CD sales are slowing down. #entrepreSquirrels
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March 23, 2019. We had even more fun with the Americana Community Music Association (ACMA) in Fort Myers last night than we did the first time we performed there two years ago. Lots of folks came out to support us and ACMA member Ralph Leesburg who did a great opening set. We especially enjoyed his clever original song, “Last piece of pie.”
March 22, 2019. We couldn’t have asked for better conditions for the start of our 10-day Singing Snowbirds FL tour yesterday. Skies were bright blue, it was around 70 degrees, and there was a gentle breeze in the Key West Library’s verdant Palm Garden. The friendly audience included permanent residents, seasonal residents and visitors, many of whom we had a chance to meet. One man offered us a vintage red frisbee as a token of his appreciation for our performance, which was free and open to the public, thanks to the Friends of the Library. He told us he’d grown up in Pittsburgh and since moving to Key West, in the early 70s, had made a name for himself on the beach, as the FrisbeeKing. He spoke openly about the rewards and challenges of his regimen and how he’d ended up homeless. Later, we googled him and found a television interview, new stories, and videos.
January 12, 2019. Our friend and fellow Pittsburgh musician, Christopher Mark Jones, shot a video for us at his Studio 256 last week. He set up two cameras on tripods and held a third, using a cool device with a built in stabilizer. Three mics, meanwhile, captured the audio. Very efficient process. And fun!
November 17, 2018. Super cool to be paired with super talented Escaping Pavement for a BurghSong concert hosted by Sunburst School of Music in Pittsburgh! Turnout was great, with a portion of proceeds benefitting the Sunburst scholarship fund.
November 4, 2018. We have been known to play in venues we have no business playing in. That might have been the case with the Spider House Ballroom, a super hip club in Austin, TX. But our gig here took place after hours (or, before hours, depending on your circadian orientation). The Austin Humanist Community, a tenant, invited us to provide musical inspiration during their weekly gathering. And on a Sunday morning, the ballroom had just the right kind of vibe.
November 3, 2018. We played two sets tonight for folks lounging on vintage couches and sipping drinks from glassware at the Owl Wine Bar and Home Goods Store in Elgin, near Austin. It was our first time performing in TX and shop owners, Gary and Molly, made us feel very welcomed, providing sound equipment and letting us use a decorative piece as an impromptu instrument stand. The owl kind of stole the show but we didn’t hold a grudge
October 31, 2018. Folks across our nation and around the world were introduced to Squirrel Hill last week. When we’re in TX this weekend, we’ll be thinking about our neighbors back home and victims of gun violence everywhere.
October 6, 2018. We wrapped up our Midwest “No Fines” Library Tour at the majestic main branch of the Cleveland Public Library, where the “Music at Main” coordinator, Andrew, met us at the loading dock. We realize that folks who book shows aren’t always available the day we arrive but we’ve come to associate these kinds of encounters with “good” gigs. Meeting our contacts in person gives us a chance to shake hands and let them know how much we appreciate their support of live music, and on this tour, we were six for six.
October 4, 2018. We arrived in Muskegon with enough time for a pre-gig hike. The trail took us high above the dunes and then down to the beach. Spectacular. Unfortunately, our instruments protested being left behind in a warm car — we had to retune several times during our evening concert at the Norton Shores branch of the Muskegon Area District Library, and even that extra TLC didn’t seem to satisfy the mando.
Photo by Lilli Kuzma at WDCB
October 1-2, 2018. Folks often ask us how we set up tours. Here’s how it works: we pick a region that appeals to us, send a ton of emails to everyone involved in promoting acoustic music, and hope for the best. These efforts are not always fruitful, but sometimes we get lucky. For our current Midwest tour, for example, Nancy Clark, a generous arts supporter in Chicago, put us up in her lovely home for two nights and arranged for us to perform at the Oak Park Public Library. That gig got a nice plug from Rich Warren, host of the long running Midnight Special on WFMT, who has played our tracks on his program and even gave one of our CDs a special mention back when it was released. And friendly folk DJ Lilli Kuzma hosted us for in studio interview on Folk Festival on WDCB while we were in town, giving us a chance to perform 6 songs live on air. Because of these individuals, we've been able to bring our music to a major metropolitan area.
Photo by Decware
Sepember 30, 2018. Our concert at the Peoria Public Library’s gorgeous North Branch drew a great crowd, including close friends who took very good care of us during our 2-night stay. On the way back to their house, we stopped by Decware, a tube amplifier and speakers manufacturer with a devoted fanbase. Owner Steve Deckert gave us a tour of the facility, shared interesting stories about an annual festival he hosts for audio files from around the world, and recorded us on reel to reel in his beautifully appointed listening room. Like many of our tours, this one is proving to be so much more than just a series of great gigs.
September 29, 2018. Great signage, loads of sunshine and folks of all ages for our concert on the new outdoor stage at Shelby County Public Library near Indiannapolis. That’s Andrew Carnegie peeking out from behind the fringe. He attended our 2014 concert here, too. He seems to be holding up well.
August 31, 2018. Shelagh Collins, a devoted groupie, often takes pictures at our shows. But tonight, she put her camera away for one song so she could join us on stage to sing. Dharma Jane, a Squirrel Hillbillies original, incorporates a Buddhist chant, and Shelagh’s lovely soprano voice filled SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh with a quiet serenity.
August 19, 2018. A childhood friend of Gary’s showed up for our gig at The Artsmiths of Pittsburgh today. The two hadn’t seen each other in 45 years so they had a bit of catching up to do.
August 10, 2018. After a night of live music at Gateway Lodge in Cook Forest, it feels awful' nice to kick back for a while among the hemlocks and pines.
July 8, 2018. Our portable snare is irresistible. And not just to us. Wherever we go, folks seem to be drawn to that lil' drum. It’s been brushed by hundreds of hands over the years, of all shapes and sizes. The attention has taken its toll, with the head well worn, so we recently went in search of a replacement, only to discover it is no longer being manufactured. Fortunately, we were able to locate two online, through resellers. We put one into circulation this weekend, with concert goers at the Mansfield-Richland County Public Library in OH giving it a warm welcome. The other? It’s being stored... in a secure, undisclosed location.
July 7, 2018. En route to a gig at Sonnets in Wadsworth, OH today, we stopped in nearby Hubbard Park for a walk in the woods. Along the path, we crossed a foot bridge and, peeking over the railing, we were struck by the clarity of our reflections, and those of the trees, in the stream below. #NewSongMaterial
June 29, 2018. When we arrived at Plain Folk Cafe - Music and Coffee House in Pleasant Plain, OH, Megan Bee Music was on the back patio. It was well over 90 degrees but she didn't let that get in her way, sharing her beautiful smile along with her original songs, including "Little Birdy," about critters, trees, rocks, and people and how we're all connected to each other and the earth. After her set, we invited her to join us on the stage inside, for a reprise. And in the spirit of interrelatedness, she taught us the song so we could jam along.
June 25, 2018. Gorgeous night for an outdoor concert in the courtyard at Weinberg Terrace, an assisted living facility in Squirrel Hill. #latesunset #urbanhillbillies
June 23, 2018. We were on tap at Rivertowne Brewing, along with an assortment of local drafts. The tasting room, connected to a warehouse full of bags, barrels and tanks, has super high ceilings, concrete floors and exposed beams and pipes, and there was an artist market underway, which amplified the cool vibe. It was nice to spend our break with 6 friends who filled the two front tables, and to meet Eric, who just celebrated the first anniversary of a life saving bone marrow transplant. We also appreciated the encouragement from others who came to sip and socialize, including a large group of millennials near the bar and two women who camped out on a couch.
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June 10, 2018. In addition to locally sourced music, we brought locally harvested energy to the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market, using a battery charged at Boy Hillbilly’s home which has solar panels on the roof. We could try to explain how to convert sunshine into tunes but none of it would be accurate or even plausible. For the real story, contact Ian at Energy Independent Solutions.
June 4, 2018. During our performance at an assisted living facility near Pittsburgh today, a resident asked if we actually live in Squirrel Hill. We often get this question from folks who are familiar with the city neighborhood from which our duo's name was derived. We said yes, we live in Squirrel Hill, and then she asked if we ever had chickens delivered to our house. This is not a question we often get from folks. We said that we generally do our shopping at the market, pulling heavy bags home in a cart, but we know quite a few songs that include references to chickens. She seemed pleased about this, especially when we played one and dedicated it to her.
May 27, 2018. We spent our last evening in the UK with the Dreamers Folk Club in Cornwall. The “floor spots” by local musicians included spoken word, original compositions, singalongs and traditional songs. We appreciated the eclecticism as well as the very warm welcome and encouragement we received as guest artists from club organizer Jonathan, emcee Pipp, and others in attendance. It was a lovely end to our 3rd UK tour.
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May 25, 2018. The Tamworth Folk Club holds very lively sessions! Last night’s began at 8:30 pm, with 10 members doing “floor spots” before our first set. After the break and traditional raffle (we won a box of chocolates!), the whole lineup was repeated, with a fresh set of songs. The music was great and the banter between, and sometimes during, songs was a real hoot. We had a great time.
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May 24, 2018. We headed south by train then east by tube to perform for the Loughton Folk Club, near London. Four local musicians performed clever originals during the open mic style “floor spots”, and our friend, Dave Artus, whom we met on a previous tour, was the opening (“support”) act. He played a few songs from his recently released CD, accompanying himself beautifully on guitar. After the break, club organizer Gary James pulled out a Steelers cap which we assumed he’d brought on our account. Turns out they have b meen using the cap for years, to hold tickets for their weekly raffle!
May 23, 2018. Folks in the UK are very generous, always offering to buy us drinks at our gigs. On our first tour, Boy Hillbilly gratefully accepted, but after Girl Hillbilly noticed a correlation between ounces consumed and chords flubbed, a ban on drunken accompaniment was instituted. In accordance, Edinburgh Folk Club president John Barrow and club photographer and fashion consultant Allan McMillan waited until after our performance tonight to treat us to Bitter and Twisted, a Scottish pale ale, at the nearby Sandy Bell’s pub. Drink in hand, Boy Hillbilly joined other musicians for some fiddle tunes but that was ok because it was not part of our official tour.
May 22, 2018. We made our third appearance at the Star Folk Club in Glasgow tonight (our first as the featured act) and it was really nice to reconnect with folks we’d met before: organizers Ian Clelland and Tom Holmes, and intergenerational opening (“support”) act The PJs - Papa John, son Andy and grandson Callum. Their set spanned traditional and contemporary folk music, including a lively rendition of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues.
May 21, 2018. We kicked off our 3rd UK tour with String Theory Folk Club in Hawick (pronouced Hoyk) near the southern border of Scotland. It was a split bill with Bon Accord, a local viola/guitar duo. Classically trained, Steve Tees was a violist with the Academy of St Martins in the Fields for 14 years. Andy Smith has been performing fingerstyle guitar for decades. The house was full for the weekly session and we got to meet a lot of folks, including Kevin who walked us to a funished flat nearby after the show, provided by Wendy and Keith, folk club regulars who were out of town. Having been up for 36 hours (except for naps while in transit), we really appreciated the convenience and comfort.
March 22, 2018. Locals are curious about the Hotel Indigo Pittsburgh East Liberty so we had no problem getting folks to come out for our concert there tonight. Among the audience: three colleagues from Girl Hillbilly's day job; a neighbor who turned exactly 2 billion seconds old during the performance; a friend whose knowledge of folk music far surpasses ours; a family of musicians we call family; Rich Dieter, founder of The Bridge Music Hall, who joined us for a song -- folk classic "The Dutchman," by Michael Smith -- and several other people we adore. Some hotel guests attended, too, including Michael from Louisiana, who was in town for the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) convention. A man of many talents, he was playing piano when we arrived, chatted with us while we set up, and stuck around for the show.
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March 11, 2018. We met quite a few members of the audience after our Lakewood Public Library gig today, including a father and son. They were curious about our sound system so we invited them up on stage for a peek inside our "souped up box" -- two milk crates (attached to each other and the mic stand with a bungee cord) housing cables, a power strip, DI, preamp and stage mixer, with presets for our instruments and a balanced line out to our PA. It was a proud moment for us. #BYOS (Bring Your Own Sound)
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December 17, 2017. We did a private concert this afternoon, arranged by a friend of ours. The guest of honor was an elderly man with disabilities who has been able to stay in his own apartment thanks to tremendous support from family members and home healthcare providers. He joined us on maracas for a couple of songs and gave us a beautiful smile at the end of our set. It was a touching experience.
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November 16, 2017. The resident council of an apartment building in Squirrel Hill invited us to perform tonight. It was our third appearance and we had a friendly audience, including Raphael Eisenberg, an artist who sketched while we played.
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November 11, 2017. Deb and Steve Cheplic, hosts of Silver Maple House Concerts in New Eagle, PA, are generous music supporters, providing artists with hearty home cooked meals and a friendly audience drawn from their network of close friends and neighbors. Most of their concerts feature touring artists (who are invited to spend the night in the cozy Waylon Music Room) but a few "locals" have performed, too, including us. The proximity -- just 25-miles south of Pittsburgh -- and the fact that we'd been to their house before didn't prevent us from behaving like out-of-towners when we headed back for another show tonight, however. We relied on GPS and still got lost and we gawked at sights along the way: the rambling Monongahela River, which flows north before joining with the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River; Clairton Works, the largest coke manufacturing plant in the US; a mile-long Norfolk Southern train hauling coal. Music takes us on a lot of adventures, near and far.
November 10, 2017. Today's post is dedicated to our friendly neighborhood UPS driver. Thanks to him, our new mixer (a replacement for the one that died a few days ago) arrived in time for our gig at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. Things could have gone differently, especially since Boy Hillbilly had been casing his truck in the middle of the business district. Thankfully, instead of calling the cops, the driver took pity and pulled the package right then and there. His can-do attitude was a vocal cord saver.
November 4, 2017. We meet a lot of musicians. Many are startlingly talented. Some -- like Graydon James and Laura Spink (The Young Novelists) -- are also warm and approachable. Before, during and after their impressive performance at SongSpace @ First Unitarian in Pittsburgh tonight, Graydon and Laura exuded kindness, humility and a genuine concern for others. It was an honor to open for them and a pleasure to be in their company.
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October 9, 2017. A man approached us after our show at the historic Hackley Public Library in Muskegon, MI this evening and said we were his birthday present. What an honor to be part of your celebration, Jim! Many happy returns : )
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October 8, 2017. There was a tie for the special giveaway at the end of our concert at the Rochester Hills Public Library near Detroit this afternoon. Fortunately, we brought an extra gift. The crowd was twice as big as usual so the odds of winning were the same.
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October 6, 2017. Bill Keith, who books the Trinity House Theatre in Livonia, MI, near Detroit, did a great matchmaking job, pairing us with Martin Grosswendt and Susanne Salem-Schatz for a double-duo split bill tonight. Martin, internationally known as an interpreter of pre-war blues, has performed and recorded with Utah Phillips, Rosalie Sorrels, Jim Ringer, Mary McCaslin, and other legendary folk musicians. He was also a member of the Ragpicker String Band. Susanne, meanwhile, is a veteran of the Boston roots music scene. We enjoyed hanging out with them in the Green Room and discovered we share a lot more than just musical tastes.
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Photo by Judy Pinneo Wernette
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Photo by Judy Pinneo Wernette
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September 19, 2017. We spent the evening at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, which draws students aged 3-21 from 33 counties. A few of the children vocalized during our concert and quite a few played our instruments afterwards. One teenager really impressed us with his musical intuition, creating chords by adjusting the tuners on the uke with one hand while strumming simultaneously with the other.
Photo by Shelagh Collins
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August 27, 2017. Lil' Tomato was back at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Red, Ripe and Roasted Festival today. It had been a year since we'd seen her so we had some catching up to do! After we chatted for a while, she ran off to help her dad, Doug Oster, do a cooking demo. Doug is the Home & Garden editor for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and co-host of "The Organic Gardeners Radio Show" on Sunday mornings on KDKA radio in Pittsburgh.
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August 23, 2017. ZeroFossil ran sound for our Solar Concert today -- presented by The Saturday Light Brigade and the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh -- harnessing energy from the sun. Mike, the engineer, was a pleasure to work with. He's a musician, too. You can catch his band, City Dwelling Nature Seekers at Arbor Aid, a music festival benefiting Tree Pittsburgh next month.
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August 12, 2017. Today was a radio double-header! We spent the morning on the Saturday Light Brigade, one of the longest-running public radio programs in the country, playing some tunes and chatting with host Larry Berger. Then we drove to West Virginia to watch our good friends, the Early Mays, perform on Mountain Stage, recorded live in front of an audience and broadcast on 200 NPR stations. They were part of an incredible lineup that also included Laurie Lewis, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, Bill Kirchen, and Tom Paxton, with host Larry Groce. So it was a Larry double-header, too!
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July 26, 2017. It is always fun to run into old friends when we perform. Like tonight, at a private concert near Pittsburgh, we saw one of Gary's colleagues from his days at Alcoa, an air pollution control engineer, and his wife. Gary's former eye doctor was also in attendance. In practice for more than five decades before retiring, he treated many patients over the course of his career. In addition, he was the resident optometrist on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, appearing in three episodes, twice as himself and once as "Dr. Meow Meow Meow." Henrietta Pussycat came up with that name.
July 16, 2017. After our afternoon concert at Country Meadows, a senior living community near Pittsburgh, some of the residents chatted with us in the lobby and outside on the patio. We love when that happens. Interacting with folks makes gigs extra fun.
July 1, 2017. We did a split bill with a great father-daughter duo tonight at Uncommon Ground in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. Molly and Mark Matthewson (aka Last Acre) are very talented and we enjoyed their vocal harmonies, thoughtful lyrics and playful banter. They're working on their first album and we're really looking forward to hearing it.
June 30, 2017. We met a Pittsburgh expat at our gig at George's Lounge in Canton, OH tonight. Turns out he and Boy Hillbilly used to frequent the same places back in the 80s and they started reminiscing...
"Remember The Gazebo in Shadyside?"
"They had the best cheesecake!"
"And the Raspberry Rhinoceros?"
"A great bar."
"Did you ever catch the Rocky Horror Picture Show at King's Court in Oakland?"
"Yes! Every Saturday night at midnight!"
"And before the show, we'd get hotdogs at The (Dirty) O down the street."
"I miss Pittsburgh."
"Yeah, it's a great town."
"Remember The Gazebo in Shadyside?"
"They had the best cheesecake!"
"And the Raspberry Rhinoceros?"
"A great bar."
"Did you ever catch the Rocky Horror Picture Show at King's Court in Oakland?"
"Yes! Every Saturday night at midnight!"
"And before the show, we'd get hotdogs at The (Dirty) O down the street."
"I miss Pittsburgh."
"Yeah, it's a great town."
June 23, 2017. Here are a few of the hardy folks who didn't let flash flooding or severe thunderstorm warnings -- effects of Tropical Storm Cindy -- keep them from going out on a Friday night. We had a roof over us on the outdoor stage in SouthSide Works Town Square but they were fully exposed to the elements. We were especially impressed by the ones who preempted the rain by soaking themselves in the fountain. (Photos by Shelagh Collins and Becky Billock)
Photo by Becky Billock
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Photo by Shelagh Collins
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June 17, 2017. We had an easy commute to and from our gig tonight. The Squirrel Hill Night Market took place just a few blocks "downstreet," so we walked, using a shopping cart and dolly to transport our instruments and gear. While the event was open to the public, many of the folks who came were locals, like us. In addition to neighbors, we recognized faces from the supermarket, post office, bus shelter, library, etc. It was nice to see so many people congregating peacefully, enjoying the food trucks, activities, shopping and live music.
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June 10, 2017. We lucked out with beautiful weather and a fabulous crowd for our performance at the Three Rivers Arts Festival today. Our hour-long set featured a number of originals written right here in the 'Burgh, including "Jitney." While the song shares both title and locale with a highly acclaimed play by August Wilson, the characters and story line are different. (Sound by Larry Acklin)
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June 1, 2017. We kicked off the Thirs-Tea Thursday Happy Hour at Arnold's Tea on Pitttsburgh's North Side today. We set up near the impressive display of loose tea, a few feet from the kitchen, and we could see Ashante -- pictured here, with her co-worker India -- dancing while she prepared hot and cold beverages, sandwiches and pastries for customers. Their boss, Ms Arnold, was not in direct view but she was listening. We know because when we finished she told us which were her favorite songs from our set.
May 25, 2017. Rich Dieter, founder and president of The Bridge Music Hall, joined us for a song at Wallace's TapRoom in Pittsburgh tonight. He chose Pete Seeger's "Rainbow Race" -- which he sang almost 30 years ago alongside the folk legend himself -- and he invited the audience to join on the refrains. According to the principle of transitivity, that means that we've all sung with Seeger now, right? What a thrill!
Photo by Vivien Wolsk
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May 13, 2017. We were part of a beautiful wedding ceremony yesterday for our close friends, Susan and Graham. Their incredible story is told in "Chancers: Addiction, Prison, Recovery, Love," their memoir published by Random House-Ballantine Books.
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April 20, 2017. Pulling into a restricted parking lot marked "authorized vehicles only" at Pittsburgh International Airport today was pretty cool, especially since, as featured performers for the weekly performance series underwritten by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, we didn't have to make up a story or anything. Then later, during a break between sets, a uniformed police officer approached us. Uh oh, were we in trouble? Nah, all good. She just wanted to let us know she was enjoying our music : )
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April 9, 2017. We do our own booking which involves researching venues, drafting emails and following up with presenters. It can be quite time consuming and we're always grateful for assistance, like when a dear cousin offered to reach out to the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library in North Salem, NY, to see if there might be an opportunity for us to perform. She had attended other special events presented by the Friends of the Library, with support from M&T Bank, and thought we would be a good fit. As it turned out, they had an opening for us that coincided with a family reunion. This meant that quite a few relatives were able to attend, along with dedicated library patrons. Two family members joined us for a couple of songs which made the show extra special.
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Photo by Edris Scherer
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Photo by Edris Scherer
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Photo by Cindy Zagraff
April 1, 2017. From the pre-show publicity (with great coverage in the Florida Weekly and the Ft Myers News-Press) to the exceptionally warm welcome from the listening room crowd, to the tremendous hospitality from our host, Andy, our experience with the Americana Community Music Association was fabulous. We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful series. Special shout out to Klaus who, in addition to running sound, joined us for a song.
March 31, 2017. Our concert at the Winter Park Public Library in Florida, near Orlando, drew an unusually friendly grew of folks today, among them:
- A man who said he recognized one of our older covers, having heard it before, "about 70 years ago."
- A couple of love birds who met in middle school, when he was her teacher. (It's ok, read om) While she admits she had a crush on him even back then, they didn't start dating until two decades later.
- Two young girls holding blankets which became props while they danced, with great enthusiasm, to our music.
- A uke player who headed over to see us after her own gig, at a nursing home.
- A vinyl collector who owns boxes of albums from Jerry's Records in Squirrel Hill, a store we mentioned in our closing song.
- A man who said he recognized one of our older covers, having heard it before, "about 70 years ago."
- A couple of love birds who met in middle school, when he was her teacher. (It's ok, read om) While she admits she had a crush on him even back then, they didn't start dating until two decades later.
- Two young girls holding blankets which became props while they danced, with great enthusiasm, to our music.
- A uke player who headed over to see us after her own gig, at a nursing home.
- A vinyl collector who owns boxes of albums from Jerry's Records in Squirrel Hill, a store we mentioned in our closing song.
March 30, 2017. A man was sitting at a table in front of Tre Amici @ The Bunker, a cafe in the historic Ybor City neighborhood in Tampa, when we arrived tonight. He saw our instruments and asked if we would be playing. We said yes, along with two other artists as part of a singer songwriter series. As it turned out, we were last in the lineup, but lucky for us, the man stuck around. Here are a few things we found out about him:
- He is Swedish.
- He came to Tampa for a work conference.
- He has tickets to see Bob Dylan next week, back in Sweden.
Safe travels, home, new friend! We're glad our paths crossed.
- He is Swedish.
- He came to Tampa for a work conference.
- He has tickets to see Bob Dylan next week, back in Sweden.
Safe travels, home, new friend! We're glad our paths crossed.
March 21, 2017. As we were setting up for today's concert at Community LIFE McKeesport, a day program for older adults, an employee approached us. "I remember you from last time," Kevin said. "You did a song about meatballs." Indeed, we did! And after serving up more of the 160-year old "One Meatball" today, we realized the irony of singing about a stingy waiter to a room full of people who have just finished a meal served by an extraordinarily caring, dedicated staff.
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March 18-19, 2017. We returned to Gateway Lodge in Cook Forest, PA to perform for dinner guests last night and this morning Gary led a meditation workshop as part of the lodge's annual "Retreat to Wellness" weekend. The setting was quite different from the Allegheny County Jail where he meditates regularly with inmates as a volunteer chaplain. But the breathing was the same. #innerpeace4allbeings
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March 5, 2017. We had a great turnout for tonight's show at Weinberg Terrace, an independent living residence in Squirrel Hill. In fact, by the time the last guest arrived, every seat was already taken! We were just about to go fetch one for her but it turned out her walker converts to a chair so she was all set. Later in the show, we held a special drawing and she won. Not on account of the walker trick but because her birthday was the next one on the calendar.
February 26, 2017. We performed this afternoon for residents at Country Meadows, a retirement community about 20 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. After our "Cowboy Song," which references "a drunken brawl," a woman in the audience said she once witnessed a bar fight. She laughed as she recalled the experience so it must not have ended as tragically as the one in our song. Poor cowboy...
January 1, 2017. We rang in 2014, 2015 and 2016 in a cabin in the woods, working on songs and our log burning skills. This year, we were ready for something entirely different so we traded our denim and flannel for a gown and tux and headed to a ball benefiting the Pittsburgh Opera. #evensquirrelshavefairygodmothers
November 10, 2016. Still processing the results of the presidential election, we headed off to a gig tonight at Weinberg Terrace, an assisted living facility in Squirrel Hill where, coincidentally, our audience included at least two individuals who were born before women won the right to vote.
October 16, 2016. Salt of the Earth, a popular farm-to-table restaurant in Fennville, MI, hosts a dinner theater every Sunday evening. Tonight, we were the featured act and we were thrilled with the quality of the sound, engineered by Forrest Dodson, and the number of folks who turned out for the show, including a table of 10 organized by Richard and Ellen, friends of our friends, Dave and Louise. Richard and Ellen also put us up for the night in their beautiful lakeside home. It was a lovely way to wrap up the second of two fall Midwest mini tours.
October 15, 2016. Meet Tonks, the cutest puppy on earth. He and his family -- 2-legged parents James and Sara, and 4-legged siblings Raider and Gimli -- hosted us for a house concert in Traverse City, MI tonight. They invited some really nice folks and put out a tasty spread, including a local IPA on tap. Plus, James, a music director and programmer at WNMC, arranged for us to do a live in-studio interview before the show. We're really glad we finally made the trip upstate.
October 14, 2016. Over the past six years, Pete and Lori Toarmina have transformed a formerly vacant building in downtown Saline, MI, near Ann Arbor, into a beautiful space. Their family's restaurant, Mangiamo Italian Grill, serves food and drinks to customers on the ground floor as well as in a listening room on the 2nd floor (where Jim Cain hosts Acoustic Routes Concerts), and alongside bocce lanes on the 3rd floor. Pete showed us how to play after our show tonight. He was very encouraging but we were glad no one else was in the room because this was not our best performance.
September 30, 2016. We returned to Wigle Whiskey Barrelhouse and Whiskey Garden tonight, this time to entertain guests at “Sip for the Stream,” a fundraiser benefiting the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association. And our mascot did a set, too, perched on the bar, amidst hand labeled bottles of whiskey made from local organic grain milled onsite and distilled in small batches in a traditional copper pot. That squirrel has decent chops and great taste.
September 18, 2016. We performed two concerts at the West Bloomfield Township Public Library in Michigan this afternoon, with support from the Friends of the Library. Several folks stayed after each show to talk to us, including a woman who said she could tell we were having a lot of fun. It's true: we *do* enjoy playing music together and sharing our music with others. And we're grateful for every opportunity to do that.
September 17, 2016. The Flint Folk Music Society's logo features a lizard holding a guitar in one hand and a steaming mug of coffee in the other. This image pays homage to Flint folk enthusiasts who endured harassment in the 60s and 70s, with police raids of local music venues frequented by "no good, long-haired, guitar-playing, coffee-sipping lizards." The Society hosted us tonight, kicking off another season of folk music, and we felt right at home, grateful for the warmth, passion and support in this community. Reckon that makes us a couple of lizard-loving squirrels.
September 16, 2017. When Bill Keith, concert coordinator for Trinity House Theatre in Livonia, MI, invited us to be part of a "Songwriters in the Round" showcase, we didn't hesitate. Even though we had never met the other artists -- Buffalo-based Davey O and Nashville-based Meg Braun -- we had had postive experiences with the unique song swapping concert format, both as artists and audience members. And this gig turned out to be even better than we expected. The chemistry was so nice that we all went out together after the show, along with the emcee (Kathy) and a couple members of the audience (music enthusiasts Bob and Susie Keat), for a late night meal and conversation. It was a wonderful start to the first of two fall Michigan mini tours. (Photos by Judy Pinneo Wernette)
September 10, 2016. A park full of nature lovers turned out for the public celebration of the new Frick Environmental Center today, touring the grounds, watching demonstrations, making eco crafts, and listening to live music in the amphitheater. From the stage, we enjoyed watching folks explore the beautiful sandstone watershed landscape designed by artist Stacy Levy (pictured here) to carry runoff from the center's vast roof to the nearby wetlands. We were grateful for the clear skies, especially since the sound system was powered by the sun, but we're looking forward to returning when it's pouring so we can get the full experience.
August 28, 2016. We give 4 stars to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens' 14th annual garlic and tomato festival today. We especially enjoyed the sweet smiles on the faces of hundreds of passersby, and the tasty parking spot adjacent to our tent. A stronger breeze would have been nice but we felt cool as cucumbers compared to the zesty greeter in the tomato costume. She must have been roasting in there!
August 20, 2016. We performed at the Sixth Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh tonight during the Squirrel Hill Night Market, a big summer party in our neighborhood. We recognized a lot of faces but not all and a mid concert poll revealed that a surprisingly large percentage had lived here even longer than we had. In fact, many had been residents for 40+ years and quite a few had spent almost their entire lives here. There's something special about Squirrel Hill. If you've never been, you're long overdue for a visit!
August 18, 2016. We’re accustomed to performing in intimate venues for folks who are attentive and friendly, and that’s what we experienced at tonight’s house concert, presented by FoundSound Music. But there was one thing that was noticeably different from any of our other gigs: the room was full of Millennials. We shared the bill with Max Somerville of Wreckloose and Andre Costello of André Costello and the Cool Minors who, along with host Kyle Henson, helped draw a younger crowd. It was a very cool evening and we feel lucky to have been a part of it.
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August 11, 2016. In addition to being full of creative, interesting, friendly folks, Lewisburg, WV is home to a dog with a deep appreciation for live music and some very impressive dance moves. What a cool town! @Carnegie Hall, WV
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Photo: Jim Synder
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Photo: Larry Davis
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July 30, 2016. While artists play only for tips at some live music venues, the Moon Shadow Cafe in Accident, MD, pays musicians and feeds them well, too, from a menu featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients and vegetarian options. We had a great time performing there tonight and really appreciate being treated like part of a team working together to create a unique dining experience.
Photo: Shelagh Collins
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July 27, 2016. "Cinema in the Park" projected a comedy tonight but the backdrop during our pre-movie concert on Flagstaff Hill was dramatic, especially after the jumbo screen collapsed. Fortunately no one was hurt, but our mic stand took a bit of a beating. It’s amazing how far steel can bend without breaking!
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July 24, 2016. Heavy rains arrived just as sustainability tours were supposed to begin at Chatham University's Eden Hall Campus in Richland, PA today. Folks poured into the barn, giving us a captive audience, and to show our appreciation we offered up songs about vegetables, trees, composting, and solar panels. By the time we finished, the skies had cleared and folks headed out to learn about the extensive storm water management infrastructure and other earth friendly innovations.
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July 19, 2016. How's this for a hard act to follow? Right before our concert at the Lucas Branch of the Mansfield Richland County Public Library in Ohio today, Jungle Terry did a live animal show-and-tell with a giant tortoise, a skunk, a chicken, and "Banana Montana," an albino Burmese python. The standing room only crowd was mesmerized! Fortunately for us, by the time he had packed up his critters and we had set up our sound system, the room had turned over. The folks we played for were very appreciative, unaware of what they'd missed. Our only regret was that no one asked to pet our instruments.
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July 9, 2016. We performed at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, PA tonight for the opening of a new exhibition on folk art. Kevin Kutz, a contributing artist for another exhibition at the museum, joined us for a few tunes, playing "The ScratchAvarious," a fiddle he crafted from three pieces of pine. It looked really cool and sounded awesome!
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July 3, 2016. A guest artist performed with us at a 4th of July party in Carmel, NY today. She was a big hit. #MamaSquirrel
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Photo: Susan Stellin
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June 21, 2016. Opening for the Bumper Jacksons at Club Cafe on Pittsburgh's South Side was so much fun! A highlight for us was when Jess, who fronts the DC-based band, joined us for “Bittersweet,” one of our originals. A virtuoso clarinet player, Jess skillfully wove her sultry riffs into our arrangement, playing off of our vocals and guitar. It was like a musical conversation and we agreed with everything she said!
Photo: Uncover Squirrel Hill
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June 18, 2016. We saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd at the Squirrel Hill Night Market. We also spotted a few fireflies who flashed us as we were wrapping up our set. We hope that means that they liked the music.
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June 18, 2016. Downtown Pittsburgh has a really cool new mural and it's painted on the street, so you can walk on it. According to an article on NextPittsburgh, the artist, Deanna Mance, extracted design elements and patterns from the local architecture and environment, including the "curving hills and flowing rivers." We share her appreciation for Pittsburgh''s topography. In fact, we sang sbout the same hills and rivers that inspired her when we performed today at the downtown branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, just a few feet from her mural.
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June 12, 2016. We provided music for a memorial celebration at a lovely tea house on Pittsburgh’s Northside this afternoon. It was a joyous event which, we were told, would have pleased the woman who was being remembered. Her sister requested “When I’m gone,” our sung last will and testament. The line about sipping tea was particularly fitting, given that everyone was enjoying freshly brewed cups.
Photo: John Blough
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June 4, 2016. To date, we've written two songs featuring insects -- one about stinkbugs and the other about a firefly -- and both were requested during our performance at the Three Rivers Arts Festival today. Coincidence? Probably not. Tis the season for critters, including songworthy varieties.
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May 29, 2016. We ended our second UK tour the same way we ended our first, at a pub in central London. "Come Down and Meet the Folks" has been hosting music events for 20 years and has developed a nice following. Alan Tyler, the organizer, opened the evening with a few songs then turned over the mic to Baby Taylor, a spunky young musician from Glasgow with a lovely voice. The next floor spot was filled by a great duo called Heartland, with Ben on guitar and Chance on fiddle. He's from London and she's from Toronto and their voices blended perfectly. We did a 30-minute set before the featured act, a popular Chicago and Delta Blues band fronted by Little George. Up until he started, folks had been silent, listening attentively to every word. But no one could resist his driving groove and by the time we headed out, the venue was as lively as a dance club.
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May 27, 2016. Today was a day of musical thrills. First, we did a live in-studio interview with radio host Billy Butler on BBC Radio Merseyside. Later, we headlined at Liverpool Acoustic Live at View Two Gallery on Matthew Street, just a few doors down from the Cavern where the Beatles used to play. It was a great show, with performances by James J Turner, whose powerful vocals and guitar playing blew us away, and the Grateful Fred Ukulele Trio (Colin, Pete, and Vince), a talented, fun and charming threesome of pickers and strummers.
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May 26, 2016. What a treat to be part of the lineup at the Uxbridge Folk Club in West London! We saw a lot of smiling faces during our 45-minute set. Headliners Sally Ironmonger and Brian Carter were hugely entertaining, with their clever songs about life in the English countryside and beyond. Three floor spots were confidently filled by our host, Dave Artus; Jasmine Beth, who was visiting from Australia; and a longtime club member who sang Big Rock Candy Mountain. And, to top it all off, a kind woman brought us a pint of IPA at the break. The club is doing a great job of giving people the chance to commune through music.
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May 25, 2016. We got a very warm welcome at the Edinburgh Folk Club tonight. The sound was fabulous (thanks, David!) and Allan took beautiful still photos as well some videos. After the show, club organizer Paddy Bort invited us to the Sandy Bell's, a local pub well known for traditional Scottish and Irish music. When we arrived, a lively session was underway, with fiddle, guitar, concertina, and tin whistle. Many folk legends have played at the club and the pub over the years and both have a great vibe of authenticity.
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Photo: Allan McMillan
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May 24, 2016. The Star Folk Club is a performance oriented club, presenting professional acts and invited guests every week, rather than hosting singarounds or floor spots periodically like many of the other clubs. We performed there back in 2014 and returned tonight to open for Dan McKinnon, a talented troubadour from Canada who spends a month touring the UK every year. The audience was attentive and apreciative, smiling at us during our set and approaching us afterwards to talk. Meeting Dan was an added bonus.
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May 23, 2016. We had a day off so we stopped in York to walk along England's longest medieval wall before continuing on to Edinburgh to explore the castle. In both cities, we encountered buskers, a time honored tradition here in the UK. We especially enjoyed the man playing accordion in front of the Scottish National Gallery.
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May 22, 2016. Equipped with smart phones, UK SIM cards, and a fabulous train schedule app, we successfully navigated the trip to Grays in Essex yesterday arriving with enough time to grab lunch and stroll along the Thames River before heading to the FaBclub for our sound check. Going off the grid is great for songwriting retreats but on tour, we really appreciate technology.
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May 21, 2016. Alton, England, about 50 miles south of London, is full of musicians and music lovers and Lewis Jones, D3W3 organizer, knows many of them. For our concert at the Swan Hotel tonight, he arranged an opening set by Jack Bancroft, a young man who wowed everyone with his beautiful original instrumental compositions on ukulele. Sound was very capably provided by Dave Tigg, who has honed his skills doing live mixes for a local ska reggae rock band featuring three saxophones along with guitar, bass and drums. Other musicians in the audience included Iain Cooper who tried out Gary's Vagabond travel guitar after the show.
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May 20, 2916. Our Valley Folk Club hosts took very good care of us, fetching us from the train station in Neath, South Wales, and serving us tea and Welshcakes before our concert at the Ivy Bush in nearby Pontardawe. They also put us up for the night and made sure we didn't go to bed hungry or leave this morning with empty bellies. Thank you, Huw and Heather! You made us feel very welcome : )
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May 19, 2016. "Yinz* are good to go," said the airline agent after scanning our boarding passes and passports this morning. It was the perfect Pittsburgh send off for our 10-day UK tour. In addition to our instruments, BritRail passes, and working papers, we brought CDs full of songs written in our adopted hometown. No Pittsburghese in our recordings to date but we have worked in references to several local landmarks and a popular sports team.
* Yinz: Pittsburghese for "you," singular and plural. |
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April 9, 2016. Some venues flicker the lights to let folks know the show is about to start. At The Hill Chapel House Concerts in New Market, MD tonight, the chapel bell was rung. That kicked off a lovely evening in a beautiful space, with stained glass windows and hardwood floors, followed by a meal with our generous hosts, Paul and Kelly, who live in the parsonage next door. In addition to presenting concerts, they make the chapel available for weddings, recitals, and other special events, all of which begin or end with the ringing of the bell.
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April 3, 2016. Transporting equipment from the garage to the second floor of the Mansfield Richland County Public Library this afternoon was a piece of cake, thanks to a loaner book cart and assistance from friends from out of town who arrived at just the right time. This was our second performance presented by the Friends of the Library and we recognized a patron from our visit in 2013. We also made a few new friends, including a cat lover, two guitar players, a contra dance band member, a singer-songwriter, a painter, and a boy with a beautiful smile. We enjoyed watching him dance and press his face against the glass separating the children's room from where we were playing.
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April 2, 2016. Tonight's "Rock the Palace" event to support The Palace Theatre's summer music series was super fun! In addition to the fine musicianship, we appreciated the genuine collegiality among members of the bands that performed, and also the special treatment from the staff. The personalized dressing rooms were a particularly classy touch.
March 13, 2016. At the end of our concert this afternoon at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Main Branch, we held a surprise drawing. There was no auditor present but we followed all the rules anyway, even the one about family members not being eligible. There were winners and prizes, the whole nine yards. We're not going to say any more about it because then it won't be a surprise next time, right? And there will be a next time, we promise.
January 14, 2016. Dinner was still underway at Weinberg Terrace, a personal care facility in Squirrel Hill, when we arrived for our performance this evening, but one resident headed over to the parlor to keep us company while we set up. Born in Columbus, he moved to Pittsburgh 75 years ago... at the age of 25! He told us about the the job he held for 35 years and the condo he lived in for 45 years. We asked if he's the oldest resident and he said no, he's in 3rd place. Three centenarians under one roof. Awesome.
January 2, 2016. We met some fine-looking folks this afternoon at Red Bandana Winery in Leeper, PA, including this group wearing wigs and other accessories provided by the winery. We took their picture during our break between sets. The guy in the dog costume was especially convincing.