Rough night.
- Thread starter Rllink
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Jerryc41
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Speaking of rewriting, John Legend has rewritten "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Some people thought it was a date-rape song, and some radio stations refused to play it.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...tten-by-john-legend-to-remove-date-rape-lyric
Mattharrier
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In counterpoint to the anti-Christmas vibe, I love playing Christmas songs - my first uke experience was at my group's Christmas session (which my wife had been invited to for reasons to do with her charity work), and it was that (spending 2 hours playing a C chord when it came around, pretty much) that started me on my ukulele journey. Tonight we're practicing some new Christmas songs for our festive session on the 17th December, and I can't wait (despite my normal rule of no Christmas music until the 1st December).
Bill Sheehan
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Good perspective, Matt. Sounds like Christmas provided the launching pad for your uke journey, and that's pretty cool! Honestly, at least from my own point of view, it's not so much that I'm anti-Christmas, or anti-Christmas songs, because there are many of them that have been special to me throughout the years; maybe it's just that every year the season seems to creep up on us so quickly, and then it's gone in a flash, and I never seem to find the time (or make the time) to sit down and get a good bunch of "holiday" songs under my fingers, so I get to feeling a little discouraged and decide to "let it go" until next time around. It may be, too, that some of us feel a little put-off by the sense of "obligation" that surfaces annually-- that at this time of year were "expected" to play a certain kind of music. Okay, I think I've sufficiently over-analyzed things for now... everyone have a good Tuesday!
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Mattharrier
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I only play Christmas songs a few times a year - the festive session, a couple of practices before that, and my own practice at home, so I don't get Festive Fatigue in the same way that many do. If I was playing the same songs five times a week for 6 weeks, I think I may feel differently!
OP
OP
Rllink
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I really didn't mean for it to have and anti Christmas vibe, or an anti Christian vibe. It was just a hard night. Sometimes it is just a hard night. It wasn't meant to be super serious. I was expecting responses like, "been there done that," or maybe, "what are you complaining about, you made seven bucks." I mean, tis the season. I'll be doing Christmas songs for the next six weeks at least, like them or not. Sorry if it went negative, I didn't want it to.
Jerryc41
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I enjoy Christmas music—to a point. My wife can listen to them for months. I get tired of them after a while because of the monotony. (Which is one of the reasons I enjoy listening to jazz versions of the songs. Every rendition is different.)
I totally detest beginning to hear the music in October in the stores! Before Halloween!
The month of December is okay and I don't mind playing them a few times. Especially if the song list is changed gig to gig. I also enjoy performing novelty Xmas songs mixed into the list because the audience enjoys them.
It took me years to get over the year I was working in a toy store at the mall. It was a part-time job while I went to college. The piano/organ seller in the mall decided to set up their instruments right outside our toy store. If there wasn't a musician playing Christmas songs, then they turned on the electric organ that had a cassette device that played the organ automatically. From Mid-November to January 1, we had to listen to that music, over, and over, and over, and over... Still gives me the willies to think about that.
I totally detest beginning to hear the music in October in the stores! Before Halloween!
The month of December is okay and I don't mind playing them a few times. Especially if the song list is changed gig to gig. I also enjoy performing novelty Xmas songs mixed into the list because the audience enjoys them.
It took me years to get over the year I was working in a toy store at the mall. It was a part-time job while I went to college. The piano/organ seller in the mall decided to set up their instruments right outside our toy store. If there wasn't a musician playing Christmas songs, then they turned on the electric organ that had a cassette device that played the organ automatically. From Mid-November to January 1, we had to listen to that music, over, and over, and over, and over... Still gives me the willies to think about that.
Many, many years ago (1982), there was a singer named Bing Crosby (for those of you younger than a Certain Age) who did Christmas Specials on television. One year, one of his guests was a young rock artist known as David Bowie. Bing wanted them to do a duet of "Little Drummer Boy". David said, "No".
From a 2006 Washington Post Article Bing and Bowie: An Odd Story of Holiday Harmony
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Taking everything I've said into account, I have to admit that I could listen to Crosby & Bowie's "Peace on Earth/ Little Drummer Boy" over and over, for hours...
Crosby died just over a month after recording the duet.
-Kurt
Bill Sheehan
Well-known member
Love the Crosby/Bowie duet too, Kurt! Not only was it beautifully rendered, but I always thought of that as the moment we all got to see the "ordinary guy" dimension of David Bowie-- sort of a mutual reaching out between two very different generations, each appreciating what the other had to offer.
Bill Sheehan
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No apology necessary, Rllink. You are so right-- sometimes it's just a hard night; and I'm sure we've all been there and done that. I know we all respect each other's musical tastes, and religious beliefs (or non-belief), as well as political affiliations, and that's what I love about this group-- we probably represent a huge assortment of musical, religious and political preferences, but we put those aside as we share our common love for "all things ukulele".
Here’s the Bowie/Bing Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy.
Mattharrier
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That was supposed to be a little tongue-in-cheek, which obviously didn't come through! I didn't really mean that there was an anti-Christmas feeling, I just wanted to share my excitement at playing Christmas songs, not to suggest an excess of Grinchiness.
Speaking of which, we played several Christmas tunes last night, all of which went down very well, and all of which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I hope that those of you for whom playing is less an exciting evening twice a month, and more a job of work, don't have too rough a time over the next few weeks!
OP
OP
Rllink
Well-known member
The reason I took up the ukulele was to share my music with others. It could have been a guitar, or a concertina, or a violin, I was looking for something when I found the ukulele. The day my ukulele showed up in the mail and I unboxed it I imagined myself busking on a street corner or sitting in a coffee shop playing and singing my songs. That's what I do it for. If it weren't for that I wouldn't play a musical instrument at all and I wouldn't sing songs. Most of the gigs that I do I'm paid by tips. I put the open case out in front of me and hope someone will put some money in it. I've made some pretty good money at times doing it, and I've gotten skunked before. Seven bucks is at least not getting skunked, although I probably spent four times that at the bar for food and drink with the other musicians afterwards. Sometimes it is a hard days night, sometimes it is fun and easy. Sometimes nothing comes out sounding good, others are inspired. It just depends on the night. Like everything in life there are ups and downs. One of the things that I've found along the way is people who are doing the same thing. We're not professionals by any stretch, just musicians who love to make music and who aren't afraid to share it. I consider myself a middle of the road musician, not great, but I don't embarrass myself. But there is a community of people like me and I enjoy being a part of it. So we do our thing. Lots of time the same people are playing the same festivals and the same events. We get together afterwards and regale each other with our adventures during the night. If someone had a good night they talk about that. If someone has a rough night, they talk about that. If something funny happened, we tell about it. If someone knows about a festival or an opportunity coming up they share it with the rest. We share a lot. That is what this is all about . So when I started this thread I was still stoked and it was a continuation of the conversation with my friends and fellow musicians from the night before. Don't think that I didn't have a good time. Even a rough night playing and singing is better than not being there and not doing it. So it was fine.
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acmespaceship
Well-known member
After playing one particular gig, my son wrote a blues called "Eight Dollars and a Roast Beef Sandwich." Me, I'm thrilled to get a sandwich!
:cheers:
:cheers:
Sounds like a fun song. Maybe you can play it for us and post it.
Thanks for posting that. I had not heard it before.
Both men had very different, yet immediately identifiable singing voices. They blended perfectly in this song. Awesome!
Jerryc41
Well-known member
I remember seeing them sing that on TV. 1977
The reason I took up the ukulele was to share my music with others. It could have been a guitar, or a concertina, or a violin, I was looking for something when I found the ukulele. The day my ukulele showed up in the mail and I unboxed it I imagined myself busking on a street corner or sitting in a coffee shop playing and singing my songs. That's what I do it for. If it weren't for that I wouldn't play a musical instrument at all and I wouldn't sing songs. Most of the gigs that I do I'm paid by tips. I put the open case out in front of me and hope someone will put some money in it. I've made some pretty good money at times doing it, and I've gotten skunked before. Seven bucks is at least not getting skunked, although I probably spent four times that at the bar for food and drink with the other musicians afterwards. Sometimes it is a hard days night, sometimes it is fun and easy. Sometimes nothing comes out sounding good, others are inspired. It just depends on the night. Like everything in life there are ups and downs. One of the things that I've found along the way is people who are doing the same thing. We're not professionals by any stretch, just musicians who love to make music and who aren't afraid to share it. I consider myself a middle of the road musician, not great, but I don't embarrass myself. But there is a community of people like me and I enjoy being a part of it. So we do our thing. Lots of time the same people are playing the same festivals and the same events. We get together afterwards and regale each other with our adventures during the night. If someone had a good night they talk about that. If someone has a rough night, they talk about that. If something funny happened, we tell about it. If someone knows about a festival or an opportunity coming up they share it with the rest. We share a lot. That is what this is all about . So when I started this thread I was still stoked and it was a continuation of the conversation with my friends and fellow musicians from the night before. Don't think that I didn't have a good time. Even a rough night playing and singing is better than not being there and not doing it. So it was fine.
Thanks for writing the above. It really does a good job of encapsulating why like minded people get together and the importance of “community”. Be it cyclists, fisherman, bridge players, hunters, quilters or people playing music it’s usually more fun with others. The act of sharing and rejoicing in each other’s experiences makes it all the more powerful, kinda what Christmas and the songs associated with it are meant to be.
I can get sick of listing to Christmas songs for the next 6 weeks straight on the radio. But I really enjoy getting together with my uke group and singing and playing them. It puts me in a good mood.
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