My first posts were in 2003 although I signed up much earlier than this in 2001 as my "1066" number indicates.
However, I came across an old tune print out today dating back to 1999. If I'm correct, the site as we know it today came into existence in 2001 although there was an earlier version for a few years before that.
What are your earliest memories and experiences of this site?
Back in the old days *sigh* - I'm number 1623 - it was possible to read every post without making a full time job out of it. And people were still writing under their real names (ok, I can't stop mentioning it, I know it's boring).
Heh, my earliest experiences with thesession were lived vicariously through Zina. I was only playing guitar back then, and wasn't too interested in all this discussion - other than to hear about all the early drama that appeared on occasion. Zina still tells stories of how she and Will "danced around each other" in the early days, trying to figure out what the other person knew, and trying to discern if they liked each other or not.
And GP, Z is alive and well. The divorce wasn't so horrible that it turned me into a psycho killer or anything. There were plenty of computers in the household to go around - multiple times even. But she is one of the many fine early members of the mustard board that lost interest due to some of the antics and politics of the site in general. She still lurks around the tune section on occasion, posting tunes, settings, and comments...
I have noticed that a number of the long-time members have become more jaded over the years, even if they still post. I wonder if this is due to the general hornets-nest nature of much of the discussion, or whether it's really that they've already discussed pretty much all of it ad nauseam over the years, and they got tired of posting links to old threads...
I didn't officially appear until around 2003, and my earliest discussions are laughable when I look back at them. In fact, Zina talked Jeremy into deleting my very first post, because I had said something pretty stupid. Nice to see that times have changed, eh?
I logged into The Session some time in summer 2006, as far as I can tell from my list of villainies here (History). It actually seems a good deal longer ago. I think the first thing I did was reply to the ends of threads that had long been laid in dust, their subjects having been gone over several times thereafter, or else been abandoned as irrelevant or boring.
I used to have a goal of learning every tune posted to The Session. I was dong pretty good when Jeremy posted a new tune every week. When he opened up to others posting, I got hopelessly behind. The Session is still my main source of new tunes outside real sessions. The links to which recordings each tune appears is a great resource. And, of course, I have learned a tremendous amout from the discussions. Thanks, Jeremy!
it allows you to type in a URL and trawl their archives to see what the pages looked like way back in the early days. If you're really nerdy you can also find old web browsers and see what they looked like too - but can't remember where that site was...
What strikes me with discussion no.1 is that membership numbers go up above 900 for the very first thread. Did the database of tunes come first?
My first contact was probably through Google looking for a specific tune. Never looked back since
kuec, if you read Jeremy's post there, he talks about this being the "new" version of the site. It was different at the beginning, and it was primarily just the tune archive that Jeremy was putting together. The idea of letting other people post tunes was what spawned this incarnation of the site. So yes, there was a site before that "first thread".
It's fun reading through the first year of the archive, because there was a sense of wonder and almost giddiness about having a place to discuss things where it didn't turn into bickering the way the IR(ate)Trad list used to...
i occasionally peruse the ol mustard board meself. do u still live in australia? do you still work at a desk?
i used to positively rant about tenor banjos. now, if pressed i will rant about small piano accordions
will harmon is a real person. Me and pete went to montana andwe stayed with some of his friends and had some fun sessions, with wild bears, forest fires and everything
now who was that really wild girl from montreal.. her name escapes me now , ah.. um, kerry something...
I've just been doing a spot of autobiographical research and, despite being member #220 - considerably more 'original' than most of the contributors to discussion #1 - I did not submit my first comment until discussion #7, which means I had been lurking for over 3 weeks.
Did I really write that? Unfortunately, I'm good at remembering and poor at lying, so it's no use denying it.
I LOVE bodhrans. Whether one thinks they are proper for certain genres of ITM or not, I will not debate - that is a matter for ethnomusicologists and people who judge art.
I will opine that without the bodhran, that simple, subtle, eloquent, powerful, magnificent contraption, the loss to Irish music is beyond this man's calculation. It is part of the soul of Irish music, and a precious jewel in that crown of Celtic music.
Tradpiper is now operating under the name of jig, having posed for a short while as Mr. Smith. His level of self-aggrandisement and garbage remains the same.
“Jig” is certainly getting up to speed. His membership number is high (therefore recent). He's posted 5 discussions since September 1st, and 115 comments since his membership started. No tunes, recordings, events, sessions or links posted yet, but give the guy a chance
Ya kearn something new every day. It hadn't occurred to me that Jeremy assigned membership numbers before he opened the site to the rest of us to post tunes. But I used to check in each week to see what tune he had posted. Eventually, I started nagging him to let other people contribute tunes, too. I imagine several of us must have lobbied him without realizing the pandora's box we were toying with.
Johnny J, I'm still here, and I know even less than I did back then...
The "wild girl from Montreal, Kerri," came to Cornwall about a year ago and joined in our pub gig. She's grand. I have a photo of us wielding bottles of Doom Bar outside the Maltsters Arms at Chapel Amble. It don't get much better than that. I must write to her...
Earliest experiences of The Session?
Earliest experiences of The Session?
My first posts were in 2003 although I signed up much earlier than this in 2001 as my "1066" number indicates.
However, I came across an old tune print out today dating back to 1999. If I'm correct, the site as we know it today came into existence in 2001 although there was an earlier version for a few years before that.
What are your earliest memories and experiences of this site?
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Johannes J
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
In fact, you can gain some insight into the "early days" by reading the very first discussion after the site was revamped back in 2001.
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/1
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Johannes J
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
1999 that's so old skool. Maybe you could put it up on ebay as "memorabilia" and make some money off it.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Dow
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
The tune was "the Trip to Pakistan" and I can still "mess up" on the third part.
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/112
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Johannes J
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Don't worry about it. It's a bit like making a mess in a rubbish bin - nobody will notice.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Dow
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
I know. Just read your comments on the tune.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Johannes J
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Back in the old days *sigh* - I'm number 1623 - it was possible to read every post without making a full time job out of it. And people were still writing under their real names (ok, I can't stop mentioning it, I know it's boring).
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Henk Bos
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Here's a link to the web archive of the home page as it actually appeared that fateful day:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010610132141/www.thesession.org/discussions/index.php
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by fidkid
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Hmm. Just noticed it's not actually the very first day -- it's a few days later on the 9th.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by fidkid
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Whatever happened to this Will Harmon guy?
he seemed to know a thing or two..
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/Sylvester_J_Pussycat.png
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Johannes J
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Never heard of him. Maybe he has trans*mog*rified into something else....
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
And where's Zina these days ? Reverend, what did you do with her ? Or was it just you got the computer in the split ?
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Heh, my earliest experiences with thesession were lived vicariously through Zina. I was only playing guitar back then, and wasn't too interested in all this discussion - other than to hear about all the early drama that appeared on occasion. Zina still tells stories of how she and Will "danced around each other" in the early days, trying to figure out what the other person knew, and trying to discern if they liked each other or not.
And GP, Z is alive and well. The divorce wasn't so horrible that it turned me into a psycho killer or anything.
There were plenty of computers in the household to go around - multiple times even. But she is one of the many fine early members of the mustard board that lost interest due to some of the antics and politics of the site in general. She still lurks around the tune section on occasion, posting tunes, settings, and comments...
I have noticed that a number of the long-time members have become more jaded over the years, even if they still post. I wonder if this is due to the general hornets-nest nature of much of the discussion, or whether it's really that they've already discussed pretty much all of it ad nauseam over the years, and they got tired of posting links to old threads...
I didn't officially appear until around 2003, and my earliest discussions are laughable when I look back at them. In fact, Zina talked Jeremy into deleting my very first post, because I had said something pretty stupid. Nice to see that times have changed, eh?
Pete
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Reverend
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Note that this year, 2007, members are still posting to http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/1.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by lazyhound
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
I logged into The Session some time in summer 2006, as far as I can tell from my list of villainies here (History). It actually seems a good deal longer ago. I think the first thing I did was reply to the ends of threads that had long been laid in dust, their subjects having been gone over several times thereafter, or else been abandoned as irrelevant or boring.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by nicholas
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
I used to have a goal of learning every tune posted to The Session. I was dong pretty good when Jeremy posted a new tune every week. When he opened up to others posting, I got hopelessly behind. The Session is still my main source of new tunes outside real sessions. The links to which recordings each tune appears is a great resource. And, of course, I have learned a tremendous amout from the discussions. Thanks, Jeremy!
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Jiml
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
I love the discussions about the past and the future which have been going on on this site in the last few days....
For anyone who wants to revisit an old web site and see what it looked like try this wonderful site:
http://www.archive.org/web/web.php
it allows you to type in a URL and trawl their archives to see what the pages looked like way back in the early days. If you're really nerdy you can also find old web browsers and see what they looked like too - but can't remember where that site was...
Mark
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Mark Harmer
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Very very nifty indeed!
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Johannes J
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
You imagine these early pages being read in 1940s radio accents...
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by nicholas
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
What strikes me with discussion no.1 is that membership numbers go up above 900 for the very first thread. Did the database of tunes come first?
My first contact was probably through Google looking for a specific tune. Never looked back since
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by kuec
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
kuec, if you read Jeremy's post there, he talks about this being the "new" version of the site. It was different at the beginning, and it was primarily just the tune archive that Jeremy was putting together. The idea of letting other people post tunes was what spawned this incarnation of the site. So yes, there was a site before that "first thread".
It's fun reading through the first year of the archive, because there was a sense of wonder and almost giddiness about having a place to discuss things where it didn't turn into bickering the way the IR(ate)Trad list used to...
And look at us now...
Pete
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Reverend
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
dose anyone like bodhrans............ I check my spelling as much as possible now
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by Saint
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
hey Dow you are still here? cool!
i occasionally peruse the ol mustard board meself. do u still live in australia? do you still work at a desk?
i used to positively rant about tenor banjos. now, if pressed i will rant about small piano accordions
will harmon is a real person. Me and pete went to montana andwe stayed with some of his friends and had some fun sessions, with wild bears, forest fires and everything
now who was that really wild girl from montreal.. her name escapes me now , ah.. um, kerry something...
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by vboyd100
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
I'd second Reverend's comment - and it's quite fun to just type in a random number - eg
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/3400 or whatever (just try any number) - if you enjoy serendipity...
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by Mark Harmer
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
I've just been doing a spot of autobiographical research and, despite being member #220 - considerably more 'original' than most of the contributors to discussion #1 - I did not submit my first comment until discussion #7, which means I had been lurking for over 3 weeks.
Did I really write that? Unfortunately, I'm good at remembering and poor at lying, so it's no use denying it.
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by ragaman
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
"...discussion #7....I had been lurking for over 3 weeks."
In those days, it took 3 weeks for 7 discussions to be submitted.
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by ragaman
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Saint: Re. Bodhrans
I LOVE bodhrans. Whether one thinks they are proper for certain genres of ITM or not, I will not debate - that is a matter for ethnomusicologists and people who judge art.
I will opine that without the bodhran, that simple, subtle, eloquent, powerful, magnificent contraption, the loss to Irish music is beyond this man's calculation. It is part of the soul of Irish music, and a precious jewel in that crown of Celtic music.
How's that?
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by Rook
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
What hashappened to TradPiper/one /nine,has hebeen banned.
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by Rufus Jameson
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
His new username exceeded the maximum number of characters allowed.
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by ragaman
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
I've cried myself to sleep every night since he left us.
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by Dow
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
The salt water must play havoc with your keyboard, Dow.
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by ragaman
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
I thought Tradpipers main problem,was over enthusiasm about creating new posts,
he/and all his posts seems to have been exterminated completely.
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by Rufus Jameson
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Tradpiper is now operating under the name of jig, having posed for a short while as Mr. Smith. His level of self-aggrandisement and garbage remains the same.
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by Floss the Tethers
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
“Jig” is certainly getting up to speed. His membership number is high (therefore recent). He's posted 5 discussions since September 1st, and 115 comments since his membership started. No tunes, recordings, events, sessions or links posted yet, but give the guy a chance 
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by lazyhound
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Ya kearn something new every day. It hadn't occurred to me that Jeremy assigned membership numbers before he opened the site to the rest of us to post tunes. But I used to check in each week to see what tune he had posted. Eventually, I started nagging him to let other people contribute tunes, too. I imagine several of us must have lobbied him without realizing the pandora's box we were toying with.
Johnny J, I'm still here, and I know even less than I did back then...
# Posted on September 24th 2007 by Will CPT
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Will - You taught me everything I know. Let me know if you want lessons.
# Posted on September 24th 2007 by ragaman
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
Making an absolute, down-to-the-ground, horse's ar*se of myself.
# Posted on September 25th 2007 by grymater
Re: Earliest experiences of The Session?
The "wild girl from Montreal, Kerri," came to Cornwall about a year ago and joined in our pub gig. She's grand. I have a photo of us wielding bottles of Doom Bar outside the Maltsters Arms at Chapel Amble. It don't get much better than that. I must write to her...
# Posted on September 30th 2007 by Steve Shaw