It seems like ten times or more in the past few months, someone I know has asked me "when is your band playing?" Despite the fact that I'm not in a band and don't "gig." I explain what a session is, and next week, they ask the same question as if I were touring. It's weird. Anybody else have this experience?
And I have the solution too - form a band. At this point they stop asking, either because when they do you can bore them with the minutiae of p.a. and acoustics and all that, or because its no fun now that you don't deny it.
Yes...and they always want the band to come and play for their party or something. It's no good explaining, you just have to "remember" something important you have to do and run.
This happens to me every week when I go to play skittles, each time I'm asked how my band is, each time I have to explain that I'm not in a band & describe an Irish session knowing full well that they're not very interested and will have forgotten by next week, where we'll go through the whole process again.
I've even been in a large session of some 20 or so people, in what to me seems like an obvious informal session (eg. lots of talking between tunes .Shaking hands/ introductions between people who've never met before etc.)
Then someone from the 'audience' (listeners) comes up and says "What's the name of the band?" !
They are then amazed that you havn't all met up sometime previously in some practice room to prepare for what they perceive to be the 'gig' (public performance).
I'ts all very amusing - however, I guess it can be baffling to someone new to the concept of 'the session' - with all the benefits of the common (if rather large) repertoire of ITM.
It's always great when people you barely know and have never actually turned up to your session, ask would u do them a favour and play at their wife's surprise birthday blah blah. What sort of favour could be asked for in return?
I've told this story here before.
However, several years ago(well over 20) in Sandy Bells there was incident when a customer was quite seriously assaulted. I must state this isn't the norm there then or now!
Anyway, the police who attended took statements from several of the musicians and "worded them" in their own style(They're not allowed to do this now). They all started off to the effect. "I am a member of a group called "The Session" and every Friday night we play in Sandy Bells Bar". Now, the poor Police officers obviously just couldn't understand the concept of a session. Obviously, they asked "What's the name of your band?" and were told "Oh, it's just the session" or words to that effect.
Yes, but mostly from people who are not my friends--if you have been my friend for any length of time, you have gotten "briefed in" on the details of my musical obsession.
I think this goes along with someone mentioned in another thread recently, the mistaken belief that ordinary people do not have musical abilities and cannot play for their own enjoyment, as if music was something to be consumed, not shared and participated in. That is why I hate the new business term for music, movies, etc--they call it "content" as if it were some sort of commodity.
If we could infect more people with our love of participating in music, and remind people that folk music is for folks, the world would be a better place.
So here was this big room full of (mostly) college students auditioning for the oom-pah band, the big band dance show, costumed characters, etc. and over in the corner were the Irish musicians, only two of whom had met each other before, much less played together. But there were enough of us to have a great session while we waited... and waited... and waited. After a couple of hours, someone with a clipboard came out and asked us "how long has your band been playing together?"
"Oh, about two hours," we said.
"No, I mean, how long has the band been together?"
"Oh, about two hours."
"You mean you're not a band?"
"No, we just met each other here."
"You mean you aren't a band? But we ... but you ... how do you ..."
Then Clipboard-guy just shook his head and went away.
In the end, they said they decided to hire musicians and dancers from Ireland.
“If we could infect more people with our love of participating in music, and remind people that folk music is for folks, the world would be a better place.”
Ain’t you right!
“That is why I hate the new business term for music, movies, etc--they call it "content" as if it were some sort of commodity.”
That really chaps my asp. I remember a comment from an Internet mogul in the early days of the net boom, something like, “Well, we’ve got this great new medium with endless potential. Now all we need is some content providers.”
Yeah, just send the gopher guy down to Wal-Mart for some discount cultural content.
There have been up to three sessions a week here in Bloomington for some years now, so the concept of sessions isn't quite as foreign as elsewhere. The bluegrassers (our numerous musical 'cousins' insist on calling us a "jam session" but that's ok. So we don't hear the dumbest questions about band-ness as often as we used to.
The last time we changed the location of our session, we made up these little 'table tents,' folded pieces of paper with some color around 'em and the short version of the definition of an Irish session.
We put these on the tables the first few times we met there, and after a while the staff had the speech down, and many of the gang picked it up, too, so we didn't have to do it much any more.
And, several of our session folks have
bands too, and do weddings and events, so when the questions come they can be met with, 'Sure, what's your event? How much do you want to pay?' and so on. <GGG>
Come to think of it, most of the folks who come up to the circle to ask about the music really want to talk about it, and will continue a nice conversation, and are eager to learn...
When people come up to me and ask about our "band" I usually tell them it's not a "band" and we're just playing tunes for the fun of it. I tell them to imagine that we're playing cards, or putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The image of us sitting around the table holding cards or pieces of a puzzle seems to do the trick.
I am in a band too. But everyone's moved, and we only meet at the gigs. It's too far to travel for fun.
So I have sessions as well.
Liked the Williamsburg story. LOL
Do your friends think you are in a band?
Do your friends think you are in a band?
It seems like ten times or more in the past few months, someone I know has asked me "when is your band playing?" Despite the fact that I'm not in a band and don't "gig." I explain what a session is, and next week, they ask the same question as if I were touring. It's weird. Anybody else have this experience?
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by wormdiet
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
Yes.
And I have the solution too - form a band. At this point they stop asking, either because when they do you can bore them with the minutiae of p.a. and acoustics and all that, or because its no fun now that you don't deny it.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by showaddydadito
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
Yes...and they always want the band to come and play for their party or something. It's no good explaining, you just have to "remember" something important you have to do and run.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by JerryH
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
This happens to me every week when I go to play skittles, each time I'm asked how my band is, each time I have to explain that I'm not in a band & describe an Irish session knowing full well that they're not very interested and will have forgotten by next week, where we'll go through the whole process again.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by farmer barleymow
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
I've even been in a large session of some 20 or so people, in what to me seems like an obvious informal session (eg. lots of talking between tunes .Shaking hands/ introductions between people who've never met before etc.)
Then someone from the 'audience' (listeners) comes up and says "What's the name of the band?" !
They are then amazed that you havn't all met up sometime previously in some practice room to prepare for what they perceive to be the 'gig' (public performance).
I'ts all very amusing - however, I guess it can be baffling to someone new to the concept of 'the session' - with all the benefits of the common (if rather large) repertoire of ITM.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by Col Arco
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
It's always great when people you barely know and have never actually turned up to your session, ask would u do them a favour and play at their wife's surprise birthday blah blah. What sort of favour could be asked for in return?
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by copo24
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
I've told this story here before.
However, several years ago(well over 20) in Sandy Bells there was incident when a customer was quite seriously assaulted. I must state this isn't the norm there then or now!
Anyway, the police who attended took statements from several of the musicians and "worded them" in their own style(They're not allowed to do this now). They all started off to the effect. "I am a member of a group called "The Session" and every Friday night we play in Sandy Bells Bar". Now, the poor Police officers obviously just couldn't understand the concept of a session. Obviously, they asked "What's the name of your band?" and were told "Oh, it's just the session" or words to that effect.
This is a true story. I read the police report.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by Johannes J
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
The few who aren't musicians often ask "what is the name of your band?" and don't really understand what we do. The rest understand it.
Unfortunately, some of the members of the session seem to think we're a band and often act that way by pursuing gigs and advertising us that way.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by Crysania
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
Yes, but mostly from people who are not my friends--if you have been my friend for any length of time, you have gotten "briefed in" on the details of my musical obsession.
I think this goes along with someone mentioned in another thread recently, the mistaken belief that ordinary people do not have musical abilities and cannot play for their own enjoyment, as if music was something to be consumed, not shared and participated in. That is why I hate the new business term for music, movies, etc--they call it "content" as if it were some sort of commodity.
If we could infect more people with our love of participating in music, and remind people that folk music is for folks, the world would be a better place.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by AlBrown
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
"folk music is for folks"
A lady singer once corrected a record producer by reminding him that folk music was music OF the folk.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by oldstrings
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
"some of the members of the session seem to think we're a band"
Isn't it then understandable that the public would think the same?
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by oldstrings
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
In a weak moment, I answered an audition call for Irish musicians for "Ireland" at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg VA. http://www.buschgardens.com/buschgardens/va/ama_ireland.aspx
So here was this big room full of (mostly) college students auditioning for the oom-pah band, the big band dance show, costumed characters, etc. and over in the corner were the Irish musicians, only two of whom had met each other before, much less played together. But there were enough of us to have a great session while we waited... and waited... and waited. After a couple of hours, someone with a clipboard came out and asked us "how long has your band been playing together?"
"Oh, about two hours," we said.
"No, I mean, how long has the band been together?"
"Oh, about two hours."
"You mean you're not a band?"
"No, we just met each other here."
"You mean you aren't a band? But we ... but you ... how do you ..."
Then Clipboard-guy just shook his head and went away.
In the end, they said they decided to hire musicians and dancers from Ireland.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by Tracie
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
I am in a band. As for favours in return Copo, start at about £200.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by bodhran bliss
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
What are friends?
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by Phantom Button
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
“If we could infect more people with our love of participating in music, and remind people that folk music is for folks, the world would be a better place.”
Ain’t you right!
“That is why I hate the new business term for music, movies, etc--they call it "content" as if it were some sort of commodity.”
That really chaps my asp. I remember a comment from an Internet mogul in the early days of the net boom, something like, “Well, we’ve got this great new medium with endless potential. Now all we need is some content providers.”
Yeah, just send the gopher guy down to Wal-Mart for some discount cultural content.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by Bob himself
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
When someone asks the name of your band, simply reply, "The Chieftains. Why?"
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by Ailin
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
There have been up to three sessions a week here in Bloomington for some years now, so the concept of sessions isn't quite as foreign as elsewhere. The bluegrassers (our numerous musical 'cousins' insist on calling us a "jam session" but that's ok. So we don't hear the dumbest questions about band-ness as often as we used to.
The last time we changed the location of our session, we made up these little 'table tents,' folded pieces of paper with some color around 'em and the short version of the definition of an Irish session.
We put these on the tables the first few times we met there, and after a while the staff had the speech down, and many of the gang picked it up, too, so we didn't have to do it much any more.
And, several of our session folks have
bands too, and do weddings and events, so when the questions come they can be met with, 'Sure, what's your event? How much do you want to pay?' and so on. <GGG>
Come to think of it, most of the folks who come up to the circle to ask about the music really want to talk about it, and will continue a nice conversation, and are eager to learn...
stv
http://cdbaby.com/Culchies
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by stv culchie
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
When people come up to me and ask about our "band" I usually tell them it's not a "band" and we're just playing tunes for the fun of it. I tell them to imagine that we're playing cards, or putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The image of us sitting around the table holding cards or pieces of a puzzle seems to do the trick.
# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by Phantom Button
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
That's a really good analogy. . .
# Posted on February 4th 2006 by wormdiet
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
I am in a band too. But everyone's moved, and we only meet at the gigs. It's too far to travel for fun.
So I have sessions as well.
Liked the Williamsburg story. LOL
# Posted on February 4th 2006 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Do your friends think you are in a band?
I'm in a band, and people at the gigs ask me: when's the next sesssion?
# Posted on February 7th 2006 by fer