Skotsko II

We got safely home Sunday, with various degrees of tiredness and hangover – not just from the whiskey and cider and copious quantities of “Best” brew, but also from the experience of travel and performance. Our last show in Greenock (former sugar capital of Europe in the 18th century – where all the British West Indies molasses came to be processed into sugar) had 11 attendees; even if the theater had been packed, though, it would have been tough. I was having trouble mustering the energy and attention to simply keep on playing.

It was a lovely trip, and was very interesting to see the Scottish bluegrass scene. They’re a country about half the size of Czech Republic…and apparently have about 3 bands who play on a reasonable level.  But there is a lot of activity – part of which is the annual visits of top euro and US bands.  So the small community  bluegrassers isn’t getting much younger, but at least they’re enjoying some fine concerts along the way.  Brings up interesting questions of sustainability.

for more photos, see:    www.flickr.com/photos/blidgood

Many thanks to the community there, especially John Sheldon (tireless organizer and expediter) and Alec Rennie, who hosted Vita and I in his home, and fed us spectacular breakfasts and tea.

popmuzeum

2008-4-16

The requirement for this afternoon was something fun that was marginally related to my work. So Em and I went to the pop muzeum, an organization motivated by Czech pop music scholarship godfather Aleš Opekar, who I interviewed in 2002 about country, etc. … and it just happens to be in our Praha 6 neighborhood, in the basement of the former Kulturni Dum “u Kast’anu.”

On their web site I saw that they are carrying out some detective work, and – like I do – are farming it out to web readers – here’s the link and blurb:

The Matadors – can you help fans in Czech Republic?
We have 3 mystery tracks of this legendary Czech group from 1966, but we don’t have know where the originals are from. Singer is Czech who didn’t know English well.
His English is something like “czenglish”, so only the melodies (tunes) are a clue (guidepost).
If you think you know, please write your suggestions to info@popmuseum.cz.

Come on, pop knowledge-ists – help a brother out.

PS – In addition to an informative exhibit on the Czech new wave of the 1980s, illustrating the last gasps of a governmental ideological/aesthetic control apparatus, there’s a stage setup of instruments that are turned on and ready to play….we had fun:

The Project Arrives

2008-3-1

I’d heard that Hickory Project were coming to Praha, but it didn’t register with anything other than the recollection that we had seen them perform on stage at the La Roche EWOB last summer, and that I had jammed with the fiddler and Jirka Kralik at a cafe on a late evening that weekend.
Then suddenly it was March 1, and they played that night in Klub Mlejn, way down south somewhere in panelak-land, and Jirka mentioned that he was hosting the Project that day.  So I called and sked what they were up to: “We’re going down in to the center to be tourists – want to come?”
So I spend the day with the boys and Sue – and the surprise guest, Lily Pavlak, provocateuse and promoter of US bands in Europe and vice versa for a while now.  She has mainly retired from managing tours, but was along for the ride this time to translate for the German driver (who seemed to manage the Czech just fine, and english – he ordered skilfully at lunch, and ended up with a gigantic platter of tasty ribs.  dang.)

We had a good time, what with the ribs and all, and it was fun to get to know the group a bit more.  Czechs (and other, I guess) will be interested to note that Sue and David from THP (fiddle and banjo, and perhaps other instruments are up there as well) are offering online lessons (for free!) at music moose .
Check it out!  (and let me know what you think – I’ll get around to it one of these days…)
The day’s highlight for me was playing with the crew on stage at Klub Mlejn.  IThe four fiddle thing wasn’t all that successful, at least as far as playing at the same time …but trading licks and solos with these folks was fun.