Urban Tapestry practice

The drawings above and below were done for Illustration Friday. This week's topic: "Feet." If I wanted to spend more time on the drawing above, I'd do something more interesting for the ground...maybe a wooden floor with interesting wood textures, or stone.

Thanks so much for all the recording equipment advice, everyone! Looks like I'm pretty close to having everything I need to record, and gradually upgrade my equipment over time. Hoping to put everything together in time to be able to contribute a flute part to Seanan McGuire's new CD project; the CD sounds like it's going to be amazing, and I'd love to be a part of it.

Had a good practice the other day with Allison and Jodi. Just before they arrived, I was overwhelmed with a desire to try making chicken soup from scratch. I figured I needed chicken for that, so threw some chicken legs into a pot of water. Added chopped up onions, garlic, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme. Scooped off fat as the soup cooked, added creamed corn near the end as well as taking out the bones and leaving the chicken meat. Didn't turn out half-bad, and I still have lots of broth leftover to do more experimenting with.



We got a LOT of practising done that afternoon. Went over our concert set and did more work on Franklin's songs. I drew some props (yes, there are going to be props in our concert :-) while Allison and Jodi made Useful Suggestions and helped cut them out (the props, not the suggestions). We also learned two new songs (cover tunes) for performing in open filk if the opportunity arises. And possibly a third one that Allison says she'll only sing if it's very, very late at night. ;-)

Jodi brought highly addictive low-fat President's Choice rice and corn chips...my favourite was the Japanese Wasabi & Honey flavour. I must find some!

It's always a joy working with Allison and Jodi, I have to say. After working together for 13 years as Urban Tapestry, the three of us have a real chemistry based on a thorough knowledge of each other's strengths and weaknesses as well as the friendship we have with each other.

Little bickerings come up now and again just as they would in any family unit, but the love and respect we have for one another is the glue that holds everything together and fuels our music and performances. We don't work together to make/sell CDs or solely to perform...we're together because we enjoy hanging out AND making music together.

Anyway, after practising all afternoon, I made a scallop & shrimp stew from a Moosewood Cookbook, and we had key lime pie that Allison brought for dessert. Yum!

After dinner, I got a fire going in the fireplace and then we just sat in the living room and hung out for the rest of the evening. 'Twas a good get-together.

Less than two weeks until FilKONtario! Our concert with Franklin, by the way, is on Saturday from 4:15-5:15 pm.

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Need home recording advice!

The photo above was taken from Urban Tapestry's recording session in a Richmond Hill studio some years back, when we recorded vocal and flute parts to go on Chris Conway's Alien Abduction CD (you can hear my flute and Allison's and Jodi's vocals on the soundclip from Track 9: "Alien Jellyfish Song"). Chris Conway, by the way, will be the Guest of Honour at FilKONtario in just a couple of weeks!

The main focus of this Blathering is a plea for advice re: home recording. I've been asked to play flute on various recording projects over the years, sometimes with Urban Tapestry and sometimes on my own. I've done recordings in professional studios, home recording studios, hotel rooms during conventions, and friends' living rooms.

Most of these recording collab invites come from people in other countries. I'd really, really like to figure out a way I could do this sort of thing from my basement office with my laptop and high-speed connection. Far less hassle, money and time.

I've posted my details of my current set-up in my Livejournal, for those interested. If you have any experience with home recording, I'd very much appreciate your advice! Ideally, this set-up could eventually be used for recording future Urban Tapestry projects as well. Thanks in advance for any help.

Speaking of music, Allison and Jodi are coming over today in prep for our concert with Franklin at FilKONtario; Allison's on March Break, so Jodi and I are taking an afternoon off so we can get some solid time to practice. We all live far enough apart that when we meet on weeknights, we tend to spend more time commuting than we do in actual practice. I'm cooking Sicilian Seafood Stew tonight, a recipe from one of the Moosewood cookbooks.

Only 15 days until FilKONtario!

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Tranzac session Web site, community volunteering

Spent my weekend relaxing, but also doing some volunteer stuff for two communities I enjoy. One was the n'MC fundraising effort for the filk community, and the other was for the Tranzac music session I've been attending for the past year.

You can see a partial screenshot of the brand new Tranzacsession.org above.

My attitude about community volunteering is one of gratitude, not obligation. I've gotten so much joy out of the above-mentioned communities, so this is my way of giving back a little. I've also been inspired by the others in these communities who have already given and continue to give so much of their time for little or no monetary compensation.

My friend Lissa posted a wonderful LJ entry about thanking the volunteers in the UK filk community a while back. I've always been grateful to those on filk convention committees; I (totally) lack the skill set to help that way, so I volunteer other ways instead. Sometimes I have to say no because of other life obligations and commitments, but I help when I can.

I'd love to compile a "thank you" list like Lissa's for the North American filk community, but I suspect it would take far more e-mailing time than I have right now (if I want to get the n'MC t-shirt drawing finished by the deadline, that is :-)).

Instead, I invite anyone out there who has EVER helped out with a North American filk convention in any way (doesn't have to be just concom) to post the name of the convention(s) they've helped. Feel free to post the names of other volunteers you know about, if you'd like.

Thanks, for example, to the hardworking members of the FilKONtario concom committee:

Heather Borean - Publications, At-Con Registration
Dave Hayman - Chair, Treasurer, Pre-registration, Hall of Fame
Judith Hayman - Interfilk, On-line Publications, Hotel and Banquet Liaison
Sally Headford - Publications, At-Con Registration
Ken Lalonde - Recording & Sound, Con Dad
Sue Posteraro - Publications, Programming
Howard Scrimgeour - Ops/Sound, Volunteers
Peggi Warner-Lalonde - Guest Liaison, Dealers

Debbie

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Urban Tapestry and Franklin concert at FilKONtario!

(Above: Franklin, Allison, Jodi and me at Filkcontinental in Germany, with chocolate.)

Just found out it's okay to announce this: Urban Tapestry is going to be performing at FilKONtario in Toronto (Mar.31-Apr.2nd) in a joint concert with Frank ("Franklin") Gunkelmann, woohoo! This is our only confirmed public performance this year, and we're SO looking forward to it.

We had much fun in Germany with Franklin; see Allison's LJ entry. Our FKO concert will be partly Franklin, partly Urban Tapestry, and partly Urban Franklin (Franklin Tapestry? Other suggestions for our joint group name welcome!).

Thanks to the FilKONtario convention committee for this fun opportunity. Do consider coming to FKO if you haven't already, else you'll miss some great fun and music. AND a great line-up of guests:

Photo from Chris's site.	CHRIS CONWAY. I raved about him in a past Blathering. Unbelieveably talented, Chris is a full-time musician living in the UK and plays more instruments (and plays them WELL) than anyone else I know. He has recorded over 30 CDs. Urban Tapestry did some back-up on his "Alien Salad Abduction" CD. More info and soundclips on his Web site.
	TANYA HUFF. Author of numerous sf/fantasy novels including Smoke and Mirrors (came out from DAW last year), The Novels of Crystal series, Blood series, Keeper's Chronicles series, Quarters series, others. Tanya is now hooked on filking (yay!). I love her Pervy Hobbit song.
Photo by Rob Wynne	JUDI MILLER. Judi's signing has enhanced many filk performances in the past (both funny and serious); I was delighted to hear she was going to be an Interfilk guest at FKO! Judi is a teacher of the deaf in Columbus, OH.

You can find out more about the convention at the official FilKONtario Web site.

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babies and nMC and tunes

Congrats to Amanda and Scott Snyder on the birth of their son last night, William Arthur! As Scott posted in his LJ: "The Snyder family - now with 25 percent Canadian content!" (The Snyders used to live in the U.S. :-))

I've been having some good writing days. I can still write on bad writing days, but it's always more of an effort. On good writing days, the words just pour out and it's agony to have to take my regular arm breaks (but I still do since I don't want another tendinitis flare-up) because I hate interrupting the flow.

Heard back from the media company that bought my thyme cartoon; they're actively looking for cartoons on other topics, so I'm going to send them some more.



I'm also working on a fundraising t-shirt for FilKONtario and Interfilk; months ago, I was asked to do a cartoon portrait of 13 n'Early Music Consort members to put on a t-shirt that will be sold to help raise the money to get them to Toronto in 2007 for FKO. I've been having the darndest time trying to get headshot photos of some members of the group, however. To you UK filkers out there: if anyone has good, clear headshot pictures of the following n'MC members, pleasePLEASE let me know:

URGENT:
DJ Bass (Update: Thanks to Keris for pointing me to some photos!)
Simon Fairbourn (Update: Thanks to Katy for pointing me to a recent Simon photo I can use!)

WOULD BE NICE (newer members -- I don't have to add them to the t-shirt but would like to if possible):
Anna Raftery (Update: Thanks to Keris for pointing me to some photos!)
Elizabeth Fosbrooke-Brown
Tricia Williams

Another update: Yay, thanks to Rafe Culpin for the photos of DJ, Simon and Anna!

I really don't want to have to do this at the last minute, especially if it might interfere with my paying work or cause problems with my tendinitis (in which case I won't be able to do it at all). Thanks kindly.



Photos today are of snacks I bought in Pacific Mall a short while back. The green mushrooms and Feel Safari snacks were disappointing - not nearly as interesting as their packages made them out to be. The tiny fish, however, have been a favourite snack of mine since childhood. I used to pretend to be a giant, crunching their tiny little heads...yes, I know, what a horrible child.

Learned "Will You Come Home With Me" on my whistle. I updated my "tunes I've memorized" list, and have discovered that I've learned about 40 tunes in the past year, 46 in total. Some I can play without hearing the first few notes, some I play quickly and well, some very badly and slowly. I'm posting the list below, fyi. The odd combinations of letters and numbers is a highly mutated form of abc notation, to remind me of how each tune starts. The page numbers refer to various collections of mine, in case I need to look up the music.

I've been practising the tunes on this list as well as learning more from Mary's filk tune list and the Tranzac list.

DEBBIE'S LIST OF TUNES
(updated Jan.29/2006)

Apples In Winter - Miscp4
- dc BEE dEE BAG FEF
Austin Barrett's (Dusty Windowsills) - Miscp4
- A2B cBA eAB cBA
Ballydesmond #1 (polka) - Miscp1
- AB c2B2 A2GA Bded g2ed
Ballydesmond #2 (polka) - Miscp1
- EAAB cdef# G
Bank of Ireland (reel)
- cA AGA BGAG | EGDG EGDG
Boyne Hunt (reel)
- D F#A DA F#G | D F#A BE EDE |
Butcher's March - Miscp29 (follows Paidin O'Fairfearta)
- B ded BAB dBA A2B
Butterfly, The - Miscp3
- B2E G2E F3
Connaughtman's Rambles, The - Miscp5
- A | F#AA dAA | BAB dAA
Cooley's Reel (reel) - McCullp6
- EBBA B2Ba | B2BcdBAG |
Cow That Ate The Blanket - Miscp37
- A | B2A BGE | GAG GBd |
Denis Murphy (polka) - Miscp38
- f#gf#ed3b | ADF#A
Donegal Reel (reel) - MCullp5
- D2DE F#2F#A | BF#EF# BF#AF#
Drowsy Maggie (reel) - McCullp7
- E2BE dEBD | E2BE AF#DF#
Dunmore Lassies (reel) - Mcullp7
- EDEF# GF#GA | Be ede Be ede |
Dusty Miller #2 - Miscp5
- B2cd2bA2g | E2aA2BcBA
Earl's Chair (reel)
- B dBBDF#D | B dBBAF#B |
Egan's Polka (polka) - Miscp1
- fABA fABA d2ef medba
Fermoy Lassies (reel) - McCull p9
- BA | GE EDE BE EDE | GE EDE B2 BA |
Galway Rambler (reel)
- G2dG EGDG | G2dG AGEF# |
Ger the Rigger (polka) - Sull(2)p8
- e2A2 e2A2 | ef#ed C#2A# | d4 deF#g | a'2e2f#2e2
Green Fields of America (reel) - Miscp9
- c2ecB2dB | AGABAGEF | G2GEDEGd | AGABAGEG
Green Groves of Erin (reel)
- A2BA eABA | G2Bd gedB |
Harvest Home (reel) - Miscp11
- A | DAF#A DAF#A | def#e dc#BA | eAf#A gAf#A
John Ryan's (polka) - Miscp38
- d d Bc#dB | A F# E D | d d Bc#dB | D F# E2
Kesh, The - Miscp6
G3 GAB | ABA ABd | edd gdd | edB dBA
Maggie in the Woods - Miscp2
- G2D2G3A B2d2 E3
Maid in the Meadow (jig) - Miscp7
- cecBdB | AGABGE | DEGAGA | BdBAGE
Munster Buttermilk - Paddy Haverty's (jig) Miscp7
- d | gfgage | d2BBAB | d2BBAB | d2BBAB
Ms McLeod's Reel (reel) - McCull p7
- G2BG dGBA | G2BA BcBA
My Darling Asleep (jig) - McCullp27
- f#dd c#AA | BGB A2G | F#AA def# | gF#g e2g
Out on the Ocean - Miscp7
- E | DBBBAG | BdBABA | GEDG2A | BdBAGE
Peeler's Jacket (reel) - Miscp27 (followed by Red-Haired Lass)
- G2 BGDGBGFGABc
Paidin O'Raifearta's (jig) - Miscp8 (followed by Butcher's March)
- D GAB D2E GAB AGE
Rakes of Mallow - Miscp2
- D G2B2 G2B2 cBAG
Redhaired Lass - Miscp27 (follows Peeler's) - GE DGGFG2BG
- GE | DGGF# G2BG | G2BG AGEG |
Si Beag, Si Mhor - Miscp14
- de | f#3ed | d3ed | B4A | F##
Sixpenny Money - Miscp29
- f#AA F#AA | BAG F#GE | D3 AF#A | DF#D E2D
Sligo Maid (reel) - Miscp11
- D2BA Bdef# | gedB AGEF# |
St Mary's Polka (polka) / Paige's Polka
- GB A BA | Gg ef#ge
Sunny Banks (reel) - Misc40
- B | AF#F#2 d2c#A | Bc#dAF G B |
Swallowtail (reel)
- gf# | eA AGA eA AGA | Bcd ef# gedb
Thrush in the Straw (jig) - Miscp8
- d efg edB cBA
Tobin's (jig) - Miscp39
- DF# | DF#A dc#d | ec#A c#de |
Tripping Up The Stairs (jig) - McCullp37, Sull(1)p10
- F#AA GBB FAd FED
Will You Come Home With Me (jig) - Misc p40
- dge f#dc | BdB cAF | G3 AcA | G3

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