Notes From the Road - November 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012 at 05:25PM I just finished a two week tour with Cliff Eberhardt (www.cliffeberhardt.net), promoting our All Wood and Doors CD. We had not played together since the previous June at the Seldovia Music Festival.
To prepare, I got out the CD and played and sang my parts every day for two weeks. Just once thru the CD every day to put the muscle memory into place. I have discovered that, for me, playing an hour everyday is more beneficial than playing seven hours once a week. It is important to play your instrument every day; keeps up the callouses, the muscles, and the flexibility.
We realized after our first date, that we really needed to practice together, so we took advantage of the four day hole we had in our schedule and practiced all the songs everyday. I wanted to do several hours a day, but Cliff's schedule would not permit it.
Finally, last Tuesday we began the second week of the tour, performing at the Living Room in New York City. We were part of the Under the Radar program that John Platt hosts for WFUV. We shared the evening with Louise Mosrie and Beth Wood, who traded songs the first hour.
We played to a standing room only crowd and our show was truncated but very fun and very well received.
The next night at WICN for Nick DiBiasio's show, we had a room full of friends and fans and we were better than Tuesday night. But then we had a long tedious drive from New York to Northampton and then a drive to Worcester for Nick's show. I felt tired on Thursday and somehow our Thursday show did not gel for me and i determined to be more rested and prepared for Friday's show.
And we were.
We finally hit our stride on Friday night, and did a truly wonderful show. After all it was our fifth show in a row and we began to relax into the music, which allowed our comedic natures to surface. All new comedy, spontaneous and joyous just fell out of us.
The standing ovation, encore and brisk CD sales was proof positive that we had hit that stride.
It is important to recognize that, when touring, it is going to take you a little while to settle in to working with each other, trusting each other and letting it flow.
That is why it is important when putting together a tour, you make certain that you don't perform in a place like New York City until you have worked out the kinks. Put together some dates in out of the way places that are not likely to be reviewed in major media.
You will be so glad that you did. And then make certain that the tour goes on for a while after you hit that stride.
My one regret regarding this latest tour is that we hit our stride and then there were no more dates. I am off for the rest of the year from performing. Just as we really began to click.
Now I am back in the studio with John Batdorf working on All Wood and Stones, Part 2. I will also be producing several other acts and not going back on the road til January.
Reader Comments (2)
I actually heard the WICN show, and you two sounded pretty "on" to me. You and Cliff are very funny together, and the laughs were almost as good as the music. (Note...ALMOST!)
John has been mentioning AWAS2. I know it will be a terrific album, but I'd buy it just to hear you two do "Jumpin' Jack Flash" :)
You bring up two very important subjects Mr. James:
1) The frequency and length of practice...I had a wonderful guitar teacher when I was in college tell me that to practice more than a half hour or so is counter productive cos the brain can't take in any more information than about a half hour's worth...Besides 7 hours one day a week will just get you an injured hand like me...(It has finally stablized and healed 99% percent...I still dont know what was wrong cos I'm still waiting on an appt...I adore modern medicine)
2) You brought up sleep...You very well may already know this but maybe someone hasnt...When you follow a period of study with sleep you will retain alot more then if you practiced and then went onto another activity...i'm thinking it might have something to do with relaxing before you go to sleep...btw lily Tomlin said in one of her one woman shows: "Why do we always have to try harder? Why can't we try SOFTER?"...After alot of vocal problems that I've gone on and on about...and being told that my services as a student in the music program were no longer needed...I went home and retaught myself how to sing...I started of with just an engaged relaxed ee for about fifteen minutes...i sang abit later and my voice had opened up in a way that I had never experienced......All these hours of practicing bringing me nothing but sore throats...and fifteen minutes of easy warming up...voila...i learned my lesson...So that's my two cents...