bacon May 24th, 2007
Here is a set of tunes that the Mariners are expecting to play in Switzerland this summer. I put together this recording as a reference track for them.
The title comes from our St. Patrick’s Day tradition of cooking breakfast in the parking lot outside of Rudy’s in New Haven before the parade. Good times.
I learned both of the tunes off a Kevin Crawford album called In Good Company.
He actually plays them in different sets on the album. The first is called The First Pint. I believe the second is called Mouse in the Mug.
I don’t own a bodhran so the percussion in the second tune is me tapping the back of my guitar.
Breakfast at Rudy's [2:20m]:
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bacon May 23rd, 2007
On top of being phenomenal musicians the Swiss Mariners have a flair for graphic design. Here is the new poster they’ve created for our upcoming concert in Switzerland.
bacon May 21st, 2007
I was going through my files and found this rough cut that I recorded a month or two ago. I learned this tune from Lunasa’s Otherworld album.
Incidentally, this 1999 album was one of Green Linnet’s fasted selling albums. Also, on their web site you can listen to the track. They happen to call the tune the Butlers of Glen Avenue but I prefer the title The Roaring Bar Maid.
In any case, I don’t have any real plans for recording a more polished version of this tune. I was just experimenting with the guitar and trying to get it to sound decent with my recording equipment. I just happened to use this tune for the experiment.
The Roaring Bar Maid [2:01m]:
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bacon May 21st, 2007
O.k., a new high def TV and a vacation have stolen me away from blogging in the last two weeks. I know, I know. Lame. The upside is that I have been productive in the Pigtown Fling Studio (the new name I’m giving to my studio space). I have been working on a march called I’ll Mend Your Pots and Kettles ‘O. I learned this tune from the playing of Jimmy Marshall, an accordion player from Worcester, MA, though originally from Ireland. Jimmy and his brother Eamon, who often plays at John Stone’s, have both been playing the accordion since they were children. They are close in age and Eamon is retired, so I suspect they have been playing for fifty-plus years apiece. They are both great and a wealth of tunes.
I started playing this tune on the guitar about a year ago. I always envisioned a nice harmony part to it. In this recording I experimented with using the penny whistle as a melody and using the flute for second and third voice harmonies. I rewrote the arrangement several times before I was happy. In addition, I recorded it three different times in the last two weeks. I have had a lot of fun with both the arrangement and experimenting with how to get a good recording of my guitar. Where I am at with this version is the guitar track is made up of four tracks. On the first two tracks I played identical part and panned one track all the way left and the other all the way right. I then played a melody track that is an octave up and sits in the middle. Lastly I added some light harmonics on the B part.
I also added a snare drum and a bass drum to the mix in one version. Unfortunately I do not really have any decent drums to play on and, oh yeah, I really suck at drumming. For the snare I used an old Eames Drum that my Grandfather gave to me when I was a child. All the snares were off it and I had to jury-rig them back on just to do the recording. It needs a lot of work. The bass drum is a real quality instrument. I found it at the local dump. It is a Magnum ProSound and is part of a children’s drum set. It has that great ringing quality that shouts out, ‘hey, I’m cheap, I’m plastic, but I’m guaranteed to drive your parents nuts!’. My wife was thrilled with this find.
Together the two sound like I’m beating a bag of wet bananas. Good enough for me. It gave me an idea of what a drum track might sound like. I will have to solicit the help of Captain Dan, Biscuits McGillicudy or some of my other drummer friends if I really want to make the drumming work.
Below is the version without the drums. I would love to hear what people think about adding drums. Should they be included on the track or should I nix ‘em?
I'll Mend Your Pots and Kettles 'O [2:27m]:
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I'll Mend Your Pots and Kettles 'O - w/Drums [2:27m]:
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bacon May 8th, 2007
I know, your thinking, ‘Ghezzz, I had no idea Einstein played the bouzouki’. Well, neither did I. But surer than shaving cream he sits in on our session every Tuesday evening at John Stone’s. He, of course, goes by the alias George and will not show me the time warping vehicle he used to propel himself into the present, but I can assure you, here he is. You can see for yourself on his MySpace page where he is seen playing the guitar and includes a few great tunes he wrote.
Einstein … err…George, or as I like to call him, Mustachio, wrote this beautifully mellow tune called Anna’s Dream, which he has graciously allowed me to include on my site.
You can hear more of Mustachio’s playing on a real nice album called The Artery Project. He is the one standing in the middle but since the picture is so small you’ll have to trust me on this one.
Someday, if we are lucky, we may hear Einstein in a Plùc recording (we convinced him to join the band). Until then, come on down to Stone’s for a pint and a glimpse of the genius himself.
Anna's Dream [3:11m]:
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bacon May 2nd, 2007
Mash-ups are all the rage when it comes to web sites. But the idea is not new. People have been taking disparate ideas and mashing, morphing and munging them since the dawn of gray matter.
Well, last night I was morphed, munged and maybe a little mashed. I’m pretty excited about it. My friend Luke found the Screaming Wretch, which Plùc now refers to as Touretts Jig, and molded it into an electronic wonderland. Luke’s instrument, you see, is the computer and with tools like Reason from Propellerhead Software he can make just about any sound he would like.
Within a few hours Luke worked my wretched melody into something entirely new and exciting. He is, of course, very self deprecating about his talents and quips that I was only ‘mildly amused’ when he told me that he was playing around with the tune. This, of course, is a bold faced lie that, in time, I might forgive. Apparently he did not want the fact of my elation get in the way of his good story.
In any case, check it out. Screaming Wretch Redux (Tribal Bacon Mix!) by Luke Stark. It rocks!
Screaming Wretch Redux (Tribal Bacon Mix!) [2:04m]:
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bacon May 1st, 2007
I just had this picture sent to me of the Roman theater in which the Ancient Mariners will be performing later this summer.
Doesn’t that look cool! I can’t wait.
Here is the translated advertisement they are running in Basel:
Picnic with Heroes
Tuesday, 14. August 2007 7:30 PM
Swiss Mariners
The concerts of the Swiss Mariners in the Roman theater In Augusta Raurica are unforgettable. The oldest Drum and Fife Corps outside the USA with their traditional American Drum and Fife Medleys will return to the walls of the Roman Theater as to say “back to the roots”.
I’m not really sure I get the heroes bit, but that’s O.k., it is cool anyhow.
Here it is in German if you’re interested:
Picknick mit Helden
Dienstag, 14. August 2007 19.30 Uhr
Swiss Mariners
Die Auftritte der Swiss Mariners im Römischen Theater in Augusta Raurica sind unvergessen. Jetzt kehrt das älteste Drum and Fife Corps ausserhalb der USA mit seinen traditionellen amerikanischen Trommel- und Pfeifer-Melodien in die römischen Mauern zurück – und damit «back to the roots».
