Posts Tagged music

Aside from my raging head cold and less-than-stellar airplane service, it was a darn nice trip. We performed at the College of St. Mary’s as part of heritage week. The college was founded by the Sisters of Mercy, who were founded by Catherine McCauley, who was Irish.

The audience was right there with us, singing up a storm, just the way we like it. Bill, our guide and ride, put us up in an A+ hotel and showed us a few of the sights on our drives to and from the airport, venue and hotel. He even drove us over the Missouri River into Iowa at my request, so I could hum that line from “Shenandoah.” You know, “across the wide, Missouri.” Well, I thought it was cool.

Virgil and Terry, our sound and light folks, whom Dave knew from his last trip to this venue, were absolutely world class. The lights were snazzy, the sound was strong and clear and their utili-kilts were an authentic touch. Linda was there to document the whole thing, too. Thanks very much. They also provided unrivaled hospitality in the green room.

Dave was chosen for “additional screening” by the TSA when we checked into Logan Airport in Boston. That meant myself and Jake had to get searched, too, since we were traveling together. What is it about bass players?

When we were on the plane, they announced there’d be a delay because the cargo hatch was stuck shut. We could see our checked case, with our merchandise, sitting on the cart out the window. As the minutes ticked away it looked like we’d miss our connection in Milwaukee. Then they had us get off the plane. They said they’d send us on an alternate route to Nebraska via Washington, D.C. While we waited for them to give us new tickets, Jake, our road manager, threw his Milwaukee to Omaha boarding pass in the garbage. Then, they announced the cargo hatch was fixed, so we should get back on the plane. He had to fish his ticket out of the can.

It still took forever to get off the ground. When we landed in Milwaukee, we only had minutes to get to the next flight. We raced off the plane as fast as we could, heeding neither toddler nor senior citizen. Breathless, we asked the guy at the ticket counter where our next plane was.

“Omaha?” he asked.

“Yes,” we said in three part unison.

“Have a seat. It’ll be boarding in just a few minutes,” he said blithely, waving his hand towards the plane we  just got off.

Yep. The same plane was going all the way to Omaha, so there was no real way we could have been late for it. Such are the shenanigans associated with air travel theses days.

The flights home were much less eventful — except for one very snooty flight attendant who made sure we were aware he was doing us a favor, letting Dave and me take our instruments aboard, even though they fit very nicely in the overhead bin. At that point, with my head cold and repeated (re)pressurizations, I couldn’t hear much. I said thank you and ordered a Diet Pepsi.

- TROY.

The brand new gazebo was like a palace. The duck pond was lovely and full of ducks. The folks came out with their lawn chairs and blankets. They clapped, they sang along and they looked darned good doing it. Troy kicked a soccer ball around with a kid while Dave toiled away, setting up all the wires and speakers. Then the sky graced us with late summer pinks and oranges. The show ended. It got dark and Dave and Troy were carried away by bloodthirsty, vampire skeeters. If you see them, please help them find their way to the next show.

The Black Bear Cafe: An Irish Pub in Naples, Maine is our new home on Friday nights. John and Susan Bohill run a great place serving breakfast, lunch and dinner — as well as a great pint of Guinness. They opened the cafe in 2006 and the food is incredible. We’re going to have fun working our way through the menu!

John, had been in the restaurant business in Massachusetts in the 70’s and 80’s, and before that in Ireland. Susan’s father had a restaurant in Miami, Florida, the Big Fish, and while she only ate the food there, was always inspired and nourished by the hospitality and fine food.

While playing for the good folks at the Newfie Picnic, Troy and Dave were “Screeched In” by the ex-patriot Newfoundlaners. It was a surprise and a great honor. Thanks folks!

Troy and Dave check their watches while Hook waits for an update.

The June deadline has come and gone. July is rolling mightily along. Now it looks like August is the target. All Tracks are done. All the mixing is mostly, maybe done. Mastering comes next. Photos have been taken and chosen. The jacket design has been started. A working title has been agreed upon. It won’t be long now, it won’t be long now, it won’t be long now. We promise.

Dave and I will be back in the studio Wednesday to work on our new (first) album. We’ve got most of the basic tracks laid down already, but sometimes a funny thing happens on the way to the record store. By the time you’re almost done, some of the early-recorded songs start to take on a slightly different arrangement when you play them live. They sound better, fresher the way you do them now. You get the urge to record them again. After all, you want your best work immortalized on a disc. Right?

I guess that’s a good sign. It means we’re evolving and getting better as we go. We’re growing as a musical act. But it doesn’t help us get the CD finished and out to the folks who, we hope, are itching to buy one.

So, we’ll get some fresh coffee brewed, have a seat in the studio and have a good listen to what we’ve done so far. Then we’ll have to decide what’s good to go, and what can be done better — what’s got room to grow and what has reached its potential.

Then there’s the songs we haven’t even laid down for a first time!

TRB

Slate's in Hallowell (photo by Fred Field)

HALLOWELL — On the evening of Monday, May 17, Celtic and Maritime music will be in the air at Slates Restaurant as The Squid Jiggers duo makes its debut concert appearance.

The duo — musician/entertainers,Dave Rowe and Troy R. Bennett — took its name from the A.R. Scammell song “Squid Jigging Ground,” a depiction of fishing for squid in the waters off Newfoundland.

Rowe grew up on the Maine music scene, learning the trade literally at the feet of his late father, Tom, while the elder Rowe was traveling the country playing bass guitar with Schooner Fare. Starting out as a young roadie and coffee gofer for his dad, Rowe began playing professionally as a bassist at age 15. In 1993, the Rowe men formed a duo, which eventually became known as Turkey Hollow when Denny Breau joined.

With Tom’s passing in 2004, Dave formed the Dave Rowe Trio, with which he continues to tour as lead vocalist and guitarist. With the formation of The Squid Jiggers, Dave comes full circle, picking up his father’s trademark bass guitar and playing many of the songs he heard Schooner Fare perform so many years ago.

“It’s a lot of fun getting into these old songs that are so much a part of who I am as a musician,” said Rowe.

Bennett started out playing and touring with the Irish band Rakish Paddy from the Portland area. After leaving Rakish Paddy, he tried out the gypsy life, traveling Europe with a guitar and busking on street corners for some extra cash. On his return to the States, he started a Celtic duo called Bailey’s Mistake as well as the Half Moon Jug Band, a high-octane folk group specializing in new uses for kazoos and banjos. The Half Moon Jug Band continues to tour extensively across New England.

The show, part of the Slates Monday Night Concert Series, will begin at 8:15 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door and by calling 622-9575.