This past weekend we had a secret warm-up gig for the acoustic show. We served as the reception band for ND-cheerleader and all-around super guy Dr. Ryan Parks, which meant setting up our little travelling show in a large dining hall in a converted church.
I have to say it was both exhilarating and entirely terrifying. We were playing not only without the net of backing tracks, but also without any form of amplification or micing. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to command a room from a fiddle, and frankly never have I been expected to fill a room with just my voice. It ended up being a little mixed – between acoustics and normal dinner noise, a lot of our sound was swallowed up before it got past the first few tables, but the front rows said we sounded fine. Matt Fanale, promoter of the upcoming acoustic show, seemed pleased; that’s good as it’s his kiester on the line for the show.
It was fun, though. I didn’t get to move around as much as I normally do, being tethered to a violin and eventually a microphone, but I really got to belt it out. Dan, our most active member, must be dying having to sit still in a chair.
This is different, alright, but having this sort of leeway with the music is really helping the band cut through to the meat of the songs. It’s kinda neat.
And, of course, we’ve got a dual shout-out to the old-skool ND fans in the audience. The primary shoutout is obvious, the secondary one takes a good ear.