PARF: Pirate Weekend (wknd 7)

Arrrrr, me hearties, this be Pirate Weekend!

OK, I'll stop talking like a pirate now. Although, since it's after midnight and it's September 19, today is the official "Talk like a Pirate Day". Technically, I should talk like a pirate, ye scurvy dogs!

Yeah, I'll stop now.

So, Pirate Weekend. This was only a few days ago, so I have a much better recollection of this weekend. First, let me tell you about the weather. The weather was PERFECT. Low-to-mid 70's. No rain. Warm in the sun, pleasantly cool in the shade. Perfect.Faire.Weather. I would love for the rest of the season at PARF to be like this (or cooler!).

Second, let me tell you about my migraines. There were none. Yeah, you read that right. For the first time all season I didn't have a migraine during the course of the weekend. It was crazy awesome.

Third, let me tell you about my fiddle.  Jimmy is quite the old-man fiddle, and I can't see that all the out-door playing is doing him any good. He's officially (for me) retired to in-door only play Thus, there was a new-to-me fiddle that I had to break in.  The new fiddle is a blondie (which is odd). The fiddle is decidedly male, and to quote my friend Duglas, "it's a teen-age boy".  I'm not sure of the new fiddle's name, but "Thistle" seems prominent. I'll try to get some pics posted by next weekend.

Fourth, let me tell you about pretentious cheese. Pretentious cheese is one of my favourite parts of the day. It's held every weekend (both days) at Up Your Kilt/As You Like It. There is fruit. There are veggies. There is bread. There are pickles. There is (pretentious) cheese. Lordy, is there cheese. This particular weekend, there was also cake, as it was the Mistress of the Shop's birthday. So.Much.Cake. So.Much.Cheese.  This particular weekend was highly amusing, as my sweet daughter trundled into Up Your Kilt/As You Like It at the end of the day with her Papa and said to the Master of the shop, "Is this pretentious cheese?"  Yeah, that's my daughter!

Speaking of my child, she visited me at the Pubsing. I have so much fun playing on stage and watching her. All she wanted to do was come up on the stage with me and the rest of the musicians, but did not. She danced around, sang, and waved at me. She was adorable. Of course, I am hugely biased.

Going back to the weekend, it really was grand.  The shows on the Rose Stage went well, as did my sets at the Gazebo. It felt like the patrons were really drawn to the music this weekend. I can't count the number of children who came up to me, transfixed. There were adults as well, who seemed to be touched by the music. It was quite magical.

The fiddle performed well. I had a grand and impromptu fiddle set with Tim, the "fill in fiddler" from Empty Hats. We've known each other for a year, and this was the first we'd ever played tunes together (not in a group, like the morning Gazebo jam or the Pub sing). It was glorious fun. Tim is a fabu fiddler. He's got great Irish fiddle technique with his bowing and ornamentation. I'm hoping we'll get to play a bit more over the next 2 weekends.

So there you go, a quick recap of the past 3 weekends. This coming weekend is Scottish Weekend. I'm reviewing all my sheep & haggis jokes now.

My girl on Pirate Weekend with her Papa

(Note the Mustache)

PARF: Hero's of the Realm (wknd 6)

Hero's of the Realm weekend. That was several weeks ago. *sigh* Details will be scarce. Hopefully I'll remember more than "It was wet". :grin:

One of the big changes this weekend was my only playing at the Rose instead of playing there and at the Ball & Chain.  I really like playing up at the Ball & Chain, but it was a bit odd being the only non-bawdy act on that stage. It's not like I could even do a bawdy show, because my show was not "asterik'd". I bet you dollars to donuts that if I did anything remotely off colour there would have been fall-out.  I know that most of the audiences I had there understood that I couldn't do a dirty show, and for the most part the audiences seemed to appreciate my humour and the music.

I love the Rose stage. It's a small stage, and makes for a very intimate (but not dirty!) show.  It made me really glad that most of the folks who came to my Ball & Chain show came to my 2p show at the Rose.

For those of you who aren't familiar with PARF, there are quite a few stages.  The larger ones are Swashbuckler, Boar's Head & the Globe. I consider the Ball & Chain, Endgame and O'Malley's the medium size stages, and Jacob's Garden and The Rose the small stages.  There are also different platforms around the grounds, like at the Rusty Scupper, and of course the Gazebo at the front gate. None of the small stages are amplified, which has its pros and cons. While I really like this fact, and have heard nothing but good things from patrons about this, it's a little hard to compete with the medium size stages which are amplified. I bring this up only because at my 2p show I happen to be going head-to-head with the wonderful pipe/drum band Tartanic.

I love Tartanic. They're my neighbors at AZRF. The band members are sweet and fun. I have nothing bad to say about them at all. Really. There is one thing about Tartanic, and that's the fact that they are loud. It's pipes and drums, so it's not like this is a surprise. However, when we have head-to-head shows it's a little hard to hear little ol' me. :grin: After a couple of conversations with the band, I came up with a grand solution to this "problem".  I have yet to employ this solution, so I can't write about it in detail. I wouldn't want to give it away. ;>  Suffice to say, come Scottish Weekend (wknd 8) my plans will come to fruition! Are you curious? Yeah? Come to the 2p show at the Rose! :grin:

I know there were migraines during this weekend. Unhappy, angry, ouchy migraines.

This was the last weekend I played Jimmy, the crotchety old-man fiddle I'd been borrowing from a friend.

So, umm.... yeah... Wknd 6: there was weather, there were migraines, there was a change in stages, and a fantastic idea about how to "compete" with bagpipes & drums.  Onto weekend 7!

PARF: Children's Fantasy Weekend (wknd 5)

I'm trying to remember back to the beginning of September.

• It was Children's Fantasy Weekend. 
• It was wet.
• Children's Fantasy Weekend is always, and unintentionally, the "bluest" of the themed weekends. I think it's because we all have to be so family friendly that the bawdy just rises to the surface. Mind you, the bawdy is usually in hushed tones and not directed at the patrons, but it's still there. I know I always find the dirtiest jokes to tell on this weekend, and have to bite my tongue so I don't say them out loud.
• It was wet. (See, now if you're like me you're reading this in a different light. :D )

So yes, Children's Fantasy Weekend. It was wet. There was music. There was merriment. Onto weekend 6!

Places where I say things

I keep directing y'all to my Fiddlemama blog at Tumblr., but I also have a tumblr. for things not related to NeidFyre. That place is Free Range Fiddler. Thus ends my shameless self-promotion for the evening. :)

PARF: Irish Weekend (wknd 4)

It's officially one month of weekends at PARF. Where did August go? Really, where?

Faire this weekend was a mixed bag for me. Saturday was one of the hardest days at faire that I've ever had due to an incredibly bad migraine. Not only did I sleep a little funny (and not in the ha ha ha kind of way) so my left shoulder was screwy, but it went up into my neck so I had a hard time turning my head. Put the migraine on top of that, and it made for a very unhappy musician.

Saturday
I was a little nervous about the weather for the weekend. Rain was coming up the coast, and boy did it slam my friends for opening weekend at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.  Thankfully for us in PA, the storm stayed away for most of the day.  Don't get me wrong, I adore a good rain day, but after last season when we suffered through ALL the weather (and I mean ALL the weather), we really needed a break from Mother Nature.

Opening the day at the Gazebo was made even better with Doug, (Miguel from Don Juan & Miguel)  Bob & Jim (the Burly Minstrels).  Don't get me wrong, all the other musicians that were there are grand fun. There's Tilda, Harper Lee, Demitrius T. Musician, Barby Holder and Rowan & the Rose. There's just something about the bass guitar, duck calls and a bladdervarius (I really don't know how to spell that...) that turns something special into extraordinary.  Also, one never really knows they're going to miss these combined sounds until they actually hear them again.

The rest of the day took me from street set to show and back again while trying to hide from the evil burning daystar that was quickly turning my migraine into a thumping band of pain across my eyes. The day is actually a little blurry to recall. The wonderful folks who came to my shows were incredibly sweet and understanding and made being there completely worth it.

Extra fun: there was a feast for a 6 year old and his family. It was a small affair, and my first feast gig of the season. Due to some horrific traffic, the family was late. Due to some freak chance of nature, I was early. It was very odd. I entertained the crew as we waited for the family to appear, and they did, while being escorted by the Queen and her posse. I wasn't sure, given her schedule, how to handle the timing of things, but we worked it out quickly. She would do her thing, I would play quietly as background, and then I'd play something fast, fun & a little gaga as she went to her next engagement.  Oh yes, I played her Royal Majesty off with a little bit of Bad Romance. There is nothing quite so fun as watching the Queen look back over her shoulder at you with a gigantic smile. Have I mentioned how much I love my job?

I've had a couple of friends ask me how I can actually perform with a migraine. The answer is both complicated and not. The not complicated answer is that I'm there to do my job. I'm damn good at my job and I love my job. Unless I can't physically move or am so sick that I look like something out of an Anime creation, I'm going to do my job. I may stumble before and after the show, but that show will be as spot on as I can make it.  The complicated answer is much longer to explain, and quite possibly deserves its own post.

I boogied off the shire as soon as I was able after my last show and relaxed for the rest of the night in the 'Bagel.  DB was incredibly sweet and good and she went to sleep with no fuss, so I ended up just relaxing in the dark for a while. The migraine did go away by the time I went to bed, but damn if it didn't strike back at 5am.  I knew I would have a much harder day if the migraine was as severe as it had been, so I had some caffeine and 2 OTC migraine meds. (Think Excedrin migraine, but not recalled.)  Sweet, luscious, dreamy sleep came back to keep me company, and damn if I didn't sleep until almost 8am. This, of course, brings us full face to Sunday Morning.

Sunday
Sunday morning was wet. It wasn't hugely, downpouring, OMG get a frelling ARC kind of wet, but it was wet.  That meant one thing - it was going to be a slow morning at faire.  Let me let y'all in on a little faire secret. Weather is a key factor in how busy a day at faire will be. The better the weather, the bigger the day. The worse the weather, the smaller the day.  I'm sure this is a huge surprise to everyone. :crickets:  Yup, y'all already knew that. ;>

Thanks to modern medicine, the migraine of 5am was barely noticeable.  I found out at morning meeting that I'd be at Queen's Court, so I went through tunes in my head. Something lively, upbeat and fun. That ruled out every Irish love song. Instead I decided I'd play Tam Lin.  Gazebo was really wonderful as Rose brought her French horn to gate. When I was in college and I took brass class, my favourite instrument was the French horn, followed by the trombone. There's something about the timbre of the horn that just puts me in a happy place.  We featured her at the beginning of Planxty Fanny Poer and then layered in the rest of the instruments.  I wish someone had been there to video it, because it was lovely and had such a full sound.

Queen's Court was a lot of fun for me.  I so enjoy playing with the court this year. There was my showing deference to the Queen (I ran to her throne and kissed her skirt) and then I made some silly joke about fast tunes and the way the Queen likes her music.  I'm lucky I didn't get sent down the hole. :grin:  It all went very well, and I scampered off stage.

After that was street work, a nifty Gazebo set with Harper Lee, and then my stage show at the Ball & Chain.  This is where my day went from fun and good to crap in 30 seconds. I had something happen at this stage show that I have never had happen before. I'm not sure how to write about it exactly, so I'll just leave it that I was very demoralized. Thankfully the set ended up on a positive note. The family in the stands had a baby with them. He must have been 6 months old, maybe 9, and his name was Joshua.  He was the most serious baby. He watched me with a look that said, "I don't know what to make of you, strange Roma Fiddler!" But when I started to play, he turned into the smile-iest, happiest, dance-iest baby. Every time I stopped, he turned back into serious baby. Every time I played he was happy.

This is one of the reasons that I do what I do. I doubt as that baby grows up that he will remember me. Really remember me. But the music touched him. I'd like to believe that the music will remain with him. I'd like to believe that as he gets older he might develop a fondness for folks in strange costumes and that he will always treasure the sound of music. Again, have I mentioned how much I love my job?

The rest of my shows were quiet affairs. I played, people smiled and laughed and clapped along. My migraine stayed to a low-to-almost non-existent level.  I spent some time with friends and ate some pretentious cheese. It was a good close to the day.

Once my last show was done it was time to get things in high gear so we could leave on time. One of the hard things about the Sunday departures is that I can't pack before I head out for the day.  I suppose the suitcase, but I need to pull clothes for the drive home. I need to wash up. I need to do my accounting. I need to pack any food I'm taking home.  After 4 weeks, my timing is getting better, and we were on the road by 7p. The drive home was uneventful, and we got home way before the witching hour.

Next up, weekend 5, Children's Fantasy Weekend and Labor Day Monday!

PARF: Chivalry & Romance (wknd 3)

Time seems to go by so much quicker when I'm working a faire. Make that a faire where I'm driving back and forth every week and things move into double-time. Since PARF is so close, we're going back and forth every weekend. That means leaving on Friday afternoon and coming back late Sunday night. The time at home never seems quite long enough to get everything done.

SO, third weekend, Chivalry & Romance.  The weather was lovely Saturday. There were breezes and the temperature was lovely.  I was asked to perform at Queen's Court again. It went much smoother this time. My mic didn't go out and I made the audience laugh. Apparently I made the Queen laugh, too. :grin:

Both stage shows were well attended, which was awesome.  The new set-up at the Ball&Chain stage is working really well.  Everyone in the bleachers can see what's going on onstage. The tarp over the bleachers gives some shade. The stage manager is really ontop of things. I'm definitely enjoying performing there more this year. I am still rather amused that I'm one of the only not-bawdy shows there, but it makes for some good jokes. In addition to the 2 stage shows, I've got 2-3 street sets and then play at Pub Sing.  I'm also teaching three students during the day.

Saturday night I had a garb reassessment with the folks at As You Like It/Up Your Kilt. This all backtracks to the "come to Gods" thing that happened at AZRF that I've still got to write about. Anyway, we went through a lot of my summer & lighter weather garb. They are also going to go through the rest of my garb with me before I leave for CRF, which makes me really happy. While I am good at a LOT of things, I'm piss poor at dressing myself well.

Sunday was a slower day.  There was a threat of rain, and that seemed to keep a lot of folks away. The rain never happened, so the day was just rather quiet.  No Queen's Court for me today, and the rest of my shows went smoothly.

One of the coolest things to happen on Sunday involved the Audacious Divas. They are raising money for Breast Cancer research, and their latest endeavour involved a friend of mine named Scott Griffith. Papa Scott looks a little like Santa (a dirty lecherous Santa, but that's part of his charm), including the long fluffy white beard.  If the Diva's could raise over $2000, Papa Scott would shave off his beard.  Through word of mouth and FaceBook, the raising of the funds didn't take too long and Sunday became Shearing Day.  Papa Scott had his beard braided the day before, and on Sunday the Queen got the first cut.  It took a while, but for the first time in (probably) decades, Papa Scott's chin saw the sun.  It was a grand thing, really.  I'm really proud of the people involved. Cancer is a horrible disease, and the sooner a cure is found the better.

The drive home was rather uneventful Sunday night, and I actually made it back before the witching hour. It's so odd that three weeks can travel so quickly. This weekend is Irish Weekend, and several folks from the Sterling Renaissance Festival will be joining us.  I'm so looking forward to the Gazebo jam on Saturday morning. 

PARF: Time Travelers (wknd 2)

 I meant to write this up last week, but was waylaid by migraines for most of that time which will make for a very short post about the 2nd weekend of the 2012 PA ren faire. 

What a difference the weather can make.  As opposed to opening weekend, the weather for Time Travelers weekend was magnificent. It was still warm, but I didn't feel like I was stewing in my own juices, if ya know what I mean. There was an actual BREEZE, which made everyone enjoy the weekend that much more.

This was the first ever Time Travelers weekend at PARF.  I have seen a lot of folks wear Steampunk garb to faires before, and while it's not my thing for a Renaissance festival, I will admit that I am a Steampunk fan.  Truthfully, I've always been a fan of Victorian garb, and the addition of gears and other things that turn it into Steampunk makes me squee.  I saw some pretty spectacular things this weekend in terms of Steampunk. There are some very creative people out there.  For those of you who didn't know, I'm also a Doctor Who fan from years past. I was tickled to see so many folks decked out as Doctors and Companions. There weren't as many of the older doctors as numbers 10 & 11, and there was at least one number 9.  For those of you who are curious, my Doctor is Tom Baker, followed by Christopher Eccleston.

Sunday was equally lovely weather wise.  Loads of Steampunkers, loads of Doctor's, and it was also Gay Day.   For those of you who have never been to the Finale at PARF, here's a clip from Sunday. It's pretty awesome and I think it capped the day quite nicely.

I feel the need to say how much I love what I do.  While I don't get to see those dearest to me as often as I'd like, I get to meet so many interesting people and see so many amazing places around the country.  I have made friends in nearly all 50 states, as well as different countries around the world.  I've driven across the US more than 6 times now, and am constantly taken back by the beauty I find.  In addition to all of this, I get to bring my daughter with me so she gets to experience these things as well.  There's no way I could do this without the support of so many of you out there.  Thank you all for helping me to continue doing what I love.

What's it really about

This blog doesn't really have a focus.  I have a personal blog on LiveJournal as well as a NeidFyre blog, an unused Myspace account, my website NeidFyre.com, and a facebook account. I twitter constantly, and am fond of FourSquare.  Facebook really isn't the place for blogging. My LiveJournal blog is private. Myspace is not for me. I don't really think blogging in 140 characters or less counts as blogging, and FourSquare is all about Location Location Location. That leaves me here, at Fiddlemama.

Fiddlemama seems to be my catch-all place.  Originally this was where I was going to post my letters and notes to my daughter.  I write my daughter a letter or note every day, you see.  It's more for me than it is for her, but it's something I really wanted to do.  It didn't feel right doing it online, so I have a paper journal for that. That leaves me with the dilemma again of this blog not having a focus.

I've posted about my struggles with ADD here. I've posted about teaching here. I've posted about gigs here. I've posted my poetry here. It still doesn't feel like home, though.  I feel like a guest in my own space, and that's just bloody uncomfortable.

Perhaps the blog doesn't need a focus, and I need to accept it for what it is. I'm not pithy or wise. I am not the most eloquent writer, and my grammar often sucks eggs.  Thank the Gods there's a spell check here, because spelling is not my strongest suit.  This blog isn't here to impress people, it's here for me.  Don't get me wrong, I'd like to impress people.  I'd like to entertain people. I'd like it if this blog started getting hit upon hit, and people did think I was pithy and wise. Of course, none of that will happen if I ignore this space or if I only write once or twice a month. It's hard to talk the talk if I'm not willing to actually do the necessary work.

What do I mean, "do the necessary work"? It means writing. It means making music. It means actually living in the world instead of wandering with insecure purpose. I'm so tired of feeling insecure with my dreams and desires. Who does it serve to live like that? Not my daughter, and certainly not me.

I don't want broken promises, or empty solutions. I'd like some more substance with my subsistence.