Next Music Night will be Sunday, March 12, from 5-9 pm at Bob and Shannon’s House. Corbie will be making beef tagine, so bring whatever you think will pair well!
Music nights started during Covid as an outlet for fun, feasting and frolicking for a small group of folks who committed to being in a pod so that we could enjoy some tunes together.
Good food and good fun should be shared, and our numbers have slowly grown, but we all still play by the Covid-induced rules:
1. Safety first. This is a multi-generational gathering, and a number of folks are immune-compromised. Especially in winter, music night represents some folk’s only safe social outlet. We aren’t going to stand at the door taking temps and swabbing nasal passages. Instead, we are relying on each guest to exercise careful discretion. If you have beenexposed to anyone with covid, flu or a cold or anything contagious in the last five days, please do not attend. If you yourself have been sick within the past two weeks, or have any suspicious symptoms, please do not attend. Music nights typically happen once or twice per month, so there will always be another opportunity to come again if you have to miss out. Meanwhile, we can keep the outlet reasonably safe for everyone.
2. Amateurs welcome! We used to exclude any musicians who were “good,” on grounds that those of us who are weaker musicians would be too intimidated to take risks. But we’re learning that good musicians enjoy frolicking and being just as silly as the rest of us, so the “terrible musicians only” requirement is being dropped. That said, we do expect to sound bad most of the time….and with that as the expectation, we are occasionally pleasantly surprised with good sounds. If discord and cacophony is too much for you to bear, you won’t hurt our feelings if you choose to stay home.
3. Bring a dish to share…or don’t. Our music nights are known for good food, although we never know what will show up. I usually prepare a big pot or pan of something substantial, and the rest just comes together. There are a lot of great cooks in this group. There’s also some pretty good brewers. If you are able to contributesustenance or libation, that’s great. But sometimes that’s just too stressful for some folks. So just like we don’t expect everyone to be a great musician, we also don’t expect everyone to be a great cook. If you only bring yourself, that’s fine! Come and eat and play anyhow.
4. Guests welcome. If you would like to bring a guest, they are welcome. HOWEVER, please share our safety rules with them. They are critically important to the happiness and comfort of all.
5. Pets NOT welcome. This can be a chaotic noisy evening, and there are already a few dogs, cats and expensive instruments on hand. Please leave your furry friends at home to minimize broken instruments, and undue stress for them and you.
6. Well-behaved kids EXTREMELY welcome. We love kids of all ages, especially when they are able to be careful around the instruments and they are under the supervision of parents. It’s a family-friendly night, and we REALLY love kids who’ll play or sing for us!!! However, please do not drop off your children and leave them unattended at our home.
7. It’s about kindness, encouragement, and a safe space for taking risks. If you’re a music snob, don’t come. If you’re a heavy drinker or you require anything stronger than a beer or two to be social, this isn’t your scene. If you have personal gripes with any guests, leave them behind. It takes courage to stand up and try a new song, to sing or play in front of others if you’ve never done it before, to set your body free to dance, or to just let yourself joyfully hum and tap along. But when a space is safe enough to do it, you come away feeling relaxed, refreshed, and joyful. That’s what we’re after. Come to play and be playful!
And now, finally, the essential details: Where: The Hayes Hooper House: 270 Rossman Valley Rd, Richmondville, NY (Park along the side of the road when you get to the house, and don’t bother knocking) If the weather is bad or too many folks are sick or unable to attend, we will cancel, and the next music night will be two weeks later.
RSVPs are extremely helpful. They give everyone a sense of how much food to prepare…Or if too many folks are sick to have a good group of musicians. So please let Shannon know if you’ll be attending. You can email shannon<at>sapbushdotcom. If you forget to RSVP, it’s not the end of the world. We will still be glad to see you!
Oh! What’re we playing? Good question!
Nothing is off limits. We often do some folks tunes, old rock n roll, Irish tunes, English country dance, jazz…you name it. Some folks are terrific at flowing and playing by ear with whatever anyone presents. We also have number of “paper trained” folks who enjoy doing a little prep beforehand and playing with sheet music. If you’re interested in practicing ahead of time to be able to join in on a few tunes, you can find links, lists and downloads below (this is not comprehensive…but it’s a start). If you’d like to share a tune, email Shannon and she’ll post it here for everyone else.
Holiday tunes (when the season permits)
Irish Tunes
English Country Tunes/Renaissance tunes
We often pull from Cantina’s Renaissance Festival Favorites, which is a book of lead sheets that includes chords. Here are some of the group’s favorites:
Arran Boat Song
The Ash Grove
The Bear Dance
The Black Nag
The Butterfly
Brian Boru’s March
Childgrove
Flowers of Edinburgh
Jenny Nettle
Misery Mary
For Monty Python Fans and Brass Band Fans
Seven Nation Army
Liberty_Bell_in_G-C_Instruments
Liberty_Bell_in_G-Baritone_Saxophone
Jazz/Blues
Alexanders_Ragtime_Band_Bb easy-Melody
Alexanders_Ragtime_Band_Bb easy-Basses
Grace Potter’s Somebody Fix Me
Folk & Rock Tunes
You Never Can Tell (Chuck Berry)
Come on in my Kitchen (Red Molly version)
King of the Road (Roger Miller)
Hotel California (Eagles)
Caffeine (Red Molly)
Ripple (Grateful Dead)
Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show)
Me & Bobby MaGee (Janis Joplin version)
Sing to Me (Red Molly)
I’m only right when it’s all wrong (Red Molly)
Different Drum (Linda Ronstadt)
Gone Downriver for the Last Time (Theresa Doyle)
Pop
Together, as performed by Sam Smith. Recording and chords can be found here. or here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9GRIE2qnzs
All That Glitters as performed by Earl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKOhlMF84o4