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Location: Marlton, NJ | Alan - I bring my son Nicky to as many gatherings as I can. He's even acquired a bit of a southern accent (thanks Jim!). |
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Posts: 3969
| Nicky's a great kid, puts up with all us Old Farts. He plays a mean "Wish You Were Here", too. |
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Location: Newington, CT | Great! That helps my traveling flexibility a GREAT deal!
Plus, it might spark a greater interest in the guitar on the part of my young 'uns! I'm hoping for that, at least!
Crimson: how old is Nicky? |
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Location: Marlton, NJ | Alan - he's 12. I believe he was 10 when he went to his first gathering. He got up and played (solo!) and fit right in. He's made some friends and it definitely keeps his interest in playing alive. |
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Location: SoCal | Alan, I'm assuming that your son doesn't have an irrational fear of llamas? |
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Location: Newington, CT | Beautiful! These things sound like LOTs of fun! I can't wait...especially with Spring right around the corner! |
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Location: Newington, CT | No llama fears...but he might rassle one to the ground and make it cry, "Uncle!" Is that acceptable behavior from an 8-year old? |
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Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by AlanM:
No llama fears...but he might rassle one to the ground and make it cry, "Uncle!" Is that acceptable behavior from an 8-year old? He'd fit right in..... |
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Location: Newington, CT | Lol! In truth, both my kids are very well-behaved...not sure where thay came by that, but I'm not complaining...I DO know that Alex is starting to become interested in playing a musical instrument...he's not sure whether he wants to go guitar, or drums, or bass, or all three...this little get-together may send him more solidly in a direction. I'm hoping for the guitar...I'd LOVE to do in-home duets!
Crimson: I'm hoping that maybe as a result of seeing and listening to Nicky play, BOTH my kids will see that it's a LOT of fun to play music with others!
Let's do this thing! |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | April 15 is out. I'll be doing my taxes that day. |
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Location: Newington, CT | Lol! Agreed about April 15!
I gather from the thread above that Memorial Day weekend is out as well. Also, if I've understood correctly, there are ancillary activities that have to be figured into the planning, to wit:
* Picnic-type activities, or indoor cooking, depending on time-of-year and weather (who provides the food and who prepares it? olunteers? Pot-luck?)
* Beer consumption (Is this BYOB)
* Guitar posing and photographing (required equipment: digital camera)
* Attendee posing and photographing
* The occasional jam session (any rules [written or unwritten] around these?)
* Photographing and video-taking of the occasional jam session
* Miscellaneous frivolity
I guess I'm just trying to understand whether there is a "checklist" or a recipe for cooking up one of these gatherings. And, if so, does anyone have it? If not, I might make one in order to facilitate a greater frequency for these things...
Just some thoughts and ideas... |
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Posts: 3969
| Maybe it's a Southern thang, but we tend to be pretty loose about a lot of these details. I've hosted 2 jams and attended 3 others. All of them were hosted by one of the OFC members, each of whom provided the venue (their home), a place to crash for the night in their home (as long as there was room) and the food & drinks. In each case the attendees pitched in and brought drinks along, and also gathered some money among themselves and presented it to the hosts to help offset some of the food costs - in my case as host an unnecessary but greatly appreciated gesture.
Lots of folks bring along cameras, so that's not a problem. We all do expect pictures, 'tho, of both the attendees and the guitars. ;)
As far as playlists, etc., we Southen boys have built up quite a collection of songs, starting with the first Southern Style Jam songbook, expanded for ZillaFest & G8rBowl-I, then really expanded for SSJ-II with Otto's songbook(s). People have brought along new songs for everybody's use at each jam, too. The SSJ-I, G8rBowl-I, & Songs-You-Otto-Know songbooks are uploaded as PDF files somewhere, I think Jas probably has the latest links. Attendees can download & print those if they want & use them. Of course a lot of times it's only one or two people playing, somebody showcasing a favorite song & maybe someone else joining in on lead or rhythm.
The biggest jam I've been to (so far) was Keith's Smokies jam. Folks just naturally broke into groups, some inside the cabin, some on the deck with the PA, some by the campfire. Folks wandered into and out of those areas and either sat down and played whatever was happening at the time or just listened. Very free-form, very fluid, and a lot of fun.
The main thing is, these jams are social gatherings as much as music fests. It's a chance to meet new OFCers for the first time and catch up on old friends from earlier gatherings. Whenever music breaks out that's good, too. It's all about the fun, and if ya learn some new licks or a couple new songs, all the better. However it goes down it's all good. |
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Location: Newington, CT | Thanks, G8r! Great, great description! And it makes me feel at lot more at ease that there is a great deal of spontaneity at these things!
I'm thinking that your "recipe," if you will, makes a LOT of sense! I'm also thinking that contributing to the "songbook" would be a lot of fun!
I'll search the archives for existing ones and see what's out there.
Any other OFC'ers, please feel free to chime in with things that may not be publicly or readily available.
And, thanks! (in advance) to all!
Alan |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | May or June
pick a place
then you'll find out who's coming or not. |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Songbook links:
SSJ-I , the book that started it all.
G8rBowl-I (these were additions to SSJ-I, expanded even more since then, I'll upload the additions sometime soon).
Several Dan Fogelberg songs that Jas added to the SSJ-II/G8rBowl books.
Songs-You-Otto-Know , an incredible compendium of songs by our favorite crooner, Bill Otto. |
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Posts: 1851
Location: Newington, CT | Ok...it's a treasure trove!
Thanks, G8r!
Beal: looks as though someone just has to pull the trigger, eh?
Time to do a little more research, then! I'll try to come up with a proposed venue before the weekend is over.
You others can feel free to beat me to the punch if you'd like! |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Thanks, Serge. Lest anyone else make the same mistake I did, Otto's book is several hundred pages with songs in alphabetical order by title. I started printing it at home on the inkjet. After running out of ink and paper a couple times, I started reprinting on the back sides. That screwed up my pages.
Someday I'll reprint it with a laser printer double-sided. It's a great compilation. |
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Posts: 3969
| Good advice, Mark. Thanks for the reminder and warning.
Here\'s a few more added to the G8rBowl book since the last revision. |
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Location: Newington, CT | Well...I let you all down...my psycho nitwit of an ex-wife (not that I'm bitter or anything) threw the most proverbial of monkey wrenches into last weekend, and I did not get the research done that I was hoping to.
I'm doing it now in fits and starts...
More as soon as I have it.
Thanks for your patience!
Alan |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by AlanM:
...my psycho nitwit of an ex-wife (not that I'm bitter or anything) threw the most proverbial of monkey wrenches into last weekend... Were we married to the same person!?!?! :eek:
Sorry, that just slipped out. I try not to say anything negative about people who aren't around to defend themselves. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | april is rather booked up for me.
but as beal said once you determine a date then it will all fall into place.
you can never please everyone. |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Seriously, anything after April 15 is good for me ... and we won't have to worry about snow!!!!!!!! |
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Location: Cicero, NY | There's interest here as well but the place and date will be the critical items... |
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April 2008
Posts: 1851
Location: Newington, CT | Originally posted by G8r:
Were we married to the same person!?!?! :eek:
We probably were. Did your ex exhibit the following characteristics: two legs, two eyes, two ears, one nose, two arms, and eats small children?
If so, we should compare notes...maybe I can get my child support lowered if you were married to her too! |
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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Not that I have anything to say as I am not doing any of the work trying to organize this but, if you can set this up for May in NJ or June in NY, you'll get some great weather or at least not have to worry about it being to cold to hold this under a pavillion if needed. |
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Connecticut/Northeast OFC'ers
