Setlsits: 3/13; 3/17(twice); 3/18; 3/20

[maugorn]

Whether the rooms were packed or sparse, none of these shows were to be missed.
I had GREAT little mini-tour here.

        3/13/2011       Constellation Books

 (Acoustic 12 String Guitar)
01) Here's To The Morning Glory
02) Get Up Jack, John Sit Down
03) The Galway Shawl
04) Into The Mystic
05) By The Hush
06) Valley Of Strathmore
07) Back Home In Derry
08) For My Lady
09) Humours Of Donnybrooke Faire
10) Finnigan's Wake + (instrumental) Smash The Windows

 (Bouzouki)
12) The Boys of Goose Hill
13) Johnny Jump Up

 (Banjo)
14) Rosin The Bow
15) Ramblin' Rover
16) Dirty Old Town
17) Black Velvet Band
18) Whiskey In The Jar

 (Electric 12 String Guitar)
19) Leavin' Of Liverpool
 + (instrumental) Sailor's Hornpipe + Off To California
20) The Wee, Wee Man
21) Whistling Gypsy Rover + (instrumental) Reel Set
22) Maggie May
23) Who Knows Where The Time Goes?                              (request)
24) American Pie                                                (request)
25) The Boy With The Moon And The Star On His Head              (request)

Shows at Constellation are always guaranteed to have some fun setlists
or strange requests.
The strange one at this show was "America Pie", strange as a majority of the
songs were Irishly bent, but not so strange when you realise that the next day
was going to 3/14. (or 3.14).
"The Boy With The Moon And The Star On His Head" piqued Lauretta's (Constellation's
owner) interest and so it was request. It turned out to be a nice way
to end a St Patty's Day set with a sweet faerie tale to welcome the spring.




St Paddy's Day Brunch at Old Bowie Town Grill

 (Acoustic 12 String Guitar)
01) Rambles Of Spring
02) Leavin' Of Liverpool + (instrumental):
   Sailor's Hornpipe & Off To California
03) Humours Of Donnybrooke Faire
04) Finnigan's Wake + (instrumental):
   Smash The Windows
05) (instumental) Polka Set
06) Maggie May
07) The Galway Shawl
09) The Jolly Beggarman
10) The Whistler + (instrumental):
   Banish Misfortune
11) Johnny Jump Up
12) Queen Of All Argyll

 (Banjo)
13) Ramblin' Rover
14) Black Velvet Band
15) Moonshiner
16) Dirty Old Town
17) The Bonny Scotsman
18) Five Nights Drunk
19) Whiskey In The Jar

 (Acoustic 12 String Guitar)
20) Sally MacLennane
21) The Night Pat Murphy Died
22) McIntyre
23) The Rattlin' Bog
24) Unicorn Song
25) The Parting Glass

This was an excellent debut in a new venue. At the very least, I'm assured
that we'll have a repeat of it next year.
It was awesome to see D & B, as they haven't had a chance to hear me play
since moving to NC years ago. S & J were there too, which was a delightful
surprise.
I felt in very good voice, but had I worked on the speaker placement a little
more, I think I might have heard & been heard just a wee bit better, as the room
was packed. OTOH, the room was PACKED!

3/17/11 St Patty's Day at Madam's Organ

 (Acoustic 12 String Guitar)
01) Rambles Of Spring
02) The Leprauchaun
03) A Pair Of Brown Eyes
04) Heather On The Moor
05) (instrumental) Polka Set
06) Galway Shawl
07) The Jolly Beggarman
08) Drunken Lullabyes           (request)
09) The Highwayman
10) Rising Of The Moon
11) God Loves A Drunk

 (Banjo)
12) Rosin The Bow
12) Ramblin' Rover
13) I'll Tell Me Ma
14) The Moonshiner
15) Dirty Old Town
16) Dear Boss
17) Black Velvet Band
18) Five Nights Drunk
19) Whiskey In The Jar

 (Acoustic 12 String Guitar)
20) Maggie May
21) Sailor's Prayer
22) Finnigan's Wake + (instrumental):
   Smash The Windows
23) Humours Of Donnybrook Faire
24) The Sickbed Of Cuchulainn +(instrumental)
   (polka)
25) The Night Pat Murphy Died

 (Electric 12 String Guitar)
26) Leavin' Of Liverpool + (instrumental):
   Sailor's Hornpipe & Off To California
27) Whistling Gypsy Rover + (instrumental):
   (Reel Set)
28) Barrett's Privateers
29) She Moves Thru The Fair
30) The Whistler + (instrumental):
   Banish Misfortune
31) Into The Mystic

 (Acoustic 12 String Guitar)
32) McIntyre
33) One

St Patty's Day at Madam's Organ is always a highlight. This year, doubly so.
Last year the challenges of this venue nearly qot away from me, but this year
I was prepared. I had exactly the connectors I needed to have an awesome
sound on the stage, and to be loud and clear on the floor, AND to plug into
their house system so as to be heard in the back of the house and outside.
This stage has a challenge, where if you get it wrong, you could sound great to
the house, but for you it's like singing with your head in a fishbowl.
Not this time! Everything sounded great to me and I was able to turn around
and respond to it. And there were no issues with my throat either, so I could
really project and inflect! It was a great set too! In retrospect there
are always a couple of songs I wished I'd remembered to do, but then what would
I have been able to give up if I had?
I did have one very annoying technical hangup, in that some of the strings
on my Electric 12 String jumpe out of their slots in the nut and got tangled.
It happened near the very end of the show, so it didn't mess up too many of my
plans. But I *had* been hoping to play "McIntryre" and "One" on electric
guitar this time for a treat. But, still, two excellent gigs in one day playing
a boatload of some of my favourite music and serenade friends and loved ones to boot.
I got nothin' to cry about!

3/18/11   Cock & Bowl

                LUNCH

 (Acoustic 12 String Guitar)
01) (instrumental) Polka Set
02) Galway Shawl
03) Rambles Of Spring
04) Whistling Gypsy Rover + (instrumental):
   Reel Set
05) Annie Laurie
06) Leavin' Of Liverpool + (instrumental):
   Sailor's Hornpipe & Off To California
07) Humours Of Donnybrooke Faire                        
08) Raggle Taggle Gypsies
09) Finnigan's Wake + (instrumental):
   Smash The Windows
10) Danny Boy                                   (request)
11) Cockles & Mussels
12) Into The Mystic                                     
13) Here's To The Morning Glory
14) Valley Of Strathmore
15) Star Of The County Down
16) For My Lady
17) The Whistler + (instrumental):
   Banish Misfortune
18) Queen Of All Argyll

 (Banjo)
19) Whiskey In The Jar
20) Five Nights Drunk
21) Bonny Scotsman
22) Botany Bay
23) Dirty Old Town
24) I'll Tell Me Ma
25) Black Velvet Band

 (Acoustic 12 String Guitar)
26) Raglan Road
27) Maggie May
28) Sailor's Prayer
29) Sally MacLennane
30) Heather On The Moor
31) Country Life + (instrumental)
   Kesh Jig
32) Lily Of The West
33) She Moves Thru The Fair
34) The Wee Wee Man
35) The Leprauchaun
36) Long Black Veil


                DINNER

 (Acoustic 12 String Guitar)
37) Sugar Mountain
38) Back Home Again
39) Margaritaville                              (request)
40) Folsom Prison Blues                         (request)
41) Ring Of Fire                                (request)
42) I Walk The Line
43) Big River
44) Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
45) Crazy                               (debut) (request)
46) Sugar Magnolia                              (request) (for Grateful Dead)
47) Ripple
48) Uncle John's Band

 (Banjo)
49) Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad
50) I Know You, Rider
51) Colours
52) I've Just Seen A Face
53) Take Me Home Country Roads
54) Proud Mary
55) Rocky Raccoon
56) Daydream
57) Old Man
58) Octopus' Garden
59) MTA Song
60) Jambalaya
61) Women Are Smarter
62) Waltzing With Bears

 (Acoustic 12 String Guitar)
63) Where Do The Children Play    
64) Homeward Bound
65) If You Could Read My Mind
66) Southern Cross
67) In The Early Morning Rain
68) Puff
69) Leavin' On A Jet Plane
70) Woodstock
71) The Wind
72) Moonshadow
73) Jamaica Farewell
74) It's Only A Paper Moon
75) Mister Tambourine Man
76) Time In A Bottle
77) Rocky Mountain High
78) Lonely People
79) Peaceful Easy Feelin'
80) Desperado
81) Lyin' Eyes 
82) Take It Easy
83) I've Come A Long Way
84) Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
85) City Of New Orleans
86) Big Yellow Taxi
87) Brown Eyed Girl
88) Fire & Rain
89) Wild Horses
90) Ruby Tuesday
91) Heart Of Gold
92) Can't Buy Me Love
93) All My Lovin'
94) Bad Bad Leroy Brown
95) Tangled Up In Blue
96) Romeo & Juliet
97) Bridge Over Troubled Water
98) Wish You Were Here
99) Little Wing
100) Son Of A Son Of A Sailor
101) American Pie
102) Me & Bobby McGee
103) Piano Man
104) Sweet Caroline
105) Can't Find My Way Home

Now THAT was a setlist! This was originally scheduled to be just a brunch set,
since it's still early in the year and the patio can be cold at night. But the
weather was so perfect that they kept it open and it was packed all day and all
night too.

As always, they totally spoiled me but with lunch & dinner this time. Man that food
is good!

I had one technical annoyance. One of my harmonicas got mis-packed the night before
and I didn't figure out where until much too late. To forestall such contingencies
I have a complete (all 12 keys) set of cheap harmonicas in my stash and I broke
out the appropriate one. Alas, tho, these cheap harmonicas don't have the fire or the
authority of my usual Hohners and so the songs in that key were not quite up to the
"11" that I can push them to. I coped okay, but I fear it was at the cost of torturing
the holy hell out of that poor cheap harmonica. It was *not* up to that level of abuse.
I'll be keeping the nifty case, but as I can afford it, the "spare" set will be slowly
replaced with decent harps.

A personal highlight was seeing J & C. I was secretly hoping I could get more people
to play hooky and come out, but that would have been wrong of me. So a couple of friends
who could make it without getting in trouble was fine.

Another very nifty highlight was the performance debut of "Crazy". I've wanted this song
in the repertoire for some time, but it has some unusual melody changes that it's
taken me awhile to get to where they stay in my head. When they asked me to play it,
I was worried that I might get lost, but it all came together, and worked out fine!

This was a great show, very satisfying in so many ways. It was a great opening to what
promises to be a great season there. I can't wait to go back!

3/19/11 Esoterica

01) (instrumental) Sunrise At The Neverending Party (original)
02) (instrumental) Minuet In G
03) Rambles Of Spring
04) Where Have All The Flowers Gone?    
05) Play Me                             
06) Jamaica Farewell                    
07) Cockles & Mussels                   (request) 
08) Gentle On My Mind   
09) You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
10) Life On Mars?
11) Witch Of The Westmoreland           (request)
12) Yankee Bayonet
13) The Highwayman                      (request) 
14) Clyde Water
15) Wondrous Stories    
16) A Trick Of The Tail   		(debut)

 (Bouzouki)
17) That's The Way
18) The Boys Of Goose Hill

 (Electric 12 String Guitar)
19) Mister Tambourine Man

Tho somewhat low key, this was still a good show. I got to trot out some of
my instrumental pieces to start, which has been on my "to do" list for awhile.
The sound was great this time, which always helps me play and sing better.
And I FINALLY go to debut "A Trick Of The Tail", which is a song I've been longing
to learn back since I started play the guitar. It's the kind of tale that
totally belongs in my repertoire and a challenging piece of music I'm very pleased
to be on my way towards mastering.