RSJ 08 Recap Photo Link Added!

Great stuff guys! When does the DVD become available for purchase? :lol: (How cool would THAT be!)

Sounds like an exceptional time.

Wish I could have been there.

I'm going to check some of the video now.

Something was AWESOME.

John

Thanks on behalf of all the players....

I just put up video of Kathy's No Reflection on You and one of the Fox Lake take on Alison.

Sorry if the videos seem a bit "Nick" oriented, but then again the world revolves around me. 8) I was going to use the tape to record the debut of "Lost Summer Days" but it wasn't quite ready for prime time. Then it didn't occur to me to record anything else until I started thinking about whether or not to do the song.

Actually, I use the videos to evaluate what and how I did. I look for breathing errors, flat notes, weak gestures, what does work and doesn't, body positioning, etc. etc. It's a kind of self torture for self improvement. I can tell you don't do this if you have a low self image, it will drive you down through the ground. I see and hear every mistake like nails on the chalkboard. It's one of those "But Honey, no one even noticed" things. I notice. Sometimes I can turn that off and just enjoy watching, like Sultans the energy of the thing sweeps you away.

Next time I'll bring more video tape and record the whole shebang. I certainly missed some stellar performances.

Next time I'll bring more video tape and record the whole shebang. I certainly missed some stellar performances.

Tape?

All you need is a 30 GB hard disk video camera. Look for JVC one.

To all: Congrats on the RSJ. Were there any river based songs ? :note1:

You all rock Pretty in Pink!
Seriously. I always liked that song and no one ever plays it. Great job on all of them.

Actually, I use the videos to evaluate what and how I did. I look for breathing errors, flat notes, weak gestures, what does work and doesn't, body positioning, etc. etc. It's a kind of self torture for self improvement. I can tell you don't do this if you have a low self image, it will drive you down through the ground. I see and hear every mistake like nails on the chalkboard. It's one of those "But Honey, no one even noticed" things. I notice. Sometimes I can turn that off and just enjoy watching, like Sultans the energy of the thing sweeps you away.

That's exactly what I use my digital camera for - working on new songs, I always try and get a video clip to see if I'm making any obvious mistakes and work out what I'm doing wrong. Nick's right, it is a form of self torture; things that sounded OK when you were concentrating on playing now don't seem quite as perfect as you thought they were!

Another thing I've noticed (well, I've known this for years, but it still surprises me...) is that my voice always sounds different on recordings than it does when I'm singing; anyone know why this is?

And speaking of digital cameras....is Nick the only RSJammer with a camera? Surely one or more of you has a camera with a facility for filming video? Then again, I'm a fine one to talk - when Dan and Laura were here, and we jammed at Scrybe's house, I took my camera with me and completely forgot to take any footage....got too carried away with the music!

:D :D :D

Vic

Please Vic, don't give my spouse any more ammunition to buy more stuff. We talked about getting a digital video camera for the jam, but since he already has a very expensive digital still camera, I talked him out of it. It would be nice to get a recording without all the background noise from the audience. The sound guy did say something about recording. I'll have to see if he actually did.

The sound guy did say something about recording. I'll have to see if he actually did.

Umm, Peter was a bit distracted that evening and wasn't able to set up the DR. That boy has way too much fun. And he's a good drummer too.

I echo the sentiments of all who enjoyed! I've still got snippets of songs running through my head. Let's see, today when I woke up it was Lodi, the other day Bertha Lou (Tony, I blame you!!) and then again there was Dancing with the Stars... I was humming it, couldn't figure what it was, something I heard on the radio? And ah ha! It was Dancing with the Stars. I've had Time Bomb stuck in my head too, while walking around the block last night, of all things.

Kathy; you did a fantastic job of organizing/coordinating/ feeding us (especially the feeding part which you and Max had down!)

Loved hearing Anne sing More Than You Know and Ipanema; the Portuguese was a nice touch.

A big thank you to Mike Roberto for encouraging me to sing Stormy Monday. I've always loved that song and he and Greg and Michael did a nice job on it! Plus Mike's leads were spot on, even when he had to leave the stage to figure them out. Thank goodness for long cords!

Jose: your Fly Me to the Moon was ALL Frank! Looking for a Frank set next year!

Helena; Bass player extraodinaire, great rhythm and rocking even ? martinis in

Nick, what can I say? The vids say it all....

Greg, Tony, Paul, Anne and David; thanks to picking different songs than the previous mixes. It was a joy to learn and play new songs!

OOOh and Jose, as I was listening to the U PENN radio station today, they announced a free concert next week of Joseph Arthur! I could actually go and hear him do Into the Sun live!

I'm sure I forgot something, but it was all a wonderful time, both at the Lescher estate (what a great property!) and at Jimmy V's. Except, of course, when our car was towed....

Loved all of it. Looking forward to next year!

Laura

Every year I leave the Riverside Jam thinking it can't get any better and when the following summer comes around I'm always proven wrong...

Too many memories, too many musical highlights and not enough time to enjoy everyone's company. Kathy, John, Max and Michael were terrific hosts and Kathy and John especially deserve a big tip of the hat for managing everything down to the tiniest details.

Here are a few photos that Karen took, just to hold your attention until the real photos (the ones John took) make the Internet:

Here's Kathy, Helena and Greg busy rehearsing on Thursday (or was that Friday...):

The "swing jazz" version of Takin' Care of Business (thanks to Chuck for taking this one):

Two Guitar Noise moderators harmonizing on Kathy's Piano Through the Ceiling:

And Kathy, Tony, Derek (drums) and Greg doing a little Supernova:

I'd also like to thank everyone in the first set for really stepping up. We went over everything once. Maybe a couple of songs we did twice. And you all carried it off incredibly well. We even managed to play the bridge on Takin' Care of Business in 5/4 timing without missing a beat! :wink: Mike, be sure to pass on kudos to Derek for being so solid on the drums.

And a big thank you to Chuck, who once again went way above and beyond and out of his way to make everything work a lot smoother. Sometimes it's the folks who don't play a single note that contribute more than you ever know.

As usual, a lot of the highlights for me, personally, happened in the small moments - either practicing before hand or just playing around. Coming up with a nice bass line to compiment Paul's vocal (and Anne's drumming) for It's Probably Me. Working out possible arrangements of Nick's latest song, Lost Summer Days, was a trip and I can't wait until we get it out to an audience. Maybe in October, sir? The Sunday group arrangements of Amazing Grace and Only Living Boy in New York were sublime as was the Friday rehearsal version of Alison. Although I have to laugh at the video of Saturday's Alison, knowing I broke the G string on my guitar before the end of the introduction and then played the rest of the song without it.

River based songs? How about Sultans of Swing?
"...you get a shiver in the dark it's raining in the park and meanwhile
South of the river you stop and you hold everything..."

Urban Cowgirl, Pretty in Pink is something we covered when it first came out back in the days when Greg and I were playing bars in Chicago. I like the song so much I've kept it in my repertoire. It's a cool one to pull out of the hat, even just using a single acoustic guitar.

Vic, as strange as it may seem, recording performances is usually the last thing on my mind. Yes, there are all sorts of good reasons to do it, from study to keepsake, but I just don't worry too much about it. Maybe I should change my thinking on it, but I kind of liken playing music to watching fireworks - it's a thing of the moment and then it's gone. The memory of it will never match what happened. Concentrating on the flaws has its place, but most people have a tendency to stay there and forget that the performance was an interactive thing. Recordings rarely account for that aspect of playing. Any recording, more often than not, can give you everything except for all the emotion that was electrifying the air and filling both performers and audience.

And Roy, PM me an email address and I'll send you a chart of Girl From Ipanema. If you're cool with some basic barre chords and the movable 9th chord shape, it's not too bad. The original chords are a lot easier to handle than the ones we ended up using!

Peace

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh - once again, seems us Brits have missed out on the chance to emulate the Riverside Jams....mea culpa, I dropped the ball a few weeks back, and no-one seemed to be able to step in and pick it up. Scrybe seems to have disappeared - she was, hopefully, going to be one of the prime movers.....

I don't know what it's going to take to ever get a UK Riverside Jam equivalent off the ground, but maybe we should start planning NOW for next August or so?

Oh well - enjoyed the videos. Glad you all had so much fun - maybe one of these days we'll get something together!

:D :D :D

Vic

Great clips and pics. :mrgreen:

Eaxctly what music should be all about - a bunch of people getting together and enjoying themselves by adding their individual skills and talents to something that's bigger and better because it's a group effort. Marvellously joyful and impressive stuff.

Chris

Great clips and pics. :mrgreen:

Eaxctly what music should be all about - a bunch of people getting together and enjoying themselves by adding their individual skills and talents to something that's bigger and better because it's a group effort. Marvellously joyful and impressive stuff.

Chris

Couldn't have put it better.

:D :D :D

Vic

Think I forgot to properly thank the hosts and key "staff" for RSJ2008: Max, Michael, John, Kathy, MikeR, Pete ... and all around good-guy Chuck: You all really rock! And I mean ROCK!

Laz and Laura: In addition to all the musical stuff, thanks for adopting me for this one ... and making sure my guitar was out of your car before it got towed! :P :wink: I don't recall Laura's exact quote, but it was something on the order of "Laz! Screw the car, I need my music. Get it!" But it worked out in the end with only minor monetary casualties -- music never suffered!

David: As usual, thanks for being the musical cement, backbone, spackle ... all that. There were a number of times I heard people say "Got no time to learn that -- let's get David to do it with us. And you did it, and did it well." Thanks, pal!

:idea: Looking at David's pic of us doing Supernova, it's obvious I spent a fair amount of the playing time doing a black-righty to butterscotch-lefty sorta Yin/Yang Tele thing with either David or Tony.

Favorite lyrics from cover tunes:

:note1: ... and your lips are sweet and slippery like a cherub's bare red @ss :note1: (You nailed it, Kathy. Thanks!)

:note2: Black coat, white shoes, black hat, Cadillac -- the boy's a TIMEBOMB, yeah! :note2: (Total coolness, Nick. [ultra cool, imperceptible nano-nod to ya])

That looked like it was a good time. Cool! 8)