Galileo
Last night saw the new fish teaching the old dogs a new trick. It is the song "Galileo" by the Indigo Girls, and I have not been able to get it out of my head since we worked on it. This is a good thing, as my part is cementing a spot in my brain as we speak. Expect to hear this one from us soon at your local coffee shop/festival. As a general rule I shy away from crossing gender lines when choosing songs to arrange, as female melodies often fall in higher ranges and cause a necessary lowering of the key, changing the original feel of the song. This song is a fantastic exception; thanks to the noobs for opening my eyes a bit wider.
The motivation of the group is definitely kicking in, and everyone is focused on getting this group on its feet. I look forward to rehearsals now more than I ever have, and I attribute that to the strides we have made thus far. I actually feel a little guilty when I choose to do other thing besides work on arrangements; I love it.
Dono
Give me somethin' to believe in...
I was able to witness history this past weekend. No, not Barry... he is old, but not historical. I am talking about being at the Viking's game, seeing Adrian Peterson in person running for 296 yards and setting the NFL record. Witnessing people perform amazing feats is awe-inspiring, and makes you dream about doing something awe-inspiring yourself. I suppose my chances for that are relegated to the music realm and not the gridiron, so I ought to focus my energies on that. Is it possible to do something awe-insipiring in the arts if it is not original? With football, you are confined to the parameters of the sport, and inpiring awe comes with outperforming all others at the same skill. Adrian Peterson is doing things that are awe-inspiring, yet he is using the same physical mechanics running the football as everyone else. He is not skipping every third step, or flapping his arms to gain extra speed. One way to compare this to the music realm is someone covering an already known song. How many covers of popular tunes are "awe-inspiring"? Originality is borderline necessary in art, as its audience expects it to be new and fresh.
Why am I rambling about this? Well, to get back to my main point, would I need to come up with something original to do the same? Vocal groups seem to thrive on souped-up versions of familiar songs...and could I write an original song on par with the others I have arranged? I guess, as the old saying goes, all I can do is try. I have no doubt the guys will let me know what they think about it.
Dono
Hungry eyes...
Last night I found the reason for my constant rouse from slumber at roughly 3:30am. It started shortly after moving into my new apartment, and has happened with frequency for a couple weeks now. At first I thought it may be restlessness from being in a new environment; the next week I chalked it up to bladder issues from drinking tea before bed. This week I have it narrowed down to two things: One, our neighbors are vampires, as I only hear noise from them sans sun; or two, they get up extremely early (i.e. 3:30 am)and have ridiculously loud conversations to keep each other awake as they get ready. I am hoping for number one, since a vampire will turn to dust when I stab them in the chest; not so much with number two.
After rehearsal last night it struck me that this group is hungry. Not hungry in the sense that we downed two boxes of pizza before rehearsal and realized we needed a third, because we did, but also hungry in the musical sense. We were able to get through 3 arrangements last night, 2 of them brand new to some, 1 of them brand new to all. It was fantastic. Being in group with this much musicianship makes my head swim. We may, however, have a problem. Our hunger for new, quality arrangements of songs that fit the Up 'til 2 style will never be satiated. We will end up on the streets, holding up barely legible cardboard signs that read, "Will work for arrangements." Casey will end up in some back alley doing who knows what for a taste of those sweet, sweet harmonies. It is a slippery slope, my friends. Wish us luck. And protection.
Dono
Meet me at the coffee shop...
We had our first performance with the new crew last night at Dunn Bros on Grand Ave. In a rare turn of events, the audience consisted of a vast majority of people who in fact have NOT heard or seen us before. At least our songs were new to someone last night. The natives (wives,families) are getting restless for new content, as are the 3 original members who have been singing the same songs for 2 years. I feel like Bill Murray in some twisted musical version of Groundhog Day, where we keep changing personnel instead of songs to try and fix the problem. Considering the fact that Jon and Dave had only 3 or 4 rehearsals, I believe our performance was quite compelling. The fact that they learned nine! songs is either a testament to their skill as musicians, or the quality of our teachings. I 'll let you decide that one.
Last night also gave me the chance to actually stand in very close proximity to our new member David Parker. He is akin to Mt. Rushmore or Niagra Falls; you do not realize its size until you are up close to it. Dave reminds me of an Oak tree in my backyard I used to climb as a kid. During the performance I had this unnerving urge to swing from his arms. I assume this feeling will pass with time. And experimentation.
Dono
Man, I feel like a woman
So, I hit a high C# in rehearsal last night. No, a HIGH C#. And I didn't just "hit" it, I held that note like Leo held Kate Winslet at front mast in "Titanic". The last of my dwindling masculinity flew away high into the night, much like that note did. Given the fact that some actual women struggle to hit this note, I honestly do not know if I should feel extremely proud or downright mortified. Oddly, while holding that note I felt like ripping my shirt off and baring my chest. Not to pound it, say, like my long-lost cave brothers, but to....you know...expose it.
Is this the feeling women get when they feel the need to take off their tops? Is it empowerment, or insecurity? Is this note my portal to the feminine, a gateway to the dimension of woman, a peer into the swirling mist of female emotion?
I think I ought to watch football and scratch myself this weekend.
Dono
Welcome!
My first blog. I must admit, I have read many different ones and always wondered what it would be like to start writing one. It is quite exciting. I hope that someday we will eventually have fans serious enough to hop on and read this on a regular basis (wives/girlfriends/moms(kids? not withstanding). I hope to blog after each rehearsal and/or performance to give a little insight as to what it is like to be a member of Up 'til 2. At this point I am unsure of how much detail (read: graphic) I should go into, as it will most likely be the wives/girlfriends/moms(kids?) reading. It may very well end up being just ourselves.
I must give kudos to our bass Jason for setting up the new site, as no one else in the group has the technical know-how to get a website up and running, nor the motivation to do so. This is why we paid someone for our previous website design, and though while it was dashing, he lives... ummm... not here. This makes it a little tedious making major changes.
So, welcome all you rabid fans to our new look, new sound, and new members. Please check back often, as we have many ideas taking up precious space in our puny minds and need to make room. Chord-of-the-day, rehearsal recording clips, and "How Not to Sing" (courtesy of Casey Radmann) are but a few of possibilites.
Dono
Welcome to the new site!
After years of intense development, and untold amounts of blood, sweat, and tears - the new Up 'til 2 website has been launched! Take a look around, explore the new digs, and get to know the band.
We hope you like the new site. If you don't, well, we don't want to hear it... ;)