Happening just outside of Toronto late May and early June. Heard that Adam G is on the performer list including a workshop. Planning to attend and hope to hear more soon.
Yipppeee!!! I always try to get to that one!!! It is about a 45 min drive for me and it is usually a great time. We should try to have a little forum get to gether!! ---------- If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
Well now I'm getting a complex!!! No takers?? Honest, I shower, brush my teeth and even change out of my rubber boots to go to these things!!! ;-) ---------- If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
Not much info yet on the website. No pricing and no official list of artists and their performing dates and times. But certainly hoping to meet other forum members.
Snfff, Snffff, I feel better now!!!:-) There is no cost for the festival, workshops, and both stages are free. Just bring a chair and hope for good weather. There is usually a cruise night with classic cars and bands on the street. We can figure out a meeting place closer to the event. ---------- If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
Jawbone I'll see ya there too, will wear a dity south button or something. I think recognizing Arzajak will be a piece of cake, so maybe we should all just keep an eye out for him, sound like a plan? Yes him and of course mr-so&so has blue hands and a blue face, it should be easy for us to find each other. I'm funny looking, but likely won't be the only funny looking person at the workshop, we'll be fine.
The objf.org site has all the info on it now. Adam appears at the following times and locations:
Saturday June 1: 11:00 am - harp workshop at Orangevile public library 2:15 pm - blow-off at Royal LePage Main Stage 9:30 pm - gig at Fionn MacCool's, 75 Fourth St.
Sunday June 2: 2:20 pm - Gussow OMB at Canada Trust Tent
I'll be there all day Saturday. I'm going to make a name tag with "MBH" on it, so you guys can recognize me. Unless it's cold, I won't be blue. Looking forward to meeting some of you, and Adam, of course. ----------
Last Edited by mr_so&so on May 27, 2013 10:40 AM
I made an MBH badge, with the harp logo, 4 in.x 3 in. to fit one of those clear plastic lanyard name tag thingies, if anybody is interested, on my box.com account. It just says "MBH Member" on it. ----------
Last Edited by mr_so&so on May 27, 2013 2:54 PM
Hey So and the other So!!???!!! That sounds like a good plan - I'm going to try and be there for the complete weekend!! I hope we get a good Forum turnout!! ---------- If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
mr so&so has the schedule pretty much right. The club gig actually runs 10 PM to 1 AM. I'm supposed to play three 45-minute solo sets--which will be interesting. That's a lot of kicking and stomping for one guy. I'll play two solid sets and then loft a hail-mary pass and hope for the best.
The Saturday AM workshop will be focus on extracting a lot of different things from the blues scale. The precise direction it takes will depend on who shows up.
Looking forward to meeting MBH members. Will be at main stage on Sat. I am also playing (with Brian Blain) on Sun 2-5 pm in the clubs at Grand Valley Chop House just outside Orangeville.
Last Edited by robdee on May 31, 2013 12:11 PM
Fun workshop with Adam today. Early birds latched on to him as soon as he arrived so Adam had little choice but to start the workshop while setting up as participants were obviously very enthusiastic to see him. A little something for everyone but those of us who have not yet achieved what we'd like to call intermediate harp players might have got the most useful information though I'd guess even advanced players don't mind revisiting fundamentals from a player of Adam's standing. My wife attended and very much enjoyed Adam's teaching style and straightforward explanations even though she has no musical background or playing aspirations of any kind. Heck, she even said she'll come back next year if Adam is there!
Last Edited by SmokeJS on Jun 01, 2013 2:34 PM
Orangeville is a beautiful town! Great festival despite the weather.
Adams workshop packed the room. It would have gone on much longer if not for the angry mob of ukulele players at the door who were scheduled to follow in that room.
It was a pleasure to be part of the small cluster of die-hard fans who joined Adam for lunch. It was like a second workshop's worth of questions.
I had to leave before Adam hit the main stage but caught the first two harp players in the blow off. It was a great show and still gaining steam when I left.
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Last Edited by arzajac on Jun 01, 2013 5:30 PM
The last two players, Shrimp Daddy and Adam, brought the house down. The session ran late, so there was time for only one song at the end with all four harpists together, but it was well worth it. (And as Adam mentioned at lunch, it's a tricky thing to have multiple harpists.)
(Caught some of Soulstack, the band which followed the main stage harp session, and they are excellent!)
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Last Edited by misterjunior on Jun 02, 2013 5:03 PM
It was a great workshop (it is tough to try and deal with such a broad range of levels)but Adam did a nice job!! And the show was terrific - It even stopped the rain!!!!
Quick question??? How do I put a pic at the bottom??? Part of the signature?? ---------- If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
It was fun to have an MBH forum reunion--or union?--of sorts as a part of the festival. It occurred to me only after I arrived here that this is my first time performing in Canada--not just Ontario, but Canada as a whole--since about 1997, when Satan & Adam played El Mocambo and some place in Montreal. (In Montreal, we co-billed with Guy Davis.) That's 16 years. Meeting Mr so&so, arzajac, mrjunior, and jawbone, and having lunch with them, I was also reminded of something that we sometimes forget: that face-to-face interactions create friends in a way that online interactions don't always accomplish. A tiny avatar photo, a handle, and a bunch of typed opinions aren't the same as in-the-flesh. We harp players might disagree strenuously about certain things and even grow spiky online, but in person we're a cohort of like-minded folk who share a passion.
I should say a few words about the gig last night. I played a big and bustling Irish pub. It was one of those gigs that starts off rocky and finishes triumphant. The first set was hindered by several early technical difficulties; I had to stop twice, early on, when the snare footpedal came undone--something that has never happened before. The Canadian audience was very spare with its applause--this is a show-me country, as Missouri is a show-me state--and the OMB format suddenly felt not quite full enough.
I snagged a bourbon (VERY small shots here in Canada) and a beer (strong beer here in Canada!) between sets, and when I started off the second set, I immediately had four dancers in front of me. I morphed the two-beat of "Buford Chapel Breakdown" into "Got My Mojo Working" and reminded myself of an age-old lesson, which is that dancers are a blessing on a blues gig--they signify "This gig is happening!"--and once you've got them, you'll do anything to keep the groove going. I was a working a Bb harp; I don't usually sing Mojo in the key of F, but it was doable and I did it.
It was a great set and it left me with one more shorter set to play, starting at 12:40 AM or so. My host had invited a guitarist, Brian Blain, to sit in; he showed up just as I was about to hit. I did "Sunshine of Your Love" for the second time, and then he plugged in and we went. And here I was reminded of yet another truth: no matter how well I work the OMB sound, the moment you add a guitar (especially a great guitarist, a blues pro who knows how to hold a groove), you've got a much fuller and more user-friendly sound. We took Crossroads Blues, for example, and, seeing that dancers were up and dancing, morphed it into a disco breakdown, including a bit of Sugar Blue's harp riff on "Miss You" and "Got My Mojo Working," again, this time in the key of A. We ended up playing until 1:30, although the gig was supposed to end at 1. It was dynamic, exciting music that just flowed and flowed. Brian is a veteran; he's been around, I gather, since the late 60s. More a country blues guy than an urban blues guy, but he was playing a very old Strat through a small Orange (??) solid state amp, unmiked, and things gelled beautifully. Any time I end up in these parts again, he's my guy. Period.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Jun 02, 2013 7:16 AM
Echo this: "I was also reminded of something that we sometimes forget: that face-to-face interactions create friends in a way that online interactions don't always accomplish."
Last Edited by Littoral on Jun 02, 2013 7:30 AM
Oh man - I wish I could have joined up with you guys for lunch!! But I was feeling the vibs from Princess Rolling Eyes that it was time to move on to other stuff. We just gotta get you up here more often!!! ---------- If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
Last Edited by jawbone on Jun 02, 2013 7:26 PM
Gosh - this picture thing is tricky!!!! Help??? I went to photobucket copied the url into my signature - what did I miss??? Altho I admit - the numbers and letters look better than me!! ---------- If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
Last Edited by jawbone on Jun 02, 2013 7:26 PM
Jawbone - You need to follow the advice on the "how to" link at the top of the forum home page. Follow the bit about putting an image on the forum, then do that in your signature box.
Last Edited by Kingley on Jun 02, 2013 10:37 AM
WHOA - that is too much of a good thing!!!! Thanx Kingley - I'm going to check that out now!!! Um....please make me go away - you're scaring me!! :-) ---------- http://a3.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/71/3958d3d707674dd6a7f38600c9a541e7/m.jpg
I enjoyed meeting Adam and other forum members. Adam, it was a pleasure to get to meet you and thank you in person for all you've done for me and many other aspiring players out there. It was also great to meet other forum members and put faces to the forum handles. Too bad we didn't have longer to hang out together.
I also enjoyed the festival which was mostly a showcase of fine Canadian blues talent. A small, but vibrant festival in a pretty little town. Highlights for me were Chris Whiteley and Diana Braithwaite, Soulstack, and Harry Manx. I also enjoyed the harp blow-off. Shrimp Daddy was impressive, but Adam got the biggest crowd response with his set. ----------
Last Edited by mr_so&so on Jun 03, 2013 10:36 AM
Chris Whitely - now there is some talent!!! Guitar, Trumpet and Harmonica and vocals...and a nice guy as well. I met him thru playing with Curley Bridges. First time I seen him play, the sound guy knocked over his guitar and broke the tuning peg right off!!!! Didn't phase him at all - he just played harp and trumpet all night and Curley took up the slack on piano!!! It was win-win for me - more trumpet and harp!! ----------
@jawbone, you've played with some big talent. I'd like to hear you sometime.
I stopped in to Adam's pub gig on my way out of town and he certainly had a challenge in front of him there. It was a big room with lots of high booths, no stage, no sight lines, a noisy crowd, and a hockey play-off game on the TVs. I decided it wasn't my scene. It's a testament to Adam's playing that he was able to connect with that crowd. ----------
Someone posted video of my second song with the band during the harp blowoff. I'm playing through the Kay 703, miked with the Sennheiser e906. You give up some low-end giblets with a small amp, but it's not a bad compromise.
When I played this, it felt as though I were taking my time, stretching out a bit, working both corners of the stage. Listening to it now, the editor in me wants to prune it. I also felt at the time--and still notice now--that the band rushed slightly, speeded up a little early on. But we quickly settled in. Good band, and a nice chance for a OMB boy to stand up and un-cramp those legs!
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Jun 05, 2013 5:09 AM
Excellent!!! Just as good the second time!!!! and..... Princess Rolling Eyes did not complain about the high end harp work!!!! Just goes to prove your assessment was correct, Professor!! :-) ----------
