on January 29, 30 & 31 in Clear Lake City, at the University of Houston at Clear Lake campus will be the 2nd annual Conjour SF/Fantasy/Horror/gaming convention. This year the Writer Guest of Honor is Steven Brust, but the Musical Guests of Honor is GHOST OF A ROSE!!!
Besides our GOH duties, We'll also be helping with a FILK 101 panel. We're very excited. come on out to it and enjoy it with us.

wow today at ovff has been a fantastic day. 
they had a songwriting competition where you had to have written the song in the past 12 months and in the theme of "to the stars"  the author had to sing it in front of the audience and 3 judges.  the judges picked the three top winners from a criteria form they had.  the audience got to vote on the one they liked the best (People's Choice Award).  I submitted my song "I've Got To Go".  performance went well.  I was the last to sign up (arrived late friday, con started on Thursday)  so I was the last to perform...there were some great songs presented....but I did my best....and got Second Place. :)  Not only that, I received the People's Choice award too.
got to jam with a bunch of great musicians, saw some fantastic concerts.  Mary Ellen Wessels had an incredible back-up band....had  over a dozen people playing (some of whom I know, some I don't...but all incredible musicians!  ...Drums, Bass, keyboard, guitars, banjola, alto recorder, bodhran)  and she is incredible too.  i wanted a recording of her concert so bad...but my zoom was in my room...didn't even think about putting it up before the concert damn it!!

well, this year Ghost of a Rose will be playing a full hour...on Sunday Sept. 20, 2009 in the Oak Ballroom.  at 12 noon.  hope everyone can make it :)

   Patti has a dear friend she's known for more years than she wants to remember who used to own a beer joint here in Columbus. It was the local "Cheers"  for a lot of people ...family close.   A few years back Christine sold the place and retired...it lost some of the feeling and the regulars drifted off....and it went through a series of owners before finally closing up.   Christine bought back the place and reopened a little over a week ago.  Patti had been waiting for her to open again, and we dropped by last Sunday to chat....and it turned out Sundays are Karaoke nights....so I sang a couple songs.  
    We'd been talking about what she was going to be having there....and also about what I've been doing musically (Ghost of a Rose).  After hearing me sing, Christine asked if I'd be interested in singing there sometimes...and I set up to go out and actually PLAY and sing for her (to see if, after hearing me play, she was still interested) on Wednesday night. I played from 6:30 to 9:30 and the patrons seemed to enjoy what I played.   Afterwards Christine and I talked and she told me she wanted me to play Saturdays when I could.    I couldn't this week because Sundara and I went into the studio yesterday (Saturday) morning for an 8 hour recording session (CD in the making)  and I was alllllll played out.
   This coming Saturday night I will be playing however.  At first she didn't think I should because the LaGrange county fair is that weekend...but hey, some people don't go to the fair and there MIGHT be some customers.  
   Where this becomes a bit weird is that   1) I have played Celtic, Folk, and Filk music exclusively in the last 5 years, 2) it's a country-western oriented bar and 3) I've never played in a Country-western oriented bar, although I have a lot of country songs in my repetoire that i just learned because I liked them YEARS ago.   I apparently pulled it off well, because she said that the customers enjoyed my playing and singing, as did she.   I know I enjoyed playing again for that intimate type of venue, and will continue to do so.  It is a little sad that Sundara doesn't like country music and so wouldn't be playing with me....but we'll still be performing at cons, celtic and pagan stuff together too :)

This was a fantastic weekend.  Saturday we were invited to a pool party at the home of a business associate of Patti's. Their pool was only 5 feet deep at the deepest and about 4ft at the shallowest....there is a rock waterfall at the deep end, with an overhang and an underwater ledge to sit on under it.  we had a blast floating around and playing water vollyball.  then on Sunday we headed to downtown Houston, where we met up with one of my oldest friends (we met in 4th grade and were inseperable until my family moved 4 years later) .  He got back in touch with me 10 years back after 30 years of non-communication...and we caught up on lots of stuff.  Turns out, he majored in music, as I did, in college....but he actually went the performance route instead of teaching and is now one of the Principals in the traveling Phantom of the Opera (M. Andre). The show was in town and Sunday was his last day here in Houston.  We picked him up at his bed and Breakfast and went to a nice Greek Restaurant for some lunch and conversation, after which we drove him down to the Hobby Center for the show. 
   We then leisurely drove north to the Woodlands where  Willie Nelson, John Melencamp, and Bob Dylan were having a one day performance on their current tour.  My eldest son, Aaron, is a Sound Tech (roadie) currently assigned to Willie Nelson's shows....so he is part of that triple header (but only responsible for Willie's show, not the rest).  Patti is a Bob Dylan fan, and I have always loved his songs (albeit done by others, not him...he never sang worth a damn) so I checked with Aaron to see if he could get us comp tickets
...he couldn't find out until a few days before the show itself, but turned out, yes he could! :)  My Ghost of a Rose partner Sundara asked if he could get a couple more tickets so she and her boyfriend could go too. (yes he could)  When we picked up our ticket envelope at WillCall, there were 4 wristbands in there stamped with Willie's stamp. ...BACKSTAGE PASSES!!!!!!    We found our seats (left side, 20th row) and sat down...enthusiastic about how good the seats were.  Then my son came over to us and I introduced Sundara and Ralph to him...and he asked if we wanted to go backstage right then....of course that was cool...to get to take a look back there before the show...then he told us that (for the Willie Nelson part of the show)  WE COULD WATCH FROM THE WINGS!!!!!  So we watched the opening band, and then Willie from the side of the stage. My Daughter-in-law showed up with my Granddaughter and she looks so cute watching Willie play and sing:


We thoroughly enjoyed being where we were for the concert.  after Willie's set, we had to leave the backstage area and as we were walking around outside, we saw him standing next to his bus talking with people still in the "backstage" area.....we got to talk to him and got him to pose with me and Sundara :  

after that we went back to our seats and watched a good concert by Melencamp...then Dylan played....however if what came out of his mouth was supposed to be singing, it's not the kind of singing I like.  He was worse than i'd ever thought he could be.
we gave him 4 or 5 songs to improve...and when it didn't, we left.  at that, we didn't get home until midnight...and both of us had to work today.  very tired today. LOL

Well, this past weekend was another Apollocon.  Two years ago I met my singing partner (Sundara) in a filkcircle there...and now we've performed in concert each year since then!  Last year author Steven Brust joined us on a song (playing the dumbek (sp?)) This year Amy McNally was the Music guest of honor and she played several  songs with us in our concert.  (sqeee!!!)
  It was a fun weekend and I hate to return to the mundane world again after spending the weekend with all the great people at the con!

well,
We've been really looking forward to performing this year at the CMA Beltaine...apparently so have the rain-gods!!!   hoping against hope, Patti and I got out there Thor's Day evening and set up. Sundara and her guy were already there and setting up the pavilion we had for the band.....and everything looked great...there was a chance of rain (60%)  but I figured we were beating the odds....no such luck...started raining Frey's day morning really early...was intermittant all day...finally about 3 or so it stopped and we were able to get our equipment to the "Plan B" stage (the main stage was not usable because of the weather.  we were featured band so the other band went first...and took 30 minutes to set up the sound mics and started much later than they should have....and played out their entire planned playlist.. We were supposed to play an hour (from 7:15 to 8:15)  but we didn't get to start until nearly 8:00....we did finish just before 9:00, which was when the main ritual was scheduled, so we didn't lose audience to that starting....and we actually had a good number in the audience despite the rain.
   Our show was well received and we actually sold a couple CD's after it.

On the down side,  our tent was in a river every time it rained...we do have a good tent with "bathtub'  flooring in three of the rooms (center room is just a removeable tarp floor which is nice in non wet conditions.   we had a few seams that neead to be waxed to prevent the seepage that we got....our bedroom was dry..but we just didn't enjoy the constant wet, so after the performance last night, we took some stuff and took off to go home to sleep (we're only 45 minutes from Spirit Haven)  (we had actually had to have the truck towed out of the parking area to the road because the ground turned to mush, but they had a tractor doing that for people)  we went back today to pack our stuff up, but discovered that we couldn't get across the small creek that flowed across the main road in!  have to wait for the water to subside (depth went from about 2 feet to 8ft overnight....was over the road too deeply to even wade thru.   I had planned to sit in our booth and jam with other musicians today..but that didn't work out.  Sundara was caught on the other side of the creek, so she's been cooped up in the big Main Tent area or in her tent.   

Our next gig is a coffee house May 9th, we will be  1) indoors  2) not camping 3) Dry!   
The Highland games the following weekend will be indoors too...so we won't repeat this kind of problem for a good while.

Well, it's hard to believe, but this Friday (the 13th) will mark exactly one year since my father passed away. :(
I only mention this because I made the statement that I needed to write a song for him, and I think that more than a year would be a cop out on my part...as it is this is cutting it fine.  One should realize by that last statement that I have come up with a song for him.
    Now it gets convoluted.  I was thinking about him this morning and then about the song that I sang at Gafilk.  Chimes was probably my father's favorite song of all the songs I wrote.  He requested I sing that song nearly every time I saw him...up until the last time too.  Now, because i was thinking about his death, as the words to Chimes ran through my mind, I realized that the song could take on an entirely different meaning by changing a few words, and adding another verse...well after writing the extra verse, I realized that if i changed the original last verse, it would be even better....so what could be more appropriate?  My tribute to my father...an adaptation of his favorite song of mine!  

Chimes Revisited

(words and music ©2009 by Berdene C. Foye)

 

The chimes in the steeple they ring out for me
They tell me I’d best be movin’ on

  But I don’t pay them heed, ‘cause I don’t see the need

Why can’t I stay right here?

 

The birds in the trees, they sing out at me

They tell me I’m wasting my time

But I disagree ‘cause I’m living for me

And I’m doing just what I want.

 

But Times will change,

And like the wind I’ll be gone

The People around me, they want me to stay

They all know I’ll soon be  movin’ on.

But I don’t want to go, ‘cause I love this place so

But soon I will be on my way

 

My life is now behind me: so full and rich and grand

Loving faces everywhere I turned

But I hope I’ll not forget all those people I met

As I go on my way

 

The Chimes in the steeple, they ring out for Dad
They tell me he’s gone far away.

But I’ll never forget the things he did, and yet

I wish he was still here today.

 

                          

 

Current Location: home
Current Mood: melancholy

Patti and I celebrated one year of being together last week...and what a year this has been.

for the last couple months it seems I've been going non-stop. 
We went to Gafilk in January and had a blast.  the drive up wasn't too bad...we stopped in Mongomery for the night at my brother's going up thursday night, so we were only a couple hours out from the hotel in Atlanta on Friday...no rush and were able to sleep in Friday morning with no rushing ...got to the hotel and had time to even shower the road grime off before anything started.  the whole weekend was fantastic...too much happened to list ..but everyone we talked with and sang with and just hung out with was great :)   monday, we hung around until nearly noon, getting loaded up...then took a leisurely drive north to Winder (where my sister lives)  getting there after she got home from work.  We had a nice  visit and then went to bed...getting up before everyone on Tuesday to drive back home, so we could get there  early enough for Patti to get some sleep (she had to work a 12 hour shift at the hospital on Wednesday).  
    Almost Immediately upon returning to texas, I started packing up stuff and moving it to Columbus (tx).  We decided that since we were together every day, we might as well be in one place, and since I lived in an Apartment, on which the lease was up February 1st, I moved my stuff to her place. that gave us 3 weeks to get everything moved and the apartment cleaned...and she works every other weekend...so it was mostly me packing and moving stuff...except the  bookcases and piano...and other big items which we loaded together on the trailer and hauled over.  Of course, since i'm a packrat, I had far too much stuff to fit into her 3 bedroom house...so i rented a storage unit nearby...which we've filled with a lot of stuff we'll have to sort thru and get rid of what we can.  The house itself is now (the last week of February) looking like  an integrated home again instead of boxes everywhere.
   I didn't get to go to ConDFW this year because of a few reasons...the main being that Patti had to work...and we'll be going up to Dallas two weekends later for The North Texas Irish Festival.  with the move and other expenses, two hotel stays in three weeks would break the bank, i'm afraid. 

Ghost of a Rose has been performing quite a bit now....and more to come!   We had a performance at a small Celtic Festival in the Heights weekend before last....full hour and it went well. 
Patti videoed it..but the sound quality of the camera sucks big time, so there won't be any postings of those on you tube. We MAY be playing at a St. Patrick's Day celebration in Katy at a Pub there, but we haven't heard for certain yet at this posting. The next definite performance is at the Council of Magickal Arts Beltaine Celebration in Cistern in April.  We are supposed to be playing on the Celidh Stage at the Houston Highland Games in May, but  that is also unfinalized.  then in June we'll be at Apollocon...where it all started in 2007!!!
   We have a myspace site now...even have one of the songs from our CD posted (the one Sundara wrote)
http://www.myspace.com/ghostofarose2007 

I've been introducing my lady-friend to the various festivals and cons that I go to...took her to a fairly good sized SCA function where we camped for the weekend. She is enjoying the heck out of it. (she said it's like renfaire, but more participatory!) She has also become my roadie when I have a gig to play...helps cart my equipment...and set it up and take it down!  We had been planning to go to the Baron of Stargate's Yule revel last weekend (It would have been her first feast) and then on Monday I got contacted by Hugh Morrison, asking if I was available to play a gig in Galveston with him and another musician...and I was Immediately thrown into a dilemma...I've been to many feasts...but never have I performed at Galveston's Dickens-On-the-Strand. I wanted to play...but also knew Patti was looking forward to the feast.  When I told her about Hugh's request...she said "there's no dilemma...you go to Dickens"!!  of course, she went along and got to go to the festival, so it wasn't a complete bust for her! LOL

There is a small festival called "Lights in the Heights" this next saturday.  Ghost of a Rose was contacted to play (we get 45 minutes of a 4 hour event in one of the stages) and Patti is really disappointed that she can't go because she is working. And to make it doubly disappointing, Hugh wants us to join him in his stage after we play  our set. ...so we are going to have a busy evening...and she doesn't get to go at all.  *sigh* 

anyway...she is looking forward to Gafilk next month, and condfw in Feb.  I've created a monster!
:-)

Current Location: home
Current Mood: hyper
Current Music: Live at CMA Samhain (Ghost of a Rose)