Music lessons don't have to end with high school band. There's a whole world of playing opportunities out there for Northwest Indiana folks, read on to find out more!
Last Monday we gave Where Are You Going another go-round because it's complicated and worth doing and it sounds cool when we do it. That took up a lot of our time, but we managed to work on two new tunes...
Song 1: Rhythm of Love by The Plain White T's. I'm not used to any music that's ten years old or less (I stopped listening to new stuff after Nirvana) but darn this is catchy and Rich and Tom sing it great.
Song 2: I'll Be Around by The Spinners. I grew up listening to the music of my parent's generation so I feel a bit more at home here. Rich threw us a curveball tonight: the song is a measure of C and a measure of D, but the key of the song is actually in G.
Next weeks starts a new session of White Ripple Community Band. We are open to all voices, all instruments, and all experience levels, with beginners especially welcome! Playing music together is one of the things that makes life so sweet. See you Monday!
White Ripple Community Band played The Garden Song last week, as a tribute to the spring which I know will arrive in Chicago sooner or later...anyway, as I was jotting down the lyrics from my copy of Rise Up Singing I saw the words to (what else) The Anti-Garden Song.
I like to think that The Garden Song is how we feel about our carefully tended flower and vegetable beds in May, and The Anti-Garden Song is how we feel about the same weed patch come late August. Enjoy!
The Anti-Garden Song: A Parody
Written by Eric Kilburn
CHORUS
Slug by slug, weed by weed, my garden’s got me really teed All the insects love to feed on my tomato plants Sunburned face, scratched-up knees, my kitchen’s choked with zucchinis I’m shopping at the A&P next time I get a chance
The crabgrass grows, the ragweed thrives, the broccoli has long since died
The only things left still left alive are some radishes & beans My carrot plants are dead and gone, hear the rabbits sing a happy song Until you’ve weeded all day long you don’t know what boredom means
You get up early, work till late, watch moles & mice get overweight
They eat their dinners on a plate from the hard work you have done As ye sow, so shall ye reap, but I smell like a compost heap I’m gonna get that lousy creep who said gardening was fun
Band 101 met last Wednesday over at Paul Henry's Art Gallery to work on our set. The class is a once a month thing where you learn a set of songs to perform at Paul Henry's open mic the next night.
It was a packed house, and we had so much fun.
The setlist:
Everyday People
Lean on Me
I Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love With You
Sweet Caroline
Here are the chord sheets because I'm feeling generous. Hope life is treating you well wherever you are today.
I took a break from posting last week as I'm the last librarian in the world without access to a home computer. I don't see the point of having one at home, really-- they're expensive and their planned obsolescence is six months and I'd rather spend the money on music camps like this one, so come with me now, to a time not so long ago...
Song 1: Down by the Riverside. Enjoy Sister Rosetta Tharpe tearing it up. I'd like to revisit this one, as there are lots of call and response singing opportunities for us to play with.
Song 2: Where Are You Going by The Dave Matthews Band.
This is a tricky one as the words and chords meet up in unexpected places. I like working on more complicated stuff from time to time because when you've mastered it? Ahh, that's a feeling of accomplishment. (Someday I'll get there with this one.) It sounds lovely with Linda on clarinet holding up the melody.
Rich wrote out the chord structure so you can keep the beat with that, and then add the words when you're ready.
Verse
D/// G/// Bm/// A///
D/// G/// Bm/// A///
Chorus (this is the really tricky part-- you can play four beats of D if you want to instead)
D/ D7/ G/ Gm/ D/ D7/ G/ Gm/
D/ D7/ G/ Gm/ D/ D7/ Gm///
Gm/// D/// C/// G///
Song 3: The Garden Song, written by Dave Mallet and sung here by John Denver with Muppet accompaniment. I've got more to say about this song but this blog post is long enough as it is.
Song 4 (we were busy!): The Midnight Special. We did this one a long time ago in C, here we did it in G. The first time I heard it was Creedence, which is nice, but nothing beats Huddie Ledbetter.
Hi folks, I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote out the chords last night! Here are the chords to I'll Be Around, new and improved.
Here is a nice YouTube clip of The Spinners performing the song. They're not using the same chords we are, but it will help you with our chord changes and when they come in. Also, you know, it's The Spinners so you know it's going to be great.
The White Ripple Community Band performed a free concert at the Hammond Public Library on April 11th in honor of National Library Week. Thank you all for a lovely evening. xoxo
Thank you all for your patience while I put the library concert setlist together! Here goes...
1. Some Kind of Wonderful (key of G)
2. Drift Away (G)
3. Good Time Tonight (D)
4. Groovin' (C)
5. Find Love (G)
6. I Hear You Knocking (C)
7. Give Peace a Chance (G)
8. Sloop John B (E)
9. Rock'n Me Baby (E)
10. Fortunate Son (D)
11. Stand by Me (G)
12. Everyday People (G)
13. This Little Light of Mine (G)
And a bonus song, since someone will have a birthday-- Happy Birthday to You in A
Song sheets are here. We'll have a chance to rehearse the concert at White Ripple's Second Saturday event on April 9th. Second Saturday starts at 7 p.m. See you Saturday!
