Category: Pennsic

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Pennsic teaching

My Pennsic classes

My Pennsic classes are scheduled.

The New Bard’s Road Map

A how-to primer for new or aspiring bards. Developing a repertoire, finding performance opportunities, seeking mentors and patrons, gaining visibility, becoming part of the bardic community.

  1. A&S 9 on Wed 08-02 12:00 PM
  2. A&S 9 on Mon 08-07 12:00 PM

Thy Name Is Woman: Elizabethan Men on Women

An exploration, through songs and plays of the period, of the complex and conflicted attitudes English culture held around women and their role during the Elizabethan period.

  1. A&S 5 on Thu 08-03 2:00 PM
  2. A&S 5 on Wed 08-09 9:00 AM
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concert Pennsic

Final Pennsic Video: “We Are the East” with Caoilfhionn & Efenwealt

This is the last video from this year’s Pennsic concert. The start of the song is missing, and there are some camera issues (especially at the start), but it’s an opportunity to hear Duchess Caoilfhionn and me performing “We Are the East” together (with Efenwealt on guitar), which was an incredible treat. I hope you enjoy.

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concert Pennsic video

Video Up: Tam Lin of the Elves, feat. Ken and Lisa Theriot

Lorelei Skye was kind enough to share some videos she took of my Pennsic concert, which include two performances with people I’d been dying to work with onstage. The first of these is a rendition of “Tam Lin of the Elves” that the audience absolutely loved, featuring the fantastic Sir Kenneth MacQuarrie and Mistress Adelaide de Beaumont, aka Ken and Lisa Theriot. It plays very differently from last year’s performance with Heather Dale.

Unfortunately, the first verse didn’t get captured, but this is the only video we were able to get of the bulk of the song. Still, I hope you enjoy.

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concert Pennsic video

Video Up: The Name of the King feat. Efenwealt Wystle

I have one more video to share before you start your weekend, with somewhat better picture quality (thanks, Cedar!): “The Name of the King”, with Efenwealt Wystle on guitar. I’m excited to finally have one of the videos with decent accompaniment from the concert to share. When I review the available options from my friends, I’ll see if there isn’t another video or two we can share with you.

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concert Pennsic video

Pennsic 45 video: A Lusty Young Smith

Here’s video for a piece I’ve never recorded before: A Lusty Young Smith, a 17th-century English song with rather bawdy content (this is the popular tune and lyrics revised by Ed McCurdy in the 1950’s, making the song a bit bouncier and the innuendo a little less on the nose).

I have performed this piece a few times before in the SCA: Most recently at the Roses Bardic competition, and before that (way before that, at Pennsics 31 and 33), it was the first piece I ever performed in the SCA, at Duchess Isabella’s Ladies’ Night. (The less said about that the better–there’s a reason I only consider myself an SCA bard for the last four years or so–but you’ll get a flavor for it from my opening remarks.)

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concert Pennsic video

First Pennsic 45 video up: “Hidden Gold”

I’ve got my first video up from this year’s Pennsic concert. This is the first time we’ve captured “Hidden Gold” on video. The picture isn’t as sharp as I’d like for some reason. Don’t know if it was the camera focus, or if restoring the video file (which had been damaged) was the cause. It required some effort at any rate, and I was worried about whether we’d be able to recover it at all. I’m relieved that the sound is intact. I’ll be adding the closed captions shortly. Enjoy!

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Pennsic

Top 10 Memories from Pennsic 45

A tradition has evolved of sharing one’s favorite moments on returning from Pennsic. Who am I to stand in the way of tradition? In no particular order, my top 10:

  1. My son, Spencer, made me proud (and humbled me) again and again throughout this war. He registered his name and device (Spencer Oranwood…’scuse me, there’s something in my eye). He mustered every day with Clan Okami (who nicknamed him “Ototo”–“Little Brother”). He performed stories at bardic circles, showing continued growth. He asked me if he could be in my concert, and when I suggested that we could do “The Binding of Isaac” as a father-son piece, he went for it.
    Continue reading “Top 10 Memories from Pennsic 45”
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album Pennsic

The CD is on sale at Pennsic

Last night’s concert was wonderful and challenging (more on that at a later time). It did occur to me after that I failed to mention to people that the Hidden Gold CD is on sale at Camelot Treasures (Booth 030) and John Ap Wyn. If you liked my performances, or missed them and wanted to hear them, it’s an option to consider. (All proceeds continue to be donated through this second year.) Many of our favorite artists, such as Heather Dale, Ken and Lisa Theriot, Efenwealt Wystle, Emer nic Aidan, and Lorelei Skye’s Rhosaleen Dhu, also have CDs for sale, and I invite you to stock up for the trip home.

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concert Pennsic

Concert Update: Last Minute Guest!

So we’re making a last-minute change to the concert set list. I’m adding a new musical guest–my son, Spencer. I’ve long known that he has musical talent, and to my delight he is embracing that this war. We will be performing a contrafact of mine as a duet near the start of the concert. (It was his idea to be in the concert; I picked the song.) Not to be missed.

Categories
concert Pennsic

Update to Concert Guest List

A quick update on the guest list for my concert next Tuesday at 8. I’ve realized that in my zeal to collaborate with some of the SCA’s wonderful performers, I went a little overboard, to the point that it will be a tall order both to rehearse with everyone, and to manage the flow of a one-hour concert with this many introductions to make. 

Knowing that these performers are also busy folks, many of them with their own concerts coming up (see below), I checked in to see if I could turn the scope back down below 11. Emer nic Aidan has agreed to make space and focus on her other commitments. You can still enjoy Emer on stage this Friday at 9 pm, during her “Sea and Fire” concert with Lorelei Skye. 

And while we’re discussing it, let me gratefully plug Efenwealt Wystle, whose concert is Sunday at 8 pm, and Ken and Lisa Theriot, who will be performing immediately after my set Tuesday Night at 9 pm. 

I’ll let you know if there are any other changes.