Ball in the House
April 1, 2010 § Leave a Comment
For the sake of completeness, I thought I’d do a short post about the last concert in Mechanics Hall/WICN 90.5 FM Bank of America Brown Bag Concert Series. Phew, that is a mouthful. We went yesterday afternoon to see Ball in the House, a “five man, Pop/R and B, ‘mouth band’” hailing from Boston. They were great and we were all amazed by the sounds they could make with their mouths alone. Quite impressive. We had fun, the kids pretty much behaved, but I didn’t have any flashes into my future or anything. Although, it did bring up the old question of why God didn’t bless me with a singing voice. Why, God, why? I know I’m meant to sing. Can you imagine all the good I could do as “The Singing Holistic Health Counselor” ? I’d be famous and everyone I worked with would be healthy and happy and amazed that one blessed with such an angelic voice would still want to help others improve their lives. Thanks a million, God. Ugh, so that’s about it, besides my lunch making me sick and rendering me useless for the rest of the day. But I’ll spare you those details.
We had a nice time and really appreciate the three free concerts we saw. I mean, we were in a beautiful venue, eating a healthy home-made lunch with friends, listening to great entertainment and it was all free. F-R-E-E (well, except for the parking, but that’s my own fault). We are totally looking forward to another Brown Bag Concert Series in the fall!
Just a tip, make a point to search-out events that may be going on in your city or town. Often, fun, free things aren’t advertised, so you need to find them. There may be a ton of fun stuff going on in your area that you’re not aware of. Spend some time on the web searching local venues, museums, etc. and see what you turn up.
“We’re halfway there, Oh, OH…”
March 27, 2010 § Leave a Comment
So, Peter and I went to another free lunchtime concert downtown on Wednesday with our friend Sue. We went last week on St. Patrick’s Day to hear a group of Irish musicians. This week the Beantown Swing Orchestra was playing with American Idol finalist, John Stevens. As you can probably guess, Swing music is quite a draw for senior citizens. I think every senior center in a 100-mile radius took a field trip to downtown Worcester yesterday. The house was packed with white hair and wheelchairs and every single person was having a ball (well, those who weren’t taking a catnap were having a ball). If there had been room for a dance floor, I’m sure that those wheelchairs would’ve been whirling around on one wheel out there. The music of that era is timeless and infectious, and the orchestra and John were amazing. At times, if I closed my eyes, I could have easily imagined that Frank Sinatra was in the room singing his heart out. I may have even smelled cigarette smoke wafting through the air and tasted whiskey on my tongue.
However, interrupting my revery were some sobering thoughts. As I was watching those seniors clapping, singing and bobbing their heads along to the music, I suddenly thought of myself and wondered what I’ll be doing in 30 years. What in the hell kind of field trips will I be taking with my senior center? Are there going to be a group of twenty-something musicians covering Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Skid Row songs? I mean, really? Really?? Am I going to be singing “Livin’ on a Prayer” when I’m 70? And what about teenagers now? What are their field trips going to be like in 50-55 years? Will they be singing along with Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Ke$ha impersonators? It’s so bizarre. It seems to me that music put out after, say, 1980 has lost the ability to be called “timeless.” Sure, there are some bands and musicians that still play real instruments and write meaningful lyrics that don’t make a nun blush, but I honestly think that most current mainstream music has an expiration date. Don’t you think? I mean, can people of all ages say “before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack, ’cause when I leave for the night, I ain’t coming back”? Is that a timeless and ageless sentiment? [No offense, Ke$ha - we totally sing your songs now.]
I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, and maybe it’s just how I’m feeling at this moment, but I hope that when my friends and I are 70 we’ll be swaying to the music of Frank Sinatra and Artie Shaw rather than throwing our panties at some young stud from our bedazzled wheelchairs while singing “Tommy used to work on the docks” through our floppy dentures.
So, yeah, I can’t stop laughing at that Bon Jovi scenario. It’s so going to happen. Probably after many glasses of wine and few shots of Jagermeister. You know, for old times’ sake.
