The Devil's Tailors played our first Highland Games, the Virginia Scottish Games, this past weekend. And we had a blast! The games returned to Sky Meadows again this year, a wonderful setting out west of DC in Faquier county, with rolling hills that immediately suggested the Highlands. The weather, not so much. Things were hot and muggy on Saturday, and hotter if less muggy on Sunday. It was a great games, with Rathkeltair and Alex Beaton on the main stage, and along with us, Elke Baker, the Potomac Valley Scottish Fiddle Club, The Winchester Celtic Circle, Dileab Phriseil, and The Wise Maids, along with Becky Ross w/ Julie Gorka and Rosemary Hall on Saturday, and with Liz Donaldson on Sunday, to play for the NoVA branch of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, who demonstrated for us. The fiddle contest Saturday morning was equally fun, with some great talent turning out to contend for the title.
I'm not ashamed to admit we got the gig because I was running the fiddle tent. So, as Chris pointed out, this made us the house band.
We were running behind on Saturday, and did an abbreviated set at 4:30. The games was thinning out, but we had a small but loyal crowd, who sat with us through a sudden rainstorm. When the rain began, I began to wave to Andy, who was working sound, to get instruments and cables out of the rain. Andy saw my gesticulation and asked "What? What am I supposed to turn up?" But it still went very well, and though Jim's cittern cable and Chris' drums were out in the rain for a few moments, nothing was damaged, and Jim wasn't electrocuted.
The Sunday show went without a hitch, and because we went on mid-day, we had a really good turnout. We were able to play a full hour, and were very tight and energetic. Chris and I were really clicking on the pipe sets, and I was feeling a fun wildness on the fiddle sets.
Thanks to everyone for coming out and sticking around, including the little girl who danced to our music on Sunday, and the fiddle club regulars who braved the rain for us.
If I come across pics, I'll share them!
1 comment:
Other than Jim's near brush with death by electrocution, Chris’ repeated falls from the stage (or was he stage-diving? I couldn’t tell because I had my back to him the whole time), Peter's fiddle nearly being swept away by the deluge, and a few right notes played at the wrong time on my part, not to mention the humidity that glued my fingers to the neck of my fiddle on Saturday, fun was had by all!
Peter played his heart out on the fiddle and the rest of the Tailors were superb as usual. That little dancing girl really made the set, though. My suspicions were confirmed when I was gently informed afterwards by an unnamed audience member that trying to sing in unison an octave above Peter is wee bit too high for my mezzo-soprano voice, but we’ll work out a solution.
Many thanks to Andy, the indefatigable sound guy who generously gave his whole weekend to the cause of keeping us ne'er-do-wells out of trouble and sounding good. Perhaps Peter needs to work out a system of gesticulations that clearly distinguishes between the sign for “turn up my fiddle” and the sign for “my fiddle is floating away!”
It could have been at least 20 degrees cooler, but sticking my head in the ice chest really helped when things hovered around 91 or 92. I would have traded the rolling hills of Virginia for Clochnaben in all its frigid bleakness in a heartbeat. I daresay good old Scotland would not approve of such climatic nonsense. However, it could have been worse. Poor Alex Beaton was stuck on the mainstage playing in full sun with no hope of any shade.
The Devil’s Tailors are hotter than Hell, all y’all. Sszzzzzzz! Can I say that, or is this a family blog?
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