Unamplified Acoustic Tent gig – Gigs now done!

Veganic

The tent is probably just cover for the artists.  Needs a small generator and PA or you'll look foolish.  The organiser is not so much free and easy as disorganised and naive. Everyone needs a definite start and finish time unless the real event is all in wrestling when the disputes start.

thecolourbox

Veganic said:

The tent is probably just cover for the artists.  Needs a small generator and PA or you'll look foolish.  The organiser is not so much free and easy as disorganised and naive. Everyone needs a definite start and finish time unless the real event is all in wrestling when the disputes start.

I think we will get a start and end time to be fair just not yet as he's going to see who drops out (they inevitably will right?). I do get the impression he doesn't regularly organise things, but I think he'll learn after this once if he were to repeat it next year (he's said himself they might look to get some basic power for nxt year if it goes well this year). I'd l love to be on the proper stage but they have proper bands and acts on there lol

EricTheWeary

I've looked this up and can't find any details beyond that it exists. If he is promoting it I've not found it. 

thecolourbox

EricTheWeary said:

I've looked this up and can't find any details beyond that it exists. If he is promoting it I've not found it. 

It was a bit of a stalking mission to track him down from the info available but thankfully I'm quite good at stalking people. If you want I can pm you his details @EricTheWeary ;;

EricTheWeary

thecolourbox said:

EricTheWeary said:

I've looked this up and can't find any details beyond that it exists. If he is promoting it I've not found it. 

It was a bit of a stalking mission to track him down from the info available but thankfully I'm quite good at stalking people. If you want I can pm you his details @EricTheWeary ;;

No, it's fine   I'm ten minutes drive away so a potential punter for this and there's nothing at all obvious when I google it. So, may just be his family and friends you are entertaining! 

thecolourbox

EricTheWeary said:

thecolourbox said:

EricTheWeary said:

I've looked this up and can't find any details beyond that it exists. If he is promoting it I've not found it. 

It was a bit of a stalking mission to track him down from the info available but thankfully I'm quite good at stalking people. If you want I can pm you his details @EricTheWeary ;;

No, it's fine   I'm ten minutes drive away so a potential punter for this and there's nothing at all obvious when I google it. So, may just be his family and friends you are entertaining! 

It's this:

http://www.warleywoods.org.uk/mc-events/picnic-in-the-park-2/
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/bearwoodshuffleblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/18/picnic-in-the-park-2017/amp/

It's a very well attended event and is very well known locally, here's a photo of the main stage from previous years, obviously not going to be that for the little acoustic tent, that's merely a sideshow
https://bearwoodblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/p10008861.jpg

thecolourbox

Right then, I've managed to sort one of these to use for the day, borrowing it from the quiz I'm involved with as I looked into buying something, and costs were prohibitive considering how much use it would ultimately get:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ION-Audio-Rocker-Portable-System/dp/B000I51FF6

I think it's about 20 watts ish so should do the job, as long as the battery works (I'll be testing that fairly soon )

Just need to sort a guitar now, been meaning to get a small acoustic for a while because even though they are technically often louder than I play electric at home, they tend to offend the good lady less and thus I'll be able to play more.

There was  huge street festival in the same town yesterday so I'm thinking the chap may have recruited some more people from there, so should probably check they still need me in actual fact...

Fretwired

thecolourbox said:

I've looked at the Roland Street Cube and that appears to be 2x2.5watts output...that can't be the right one surely?

It's 50 watts and has multiple inputs for guitars and mics - there are places that rent them.

thecolourbox

That's the EX version, that appears to be over £450! It's the normal street cube I had looked at, but that's also too much considering I hate buskers therefore won't need it much going forward - I could maybe rent one but again just think for this use it'll just be easier to borrow this Ion speaker thing if it definitely holds the charge

thecolourbox

Well I've sourced a guitar (got a Big Baby Taylor in a trade for a Boss Multi FX) and thankfully my Woody soundhole pickup fits in the soundhole, hopefully the quiz amp battery charge works as the chap has said it's cool to use one, and they may even have other battery busker amps available on the day as well.

He's going to be sharing a batting order in the next few days which is a step in the right direction.

Just need to pick the songs now....oh and practise them

Teetonetal

Playng unplugged, solo?
Dymnanics are your friends, don't thrash the life out of the guitar, be confident with your voice and have fun, It's the purest form of playing music to people and fuck loads of fun.

I did a busking slot last week with this new trio I'm dipping for, in a restaurant with 100 people. Was awesome, doing some old country numbers. People really listened and it feels so intimate. Loved it.

In September I have 2 hours of busking on my own at an art festival in a local town near me, have to play 40 mins, then move to other locations. I did it a couple of years back and it was so much fun and its amazing how many people stop and really listen to you. Unlike a stage, there is no smoke and mirrors to hide behind, just you and the music.

Do it, have fun and you'll be ok.

thecolourbox

@Teetonetal thanks for your post of support! I am quite looking forward to it, especially as we now have a running order (i'm on at 4pm for 30 minutes) and there should be some small battery amplification hopefully. I would quite fancy it again somewhere indoors as well like your restaurant, though would probably refer back to electric for that to give myself a break.

I probably sound like some kind of musical masochist - to be fair I do tend to put myself in more difficult or challenging musical situations, in this case signing up for an acoustic guitar + singing gig when I don't play acoustic and my singing is too quiet. However it's all relative, because I'd rather go through the challenge of that than going through the absolute horror of having to play with a band or other people!

I'm not a chord basher on acoustic. I couldn't even try to do it well so I'm not going to do that - what I have tried to do is learn ways of playing the finger picking stuff more with a pick for more volume - I hardly ever use one on electric either so that's been quite a good challenge. Bit of a change-around on the songs from my initial drafts as well as I've found that some don't come across as well as I thought or they are hard to do expressively enough whilst playing at the same time.

I've also fitted a soundhole pickup (Woody) and a strap, restrung and lemon oiled, as they all seemed something that a sensible acoustic might do...

My draft list now is:

Either "First Day of my Life" or "Travelling Song" by Bright Eyes

Wonderwall/Blank Space/Writing to Reach You - mash up medley in style of Ryan adams

Original song number one (sounds like "Dink's song")

Hallelujah (Buckley version)

American Tune (Paul Simon)

Original song #2

12 bar blues version of The Hokey Cokey (dead chuffed with this one, I first did it in the style of that bloke who did Pinball Wizard to the tune of Folsom Prison as it also fits to that quite well, but thought this was less copy cat)

Teetonetal

@thecolourbox i think you have the right attitude sounds like a fun gig and working out now songs with new approaches is great to do.

Good luck

thecolourbox

So today was the day, though I also ended up playing a summer fete yesterday as well which was nice practise (although older songs as the average attendee age was much higher!) and it all seemed to go OK. They did borrow some battery powered pa type speakers in the end so that meant i could play finger style and not have to strum so much.

I was a bit wobbly vocally as I could hear the other main stage over the other side but there was nothing more we could have done about that - we were above it in height and behind it and quite a fair distance. Because I could hear their thumping bass my low notes were a bit uncertain as I do struggle a bit all the time with background noise of similar frequencies to what in supposed to be listening to. I suppose if there was more available electricity I could have rigged up something in ear to monitor but hey ho, that's the way it goes.

Some of the other acts were great, the bluegrass duo who finished in particular were immensely good.

Overall a lovely afternoon out in the sunshine. The chap who was running it was doing it in memory of his daughter who was killed a couple of years ago by a boy racer whilst waiting for a bus, he list control at around 100mph and hit her. So it was a beautiful event to be a part of, something so meaningful to him and his family of course so I'm glad I did it.

Im not sure acoustic is for me though!!!

EricTheWeary

Just thinking about this, I've been visiting my mother most of today and rewarded myself with an Indian meal in Bearwood and drove past the park on the way home. Glad it went well  

thecolourbox

Video evidence courtesy of my sister's Instagram...

thecolourbox

Cheers @EricTheWeary I think the event as a whole was a big success as the weather was so lovely, it's a great park so a pleasure to spend the afternoon there. Playing music in the sunshine merely a bonus

Teetonetal

awesome, glad you enjoyed it getting a chance to push yourself a bit in a live context is never a bad thing. Kudos to you for doing it and to the guy running it!

thecolourbox

Cheers @Teetonetal, and thank you and everybody for your help and advice on this one - it helped a lot

BigMonka

Well done dude! Great job getting out there and playing at what looks and sounds like a really cool event