How Sweet the Sound
I'm excited about the debut of my group "Sweet the Sound" tonight at the Village Congregational Church:
http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2005/11/13/sacred_songs_down_to_the_roots/
I went to get my hair cut yesterday and my stylist said, "I can always tell when you've got some performance thing going on because you bop in here with such energy."
This group has been a little bit difficult for me. First of all, most everyone knows each other from belonging to the same church and you know it's always hard being the new(ish) kid. Second, it's a totally new genre of music for me, which is unusual, and I also feel a little useless not playing an instrument. I vow to take up the banjo or fiddle this summer. Actually, if you want to know the truth, I really want to learn the jazz trumpet so I can play in a Dixieland band, but I'll have to get my fantasies sorted out and make a choice. Mom was right, though: when I quit piano when I was eleven she said, "You'll regret this!" Shirley, you're right. I regret it.
Some of the music we do is in this style:
http://fasola.org/introduction/introduction.html
It's very loud and harsh and rhythmic and the harmonies are strange and intense, and it just gives you chills. Kind of like what you'd get if you crossed a hog caller with a barbershop quartet. Very addictive.
Our joke is that we were going to call ourselves, "Wretch Like Me" but decided that "Sweet the Sound" was more upbeat. If you don't know the lyrics to "Amazing Grace," you won't find that comment in the least funny.
Sister of PeaceBang is coming up AND she is bringing GORDON the handsome-ist, bestest dog in the world, so PeaceBang is extra happy today. The cat, however, is not at all happy as she has been confined to the sock monkey guest bedroom and is even now howling to be liberated.
Speaking of the sock monkey guest bedroom, all I can say is that Christmas IS coming:
http://collector-connection.site.yahoo.net/socmonwitfez.html
http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2005/11/13/sacred_songs_down_to_the_roots/
I went to get my hair cut yesterday and my stylist said, "I can always tell when you've got some performance thing going on because you bop in here with such energy."
This group has been a little bit difficult for me. First of all, most everyone knows each other from belonging to the same church and you know it's always hard being the new(ish) kid. Second, it's a totally new genre of music for me, which is unusual, and I also feel a little useless not playing an instrument. I vow to take up the banjo or fiddle this summer. Actually, if you want to know the truth, I really want to learn the jazz trumpet so I can play in a Dixieland band, but I'll have to get my fantasies sorted out and make a choice. Mom was right, though: when I quit piano when I was eleven she said, "You'll regret this!" Shirley, you're right. I regret it.
Some of the music we do is in this style:
http://fasola.org/introduction/introduction.html
It's very loud and harsh and rhythmic and the harmonies are strange and intense, and it just gives you chills. Kind of like what you'd get if you crossed a hog caller with a barbershop quartet. Very addictive.
Our joke is that we were going to call ourselves, "Wretch Like Me" but decided that "Sweet the Sound" was more upbeat. If you don't know the lyrics to "Amazing Grace," you won't find that comment in the least funny.
Sister of PeaceBang is coming up AND she is bringing GORDON the handsome-ist, bestest dog in the world, so PeaceBang is extra happy today. The cat, however, is not at all happy as she has been confined to the sock monkey guest bedroom and is even now howling to be liberated.
Speaking of the sock monkey guest bedroom, all I can say is that Christmas IS coming:
http://collector-connection.site.yahoo.net/socmonwitfez.html
posted by PeaceBang at 10:43 AM
5 Comments:
I'd never heard of that "sacred harp" style until my intro to worship class at Wesley. I am now quite fond of it, but I have to confess I am careful who's around if I'm listening to it. It sounds kinda....appalachian benedictine-charismatic demi-culty...
Sounds like it will be a treat! I studied sacred harp and other folk music in college. I play the hammered dulcimer too. Unfortunately, can't get there this eve. :(
What's in the repertoire?
fausto says: I studied sacred harp and other folk music in college. I play the hammered dulcimer too.
I heart fausto.
Studying Scared harp in worship class?
Studying Scared harp in college???
they give college credit for that? ((once again feeling ancient....))
of course, I have a slight suspicion that it was exactly this style of music that was one of the reasons that led to PRIMITIVE BAPTISTs not being as popular in the 1940s on, as MISSIONARY BAPTISTs or those Penticostal Churches with electric guitar.
since my grandfather grew up in a Primitve Baptist household - Im sure this is the music he heard in the pre-radio days -- (although with a costal twang rather than an appalachian one)
It was a folklore class in the American Studies department.
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