Friday, July 15, 2011

SCOTT FREEMAN AND WILLARD GAYHEART AT THE FRONT PORCH

 scott freeman and willard gayheart

 scott freeman and willard gayheart


willard gayheart

scott freeman



Before the show tonight, Scott asked why I didn't go to the fiddler's convention in Sparta. There is only one answer, plain and simple. "I'd rather listen to you and Willard." There is no other answer. Fiddler's conventions have a lot of good music, but I often wish I'd brought a book for the spaces between and the music that aint fer shit. I'm not one to walk around and see people I know and stroll around in the camping area to hear the music there. I'd rather sit in my seat and enjoy the show. More than likely it's something I carry from childhood. Going to movies as a kid, other kids were walking and running up and down the aisles throughout the movie. It seemed like the thing to do. If I'd ask daddy if I could go get some candy or go pee I'd get talked to about no running up and down the aisles--stay in your seat. Staying in my seat at movies and concerts became the way I do at movies and shows. I have gone against that teaching a time or two to see what it is about it that other people like so much. I've never found anything about it worth getting up from my seat.



I've never been a chit-chatter. Talking for the sake of making noise never caught on with me. I can't say why, because I don't know why. Perhaps it had something to do with being told when I wanted to say something at the dinner table, "Nobody wants to hear you." That was that. I grew up believing nobody wanted to hear anything I had to say. Nobody at home did. It made me a talker among friends at school and other places. I talked a streak. Then that talking streak ended, perhaps because I became self-aware along the way. Also, I talk so slow I tend to get interrupted every sentence I speak, so in certain company where conversation amounts to interrupting anecdotes with anecdotes, I stop talking. I've never liked interruption as a form of conversation. At this time in my life, my curmudgeon phase, I don't put up with interruption. Once interrupted, I'm done. If it's from lively conversation and out of control, that's ok. When I'm talking with someone and somebody walks in interrupting and taking over, I do not tolerate it. I turn and walk away. Interruption is the American form of conversation in all classes. It's how we talk with short attention spans. It's so pervasive in America it's patriotic.



Anyway, I'm a stay in my seat kinda guy. I don't think that's so unusual. About 98% of every audience I've been in stays in their seats throughout like it's no big deal. After my harangue about walking about during a concert, I spent tonight's show mostly on my feet with video camera making video of every song but a few I used for still photographs. It was a good show. Scott and Willard make a great duo. Willard talks about Scott being a special breed of musician, one who plays in the realm of excellence like he's in a league above Willard. But Willard is too. The people Willard looks to as the best musicians around all love to make music with Willard because he's so good. The fact of the matter is that I regard them equals, as I'm sure Scot does too. Equal or not, they make music together as good as music gets made. I wasn't deciding by what I'm supposed to do, should do or am expected to do. I did question which to go to, called Willard to find out who'd be playing there, thinking if it were some band or individual whose music doesn't trip my trigger, of very few possibilities, I'd go to the convention. When he said it was Scott and him, there was no decision to make.



The music tonight gave the audience good feeling throughout the show. On the last tune, Scott playing Angelina Baker on fiddle, the audience broke into spontaneous applause while he was playing. Lonesome River Band was playing at fiddlers convention at 7 and 9. I did not regret missing them for Scott and Willard. In this time in my life I follow my own taste and interests. I've been instructed along the way by oughta, should, needta, better, gotta, s'posed to. None of them worked out. Usually whenever I followed somebody's instruction figuring they knew better than I did what would suit me, it's been a mistake. I broke free from that and now it really pisses people off when I say, "I don't do should," or "I don't do s'posed to." It pisses them off seriously, so much they puff up and leave, which suits the hell outta me. Perhaps I say it with a finality in tone of voice. I don't care how I say it. I'm so damn tired of being told what I should do by people who don't even know me that it doesn't make a bit of difference anymore how they take it. Do it yourself, I want to say, if it's so damn necessary.



I'll have the videos up on YouTube by end of weekend. There are aplenty now on YouTube of Scott and Willard. Put their names in the search box and you'll get a bundle of songs by them. I tend to put up them doing the same song 2 or 3 times, because each rendering is uniquely itself and different from the others. Like there is one of Willard singing Yellow Rose of Texas standing up with the band Skeeter & the Skidmarks, layin it to it. He sings it another way altogether sitting down with guitar singing it folk style. Very different renderings and both excellent. One Scott sang tonight he's done quite a lot, She's My Curly Headed Baby, he did Western Swing style with Willard keeping a good swing going with his rhythm guitar and Scott working the mandolin. Tonight's rendition had an energy in it I've not heard him give it before. It really swung. At the end, I spoke out loud, "That was really nice." Couldn't keep it inside. Had to let it out. Really good show tonight. I was where I needed to be, footsteps right down the centerline of my path. 







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