Point Conterpoint
Jun. 14th, 2004 09:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sdelmonteThe short form: a fun and relaxing con, with good music and good friends.
Monday morning, and I have a lot of work to do, and am exhausted. Probably, in some odd way, a good time to get my con report posted, as though to extend the weekend a few more minutes (or an hour).
We trekked down by car with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ladymondegreen and akawil on Friday, happily not getting caught in any Reagan funeral traffic by arrival at day's end. Almost immediately, we found mannoftalent, the Interfilk guest and a welcome face at all times. Even with his visits to NY area friends, family and theater, we never get to see him enough. We also found almeda, and the final plotting and planning for the LMG concert was begun.
Before long, shabbos was upon us, and we dined with mannoftalent, almeda,mamadeb (who was running the con suite), jonbaker, Eyal Mozes, and Harold, Becky and Aaron Feld. A nice manageable meal, starring a turkey from Harold.
The fourth LMG member present,storychaser soon arrived, along with her family, and as practice kicked into gear, I listened to some music in open filk, and roamed about in search of conversation. Sometimes I am content to stay in the circles, but when I need to unwind (in this case to unwind from the stress of unending Modigliani mania at the JM), I'd rather just schmooze with friends old and new. A bunch of us did hang out for a bit in mannoftalent's suite, aided by aiglet's contribution of blackberry juice-infused vodka.
Morning, and after chatting over coffee with the Bakers, it was on to a listening session where mannoftalent plays samples from recent musicals (most not to well known) that may be of interest to filkers, including "Avenue Q" and "Wicked." After lunch, LMG took to one last practice, and I went to some of the concerts. Boogie Knights was good, but their new material is of mixed quality. Their parodies of "My Sharona" and "Out My Back Door," addressing Romeo and Juliet ("Fair Verona") and Hamlet ("Doom, Doom, Doom, Brewing in Elsinore") were quite clever. Gary McGath and Virginia Taylor were also very clever and funny, always a treat.
At 3 pm, Lady Mondegreen took the stage. They were passable. :)
(Yes, they were great as always, and I cannot tell you just how my heart swells when I see Batya up there, kicking musical butt and getting a room shaking. All four of you, you did good and that alone makes the trip worthwhile. But you knew that.)
Later came the highly entertaining Callie Hills/Bob Esty combined concerts, but I only stayed for half an hour before naptime. (Con or no con, sometimes the shabbos nap beckons.) Slightly refreshed, I took my turn running the con suite while the Bakers went to banquet. Much noshing.
At 8 pm, mannoftalent wowed them as usual with his concert. If you haven't seen him in action, he brings a rare theatrical elan to filk. You don't just get the music, you the performance. It's something I think we need a bit more of in a genre sometimes dominated by seated guitarists.
On into the night, past the interfilk auction, and to a "foo" thrown by aiglet forbercilakslady's forthcoming birthday. (Never heard the term "foo" before for a room party.) At this foo, we played back the LMG concert for the benefit of those who missed, and for the band itself. I sort of felt like I was watching the PBS version of the concert later on. Too much "A Mighty Wind," I guess.
(Note: the con suite had the music from the filk room piped in, and I couldn't help thinking about the scene in AMW where the Folksmen hear "Wanderin'" being butchered by the New Main Street Singers. I kept trying to imagine a filk version of this.)
Back to the circle for a while, which was a very crowded circle on a room perhaps the wrong shape for one. I was hoping there might be a second circle in the alternate room, but that room was just too small. Guess after three OVFFs, I'm spoiled by the ability to roam from circle to circle, never knwoing who I will hear next. I think I'm also spoiled by a con like OVFF, where every other singer is someone I've been dying to hear live. Conterpoint boasted few filk "superstars," but at the same time, this gives many equally talented but lesser known filkers the chance to play in the circle. Heard some very good stuff. Conked out at the ridiculously early hour of 1:40.
Sunday, and after a trip to the fitness room and coffee with mannoftalent and his family, we got ourselves packed up and them schmoozed for a while outside with a goodly number of folk. It's always so good to be among "my people," where we can talk "Firefly" and obscure religion and so forth, and where Ben Newman - a up and coming filker with a delightfully demented sense of humor - can ponder the creation of the world in Genesis on the premise that God used lisp code:
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/01/bnewman/visions/godwroteinlisp.jpg
No, I really don't get it. But then sometimes I wonder if I need to get an MA in computer science just to be a fan. All's I know is that I just love being in among such oddballs.
Soon the con would wrap up for us with a great filk of "The Dark Comes Rising" inspired by LotR by Harold, a new song by Matt Leger (a favorite filker of mine whose presence at Lunacon is much missed), and a very funny filk of "Eleanor Rigby" by the twisted Mike Stein, "Erica Neely."
To all the friends I saw and all the friends I met, and to Gary and Sheryl and Steve and Crystal and mamadeb, thank you all for a relaxing, rollicking, slightly intoxicating, and well-run con. See you all soon!
Thus endeth the con report.
Monday morning, and I have a lot of work to do, and am exhausted. Probably, in some odd way, a good time to get my con report posted, as though to extend the weekend a few more minutes (or an hour).
We trekked down by car with
ladymondegreen and akawil on Friday, happily not getting caught in any Reagan funeral traffic by arrival at day's end. Almost immediately, we found mannoftalent, the Interfilk guest and a welcome face at all times. Even with his visits to NY area friends, family and theater, we never get to see him enough. We also found almeda, and the final plotting and planning for the LMG concert was begun.Before long, shabbos was upon us, and we dined with mannoftalent, almeda,
mamadeb (who was running the con suite), jonbaker, Eyal Mozes, and Harold, Becky and Aaron Feld. A nice manageable meal, starring a turkey from Harold.The fourth LMG member present,
storychaser soon arrived, along with her family, and as practice kicked into gear, I listened to some music in open filk, and roamed about in search of conversation. Sometimes I am content to stay in the circles, but when I need to unwind (in this case to unwind from the stress of unending Modigliani mania at the JM), I'd rather just schmooze with friends old and new. A bunch of us did hang out for a bit in mannoftalent's suite, aided by aiglet's contribution of blackberry juice-infused vodka.Morning, and after chatting over coffee with the Bakers, it was on to a listening session where mannoftalent plays samples from recent musicals (most not to well known) that may be of interest to filkers, including "Avenue Q" and "Wicked." After lunch, LMG took to one last practice, and I went to some of the concerts. Boogie Knights was good, but their new material is of mixed quality. Their parodies of "My Sharona" and "Out My Back Door," addressing Romeo and Juliet ("Fair Verona") and Hamlet ("Doom, Doom, Doom, Brewing in Elsinore") were quite clever. Gary McGath and Virginia Taylor were also very clever and funny, always a treat.
At 3 pm, Lady Mondegreen took the stage. They were passable. :)
(Yes, they were great as always, and I cannot tell you just how my heart swells when I see Batya up there, kicking musical butt and getting a room shaking. All four of you, you did good and that alone makes the trip worthwhile. But you knew that.)
Later came the highly entertaining Callie Hills/Bob Esty combined concerts, but I only stayed for half an hour before naptime. (Con or no con, sometimes the shabbos nap beckons.) Slightly refreshed, I took my turn running the con suite while the Bakers went to banquet. Much noshing.
At 8 pm, mannoftalent wowed them as usual with his concert. If you haven't seen him in action, he brings a rare theatrical elan to filk. You don't just get the music, you the performance. It's something I think we need a bit more of in a genre sometimes dominated by seated guitarists.
On into the night, past the interfilk auction, and to a "foo" thrown by aiglet for
bercilakslady's forthcoming birthday. (Never heard the term "foo" before for a room party.) At this foo, we played back the LMG concert for the benefit of those who missed, and for the band itself. I sort of felt like I was watching the PBS version of the concert later on. Too much "A Mighty Wind," I guess. (Note: the con suite had the music from the filk room piped in, and I couldn't help thinking about the scene in AMW where the Folksmen hear "Wanderin'" being butchered by the New Main Street Singers. I kept trying to imagine a filk version of this.)
Back to the circle for a while, which was a very crowded circle on a room perhaps the wrong shape for one. I was hoping there might be a second circle in the alternate room, but that room was just too small. Guess after three OVFFs, I'm spoiled by the ability to roam from circle to circle, never knwoing who I will hear next. I think I'm also spoiled by a con like OVFF, where every other singer is someone I've been dying to hear live. Conterpoint boasted few filk "superstars," but at the same time, this gives many equally talented but lesser known filkers the chance to play in the circle. Heard some very good stuff. Conked out at the ridiculously early hour of 1:40.
Sunday, and after a trip to the fitness room and coffee with mannoftalent and his family, we got ourselves packed up and them schmoozed for a while outside with a goodly number of folk. It's always so good to be among "my people," where we can talk "Firefly" and obscure religion and so forth, and where Ben Newman - a up and coming filker with a delightfully demented sense of humor - can ponder the creation of the world in Genesis on the premise that God used lisp code:
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/01/bnewman/visions/godwroteinlisp.jpg
No, I really don't get it. But then sometimes I wonder if I need to get an MA in computer science just to be a fan. All's I know is that I just love being in among such oddballs.
Soon the con would wrap up for us with a great filk of "The Dark Comes Rising" inspired by LotR by Harold, a new song by Matt Leger (a favorite filker of mine whose presence at Lunacon is much missed), and a very funny filk of "Eleanor Rigby" by the twisted Mike Stein, "Erica Neely."
To all the friends I saw and all the friends I met, and to Gary and Sheryl and Steve and Crystal and mamadeb, thank you all for a relaxing, rollicking, slightly intoxicating, and well-run con. See you all soon!
Thus endeth the con report.
