Your drumming teacher and guru tells you on a Monday that there is an event coming up in 5 days that she would love as many of us as could show up to play for an hour and 15 minutes (I don't know if anyone out there knows how loooooong 1.25 hours is? Let me tell you- it's lôoœ ōoøõng!).
So here we all are, a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning, our rag-shag-a-ma-tag crew of the most beautifully spirited soul folks I know, gathered in downtown Pittsfield to play a gig at the farmer's market.
I don't care what anyboody says about this once GE company town that has seen some hard times, and has some major and minor problems (like us all)- it is my spiritual home. It is not a mostly homogenous white average NE town. Too small to be a big city, too large to be a rural or suburban Yankee town, it is a 45,000 or so mixed EVERYTHING town! That's what I adore about and the drum group I bang my drum with.
Our gigging name that makes us feel proud when we put on our matching tee shirts and come out to spread the love, spirit, and rhythms of old traditions shared with us by Aimee. But...
it really is the showing up and intentional way in which we drum, share good news and sorrows, and welcome whomever walks thru that door on Mondays at 6p. at the Lichtenstein center for the arts. This is our safe haven, our spiritual base, our drumming community and family. Here some of them are:
Nelson and Mel are cool as cucumbers!
Peter and Michael setting up.
Michael, Britney, Marge, Deb, Nelson, and Mel all ready to roll (or drum). We can always count on Mel to remember a rhythm, he has incredible recall for the songs we learn!
Mike check. Checking, checking 1,2,3. Mel's wife Marge is behind Aimee in a blue shirt and white pants. She rocks our dun dun section and is amazing at organizing all the materials we've been given over the years. AND not only that, Mel and Marge's daughter and grandson also play with us, but in the advanced group. AND Mel + Marge also volunteer to teach drums to elementary school students. Awesome peops. Deb, to the left of Aimee is like the right hand gal of the group. She always shows up and is so versatile, she'll hop on over an instument if Aimee needs it included in a piece.
Grand Master Tom ALWAYS has that infectious smile, those incredibly able, agile, and awesome hands that seemingly can play anything Aimee asks. AND he is NOT afraid to solo! Bonus AND= that is his most precious and adorable son who came to support and act as a cling-on to Tom!
Britney on Aimee's right was truly the right-hand gal for our performance. The youngest among us, she has been drumming with Aimee for years and her muscle memory for the rhythms is amazing. She practically taught me when I began (I used to sit across from her and copy her moves).
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Aimee the multi-talented teacher explaining the balaphone.
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and she (and reluctantly us) sings!
Some strange creatures show up from out of the woods each week.
Best of all is how the music affects the crowds, especially children. There is just something about the beat of the drums and the rhythm of the music that moves through your soul and makes you pulse, beat, or dance. Kids seem to instinctually respond and spontaneously move their bodies. It awesome to watch! Look at that little lady below dancing with carrots at the famer's market. SO cool to see!
And the music...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qDXAp3baO
Even though our time came to the end, it was nice to see that the space was then filled with fellow musicians, only these ones were all young!
A most enjoyable farmer's market, gig, and community event. As we drove off, I captured this shot which to me epitomizes this very mixed community. It is a tad raggedy, but look close and you will see a rooftop oasis next to the back staircase of a downtown lounge (BAR), and an advertisement for the snooty art musueum in Willaimstown planted atop yet another building with a bar across the street from the lounge.
And right here in the corner on the left is an old, old small corner of the building block, King Cone. It has the biggest soft-serve baby cone around! And it is only $2.20! It's spaces and places like this, plus some awesome people, that mark this as my spiritual home.
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