Spring Racing Carnival Final Planning

[Briallan]

OK boys and girls, we are one week away from Spring Racing Carnival, so I will start a new thread to deal with final preparations for this event.

I am expecting the following musicians to appear at the event: Briallan and her 5 alts, Rhovanael and Jebbob, Krohkur and Malvy, which will allow us to play up to 10 part pieces.

The Bree Cup and the concert will take place at Hengstacer's Farm, starting at 830 PM EDT / server time.

Here is the musical structure of the Bree Cup event:

Ben Hur Prelude -- this is to be played right before Kiralynn announces the riders.

Parade of the Charioteers -- this is to be played right after the riders are announced, as they proceed to their post positions.

Chariots of Fire -- this will be played when the race starts (the race and song are expected to take about 3 minutes)

At this point there is an interlude for which we need to play anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes of music to keep the crowd entertained as the race judges compare notes and screenshots and decide on the final winner

Chariot Race Music Long -- this will be played during the award ceremony.

All of the above music will be coordinated with Kiralynn using the backstage chat channel.

Following the Bree Cup, we immediately set up and play our main concert. Kiralynn's pyrotechnic crew will be doing a firework show behind us (possibly while standing on a fence) for the first 10 minutes of the concert. The plan is that they setup far enough behind us so that the audience hears us, but does not hear (and only sees) the fireworks. So, I am thinking our initial songs should be fairly up tempo and exciting to sort of fit in with the firework display. Haha maybe we should play "Afternoon Delight" for the fireworks show .. just thought of that... does that qualify as a country song? Well maybe not family-friendly enough. And prolly too late .. maybe next year.

So..... we have about 50 songs we might possibly do for concert (plus 3 we tested recently that we might do as encores but weren't considered country enough for the main concert; the 50 includes the Ben Hur and Chariots or Fire pieces). We do need to play some of these songs during the interlude for the Bree Cup judging.

I am thinking that we should do maybe 25 songs for the main concert with 1 or 2 encore numbers.. we did 31 for the Mardi Gras main concert and that seemed to be a loooong concert. So this would mean cutting some songs for this event. Also we should try to follow Kro's suggestion that we play the 9 and 10 part pieces earlier in the show, so that in the event Malvy's face hits her keyboard somewhere in the wee hours of the night, we can muddle through with one fewer musician.

So here is the link to the possible songs for the concert. Please let me know what you think might be the weaker numbers that we could cull to keep the quality at the highest .. and give me any other feedback you have about structuring the concert (either on this thread or by email or PM). In any event, I will publish a proposed list of songs and song order after waiting a couple days for feedback, and you will have the chance to yelp at that point if you see something that doesn't seem right :)

Also... if anyone has any last minute songs that they would like to test for the show, I think Wednesday at 10PM (??) after the Sore Thumbs rehearsal would be the one opportunity we have left to do so .. since I plan to put together the final folder of songs and parts Thursday night .. since we need to write the song announcements after we finalize the song order.

Oh yeah .. please don't forget to get any additional lyrics to the proposed singer in time for them to practice before the show.

[Ice Weasel]

Looks good... I think we're looking at a nice series for the Carnival.

Something to consider while reviewing files:  In "show biz",  there is a real benefit to rhythms and patterns. Using those can help the audience anticipate (even subconsciously) a tempo to the show, or it can be used to pull some "gotchas" that keep the crowd awake and guessing. Both approaches are valid, and really, using both in the same program is ideal.

Here's what I mean: If you start the set with a high-energy number, you have nowhere to go... the next piece will be kind of a let-down, energy/tempo-wise. Instead, most real world concerts start mid-tempo, with something the crowd recognizes. Then, the series of pieces after build: faster tempo, more energy, up until a mini-crescendo. Then the tempo/energy falls back to a slower, more tranquil piece... and the build starts over.  Think of a series of ramps, each "peak" before a "fall-back" higher than the peak before it. That way, the entire set builds to a climax that is the biggest "peak" before the break. The break can be an intermission or the end of the show... At the end of the show, the encores ought to follow the same build-peak pattern, which leaves them wanting more. 

Now, as for tricking the audience, that works within the framework above. During the build-peak cycle, you simply pull the rug out from under them.  Put something slower where faster ought to be... or something faster where something slower would be the expected thing.  You can only do that once or at most twice a show, though, or you lose the pattern altogether.

Anyway, I'm off the soapbox and over to my listening room... 

I'll have the lyric stuff finished up and posted before Wednesday.

 

[Ehn Farad]

I went through all the songs, and here's my input. My preference would be that nothing from the "Neutral" or "Not nuts about" lists would end up in the main concert.

Re: Kissed a Horse - it's cute, but I don't like it for the concerts - it's not country. I think that would be more suited to the comedy show. I'm doing that with my Folsom Prison/On the Sidelines song - probably going to play that solo during my Sore Thumbs performance instead of as a group song (I know it's not particularly funny, but I'll make it work).

Gets my vote

Any Man of Mine
Arkansas Traveler
Beer for My Horses
Rodeo
Bubba Shot the Jukebox
City of New Orleans
Country Boy
Don't Fence Me In
Flop-Eared Mule
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Happy Trails
I've Got the Horse
Kawlijah
Amazed
Mamas Don't Let Your Babies
My Maria
North to Alaska
Oh What a Crying Shame
One Way Ticket
Orange Blossom Special
Past the Point of Rescue
Rawhide
Ready to Run
Red River Valley
She's In Love with the Boy
Snowbird
Streets of Laredo
This Kiss
Tumbleweeds
Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under
Callin' Baton Rouge

Neutral to tepid on

American Made
Boot Scootin Boogie
Magnificent 7
Nothin' But the Taillights
One More Last Chance
Queen of Memphis
Sunday Mornin Coming Down
Molly and Tenbrooks
Trashy Women
Whiskey Under the Bridge

Not in favour of

Country Roads (don't like the jazzed out version)
I'm an Old Cowhand
Friends in Low Places (too slow and draggy)
I Kissed a Horse (not country)

[Ehn Farad]

Also - when cutting songs I think we might want to look at any multiples by the same artist, and just pick one. For example, if we have three Garth Brooks songs, pick the best one. That way we are giving a bit more variety.

[Ice Weasel]

What I did was to break the list down by tempo.  When I put something in a tempo category, I'm really thinking in terms of the racial dances. The actual beat may be something else, but sometimes a dance fits better; the drum and bass may be going to town, but a slower dance fits the meter better... something you pick up over time more than anything. So, a song may be in a tempo list that doesn't immediately make sense, but will when you see people dancing.

I also took our "Oater" songs (themes from Western movies) and set them aside; I'd really like to see those as a "mini-set" somewhere in the whole. It's a nice thematic thing.

So:

LOW TEMPO (Man2, Dwarf1, Elf2)

• City of New Orleans (low tempo, 10 parts, Lyrics, 2:59)*
• Cowhand (low tempo, 7 parts, 3:48)
• LonestarAmazed (low tempo, 9 parts, Lyrics, 3:54)*
• Oh What a Cryin Shame (low tempo, 7 parts, 4:07)
• Tumbling Tumbleweeds (low tempo, 7 parts, 2:51) [add lyrics?]*

MID TEMPO (Man1, Dwarf2, Elf1, Hobbit2)

• AnyManOfMine (mid tempo, 7-8 parts, 3:59)
• BeerForMyHorses (mid tempo, 8 parts, Lyrics, 3:27)*
• Brooks Rodeo (mid tempo, 6 parts, Lyrics, 3:35)*
• Country Roads (mid tempo, 6 parts, 3:00)
• Don't Fence Me In (mid tempo, 8 parts, 3:58) [add lyrics?]*
• Happy Trails (mid tempo, 7 parts, 1:56) [closer]
• Mamas Don't (mid tempo, 7 parts, 2:55) [could do lyrics]
• One Way Ticket (mid tempo, 7 parts, 3:41)*
• Past the Point of Rescue (mid tempo, 7 parts, 3:43)
• Red River Valley (mid tempo, 7 parts, 2:17) [add lyrics?]
• Streets of Laredo (mid tempo, 7 parts 1:27) [add lyrics?]*
• Sunday Morning (mid tempo, 7 parts, 3:56)*
• Tenbrooks (mid tempo, 5 parts, 3:05)*
• This Kiss (mid tempo, 7 parts, Lyrics, 3:00)*
• Whose Bed (mid tempo, 8 parts, 4:15)*
• Call Baton Rouge (mid tempo, 7 parts, 2:44)

UP TEMPO (Man3, Dwarf2, Hobbit1, Hobbit2, Jig)

• BootScootBoogie (up tempo, 7 parts, 3:19) (poss lyrics?)*
• BubbaShotTheJukebox (up tempo, 7 parts, Lyrics, 3:04)*
• Country Boy (up tempo, 7 parts, 2:31)*
• Flop Eared Mule (up tempo, 5 parts, 2:15)*
• I Got the Hoss (up tempo, 7 parts, 2:12)*
• I Kissed a Horse (up tempo, 7 parts, Lyrics, 2:57)*
• Kawliga (up tempo, 9 parts, Lyrics, 2:04)*
• North to Alaska (up tempo, 9 parts, Lyrics, 3:16)*
• One More Last Chance (up tempo, 8 parts, 2:56)
• She's In Love with the Boy (up tempo, 7 parts, Lyrics, 3:46]*
• Snowbird (up tempo, 8 parts, 2:28) [add lyrics?]
• Trashy Women (up tempo, 8 parts, 3:17)
• Whiskey Under the Bridge (up tempo, 6 parts, 2:44)

PEAK TEMPO  (Light Speed Nazghul Boogie) (in other words, nothing really fits, maybe Jig or Man3, but anything works, really)

• Arkansas Traveler (peak tempo, 7 parts, 2:16)*
• Orange Blossom Special (peak tempo, 6 parts, 2:35)*

"OATER" Mini-Set:

• Good, Bad Ugly (up tempo, 7-8 parts, 3:09)*
• Magnificent Seven (up tempo, 7 parts, 1:22)*
• Rawhide (up tempo, 6 parts, 2:42)*

 

HOLD FOR ANOTHER DAY:

• Friends in Low Places 
• My Maria
• Nothin' But the Taillights 
• Queen of Memphis
• Ready to Run 

I've got the Horse is the same as I Got the Hoss... 

I'd say that, while I have some I like more than others, I don't think there are any real stinkers in the batch... I think the ones in my "Hold" list aren't quite done in the oven yet, maybe, but they aren't "bad". Still, I've put an asterisk (*) after the ones I like best.

[Ehn Farad]

North to Alaska, City of New Orleans and Kawliga have lyrics as well. If I have time I will finish the Whose Bed lyrics, but not looking like I will.

I noticed that duplicate as well, and I prefer the Horse version to the Hoss version.

[Briallan]

I noticed the duplicate too (haha) but I left it there since we still have to pick one or the other (on none I guess, but my preference would be to do at least one of them).

I like the idea of doing the "I Kissed a Horse" item as part of the comedy routine .. it would actually give me my own bit to do, and I could maybe do some emotes with a horse someone is sitting on (but no twerking lol).

Another thing: we do need to perform some songs during the Bree Cup interlude segment; since the Bree Cup segment is clearly non-western (given the heavy Ben-Hur influence we already have there, this might be a good spot for other songs that we would like to do but aren't really very country/western and might be jarring if performed as part of the main concert)

[Ehn Farad]

I think that's a great solution, Bri. How many songs do we need total for each segment, roughly? Do you think we'll be able to get it cut down to the right size, or will we need to make deeper cuts?

[Ice Weasel]

I forgot to ask at the Meet Up:

Will we be performing from horse-back? Might be a fun twist. (you still can't move, so riding and playing doesn't work, but you can play while sitting on horses and goats.)

[Ehn Farad]

That is a pretty damn cool idea. I mean, that is a stellar, stellar idea. Do all characters have horses? If not, they can stand in front, the rest in the back. Ideally we'd all be on the same steed - I'd suggest the Bay steed (black looking one) because it's easiest for everyone to get.

[Briallan]

Well I was thinking about 25 songs for the main concert, plus 1 or 2 encores. For the Bree Cup, if we plan 20 minutes of music (which is the longest the interlude should take) we would need about 6 songs for that. So, I'm basically thinking of cutting any songs that someone has suggested are lower in excellence than the others unless someone else thinks it's a must have. (I agree with Kro that there aren't any stinkers or we wouldn't have approved them, but not everything is a must do). I am also not sure yet if anyone is going to take me up on my offer to test a few more songs after the Sore Thumbs rehearsal .. and not sure if any other band members are going to weigh in on the song selection. So not sure yet what  is going to get cut.

I will publish a first pass at the what's in / what's out in the next day or two and we can discuss further at that point.

As for the sitting on horses ... I think it would be fun -- it worked for The Three Amigos :) -- maybe for a part of the concert, and maybe for some people standing in front and some people on horses in the back .... but it has the disadvantage of spreading people out when it is better musically to keep everyone tight .. and it might get a little old to do that for 2 hours straight .. I am thinking that after awhile people might be thinking .. oh yeah that was funny to do ... but why are they still doing that?

[Ice Weasel]

I think some is good, too much is, yeah, too much. But it would be funny... and fitting.

On the "spread out vs. close together" thing.. I learned that that might not be as vital (close packing) as we thought, with Starlight Orchestra... The "stage area" in the Kin Great Hall was essentially used side to side and front to back, lots of space between musicians. Essentially three "arcs" like an actual orchestra layout. And it worked. Sound was balanced and good for most of the great hall in that kin house. The very farthest area, furthest away from the back row of musicians, lost that back row (percussion mostly), but moving three or four steps towards the stage area brought it all back, according to reports.

Long winded me saying "we don't need to be that close" for good blend. I think there have been times in the past when we end up standing on/in one another, and that looks funky... 

But, hey! It's all good.

Now, should Kro ride his horse or a goat.... 

[Malvy]

GDPR#3463094

[Briallan]

Well, on the close-packed thing, I do agree that we want to avoid standing on top of each other, but it's possible that audience tends to spread out more at the Bree Cup, and if we spread out too, more instruments might get cut off for more people.

Why at the Bree Cup? Not totally sure, but maybe it's since the audience tends to be more on horses than they do at other concerts we have played. I have little email exchanges with the organizer Kiralynn frequently; just recently I send her the Bree Cup pieces (the Ben Hur / chariot stuff) we just tested, and yesterday she asked me to boost the volume on the Bree Cup pieces -- here is her quote:

"My only suggestion is to adjust the volume of all instruments to as high as they can go, and still maintain their relative volumes.  The crowd may be large enough that people can't stand close enough to hear +mp+ volumes and +mf+ may be quiet.  I'll attach pictures of the crowds of SRC events from last year, so that you can get an idea of the area to cover."

And this the picture she attached showing a band and an audience-- it is kind of clear that the audience is not crowded up around the band like I tend to see at other concerts:

Also ... I hope you are kidding about the goat :)

[Ice Weasel]

Huh... not sure about the audience grouping for the Cup, either.. But Kiralynn knows what she's talking about.

Still, look at the spacing of the musicians in that band ... lots looser than we usually stand.  I know that we are concerned mostly about sound, but I think the image we present is a vital part of showmanship/professionalism.  Just putting my oar in, not jumping around in the boat, but a lot of bands actually practice placement on stage... I think we group too tightly in rehearsal (poor Radd was standing inside Sigg for part of the last...) but that's completely fine, since we aren't "in performance mode" graphically, as it were.  

Oh, and about the goat... What do you mean "a joke"?

b-b-b-BAAAAAAAAAAA!