Street Piper - How cool it that?

Today the George Washington University is holding an international travel fair across the street at the Marvin Center. I've been hearing bag pipes all morning. There is a piper in full regalia with a Scottish bagpipe playing in front of the entrance. It's been fascinating watching the host of students reacting to the piper - everything from snapping pictures with cell phones to crossing the street to avoid this strange beast.

5280 A Cappella - Estes Park Summerfest

We're out in Estes Park, Colorado for my Mother-in-law's family reunion. Last night we took advantage of child care and went to the Estes Park Summerfest concert. 5280 A Cappella was singing.
5280 A Cappella is a sextet of very talented vocalists. They sing pop and rock songs with very tight vocals rousing base and energetic rhythms. They covered a wide range of music from the Beatles to Robert Plant/Alison Krauss to Yes to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I left with ideas of songs I would like to arrange for strings and add to my playlist.

The group is great live and interacts well with the audience. They are fun to watch and fun to interact with. To be fair I was with my wife and sisters-in-law and we threw ourselves into the music. We really enjoyed dancing and clapping along.

Here is their version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". If the live version from Estes Park Summerfest becomes available, I will post that as well. I'm hoping the recording will pick up the various jungle sounds added by the audience. Enjoy!




Check them out on the web:
https://www.facebook.com/5280acappella
http://www.5280acappella.com/

Baseball caps, burkas, and street musicians

While waiting for the metro the other day, I saw a young man with wild curly hair stuffed under a baseball cap. He was with a young woman in a burka. It was an odd juxtaposition of traditional and modern, conformist and rebellious.

The street musicians have swapped with the new season. We have a guitarist playing folk rock on Monday and Tuesday morning and a looping cellist in the afternoon. We've had a jazz trumpeter on Thursday. We'll see if it holds.

Michael Bacon on Cello

I am familiar with the Bacon Brothers mostly through Sandra Boyton's music. (It is the risk of having children and liking good music. Who wouldn't like such gems as the One Shoe Blues?) Michael and Kevin Bacon front a band and often play charity concerts. They recently played a benefit concert at Lisner Hall on George Washington University's campus where I work.

With passing curiosity I flipped through the publicity shots from the concert and saw Michael Bacon sitting behind an electric cello. Intrigued I did some research. This little gem reminds me of Appalachian Waltz by O'Connor, Ma, and Meyers, one of my all time favorite recordings of chamber music. Enjoy.