May 2013
1 post
Trios are still my favorite
While you would notice a large selection of varied music on my CD racks (and piles and stacks) as of late, the guitar / bass / drums trios have been finding their way onto my car’s CD player. (If you recall from previous posts, the driver’s seat is the… View Post
April 2013
3 posts
And things keep moving along
Well, it seems I’ve survived my first flu bout in seven years— I did follow my son’s week-long lethargy with five days of my own sleepiness and general misery. Strangely, it began as a cold (another rare malady for me), progressed to real flu symptoms the… View Post
March 2013
2 posts
February 2013
2 posts
November 2010
2 posts
I'm moving.....
… my blogging activities to http://mattrichardsmusic.wordpress.com. It seems to be where everyone else does their blogging.
Following a great Group performance...
… at Philly’s regional performing arts center (the Kimmel Center) I can’t help feeling very satisfied and inspired. The group sounded and played great and I had the best guitar sound I’ve ever had. My compliments and appreciation to the staff at the Kimmel (especially Megan, Vanessa and Bob) for making this go so smoothly. I’d be glad to do this every week, though in...
October 2010
3 posts
Things are progressing...
…steadily, though not as quickly as I prefer. The group was even better at the private date in Woodbridge NJ (which took place in a Knights of Columbus hall with, believe it or not, great acoustics!). There was no way to get the Tascam up and running as we were on a stage facing the audience. We almost didn’t need amplification…. I did play the Hagstrom Viking and fell in love...
I know I'm supposed to post regularly...
…but it seems I’m posting everywhere most days and, in the end, something gets overlooked. When I’m expressing myself in a more personal way my tendency is to get the professional items out of the way first (contracts, press releases, etc.) — to be honest these things are easier to do. While I generally drive myself a bit crazy whenever I write something, I’ve gotten...
September 2010
1 post
Cooling down...
… a lot during the past two nights, really pushing Summer out quickly. That season seemed a lot longer when I was younger, plenty of time to get things done. Maybe I was doing less (?)
Nevertheless, it looks like Avril is coming back on the schedule. In addition to being too short on time, Summer is always too short on business, especially in Philly. Being a very new business, the...
August 2010
2 posts
4 tags
Some things never change....
… you’re probably saying as you see this long-absent blog posting. Quite honestly, a lot of things have been foremost in my consideration. I can, however, put some blame for my usual delay in doing these on Verizon - it seems that our phone line has gone screwy five times in two months. We get this miserable loud hum on the line, cannot hear a thing and the DSL works intermittently....
June 2010
1 post
There I go again....
… letting time slip by between postings. But it has been pretty busy in general: I’m wrapping up another homeschool year with my son and preparing to move and performing with student concerts and practicing with the classical guitar — in fact, I actually played it on my gig at Avril this past Saturday. Amazingly, I received more compliments and more resounding applause than...
May 2010
1 post
It's been a while...
..since I sat down to post something. Things have been moving along rather steadily and between reviewing over fifty tracks from the Crossroads Cafe gigs in March and re-learning my classical repertoire for a private booking (Recuerdos de la Alhambra anyone?) I’ve been short on time and focus to record my thoughts and observations. The live tracks are coming along — I followed my...
April 2010
1 post
Great evening at Avril....
I don’t do a lot of solo restaurant dates anymore — even the most elegant settings prove to be noisy and few are interested in featuring anything other than lounge-esque renditions of standards and old pop tunes (think 80’s). Perhaps I’ve just had some bad experiences… Avril is different — the husband and wife owners are both artistically-driven and...
March 2010
4 posts
My 'residency' month is over....
I played the last of my month-long Sunday afternoon gigs at Crossroads Cafe in Philly today. No, it wasn’t a pace-setting big ticket booking (I knew that when I booked it) but it gave me a unique opportunity to bring my music out to the same environment each week and tweak it and take chances with it that I usually won’t do. I also recorded each date which gives me a lot of music to...
Ideas, ideas, ideas....
True to form, whenever I decide to post on a regular basis something always intercedes…. basically, everyday life coupled with a nasty bout of pollen allergy. Still, I’m putting this up right now…..
I had a great gig Tuesday with my trio at Witherspoon Grill. This is a real anomaly in this section of the universe: a upscale restaurant that isn’t cheap but is always packed...
Another week.... more to do.
It seems this week has slipped by quickly — still plenty of calls to make, emails to follow-up….. and ideas to practice. Oh, and taxes….
The brunch at Crossroads Coffeehouse last Sunday went well, if a bit sedate. I’m not used to that quiet a reception. I did try out the DR-1 and recorded most of the gig. The natural amplification in the room makes people’s voices...
Wow - a weekly gig at the same place.....!
I’m trying to recall how long it’s been since I’ve managed to play a regular date each week at the same venue…. it was about ten years ago at a Manayunk-area cafe that has since gone through at least three different owners. Since I’ve avoided the lounge-band gigs (on the last one in the dim past I had to turn down and ‘not play so many notes’) regular gigs...
February 2010
3 posts
I may get some work done now.......
Hello All:
With the truly awful weather just on the other side of my windows it’s hard to fight off the desire that goes back to my grade school days when snow-days meant just shirking responsibility and hanging out at home. Well, there was the ‘in-the-snow’ thing that has pretty much worn off in the ensuing years….
I actually went out to clean the car (as if I have to...
2010 is under way.
Greetings everyone: As usual I start with profound apologies for my delay in posting since the turn of the year. I have had to pay extra attention to some family issues. I am glad that my Buddhist practice helps me renew myself each day and keep me centered. The grandest event thus far has been the winter NAMM show in Anaheim CA. I attended through the graciousness of master guitar maker George...
October 2009
5 posts
Great solo set at Harvest Festival in Princeton NJ
This afternoon was very invigorating at the Harvest Festival in Princeton NJ. Situated in the courtyard outside the Witherspoon Grill I followed a vocal-based quartet onto the performance area that was sitting ground-level in front of the crowd. The old ‘one man all alone with a guitar’ syndrome almost took over until I realized I had to turn it to an advantage — which I did! The...
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Busy time for music...
Following an energized booking with my trio at Taste of Woodbridge, I journeyed to Wilmington DE to play one song for a private event. (Gee, now I know how it feels to be on the Tonight Show…) Sunday finds me in a solo set at Witherspoon Grill in Princeton NJ for the Harvest Music & Art Festival / fund raiser.
Of course I did play the Kimmel RPAC here in Philadelphia last Saturday...
