Tuesday, November 13, 2012
I'm currently in the process of converting my music collection to digital (stage 1 - ripping CDs) and have also been expanding/updating a bit as I do so... which also has me thinking about which groups or performers I'd like to hear more of and then searching ebay and half.com for good deals. What can I say, I'm old-fashioned - I like having a CD to fall back to if something happens to one of those new-fangled digital file thingies all my students seem to think is the natural state for sharing music.
One of the groups I've enjoyed pretty consistently since college has been Battlefield Band. Their lineup has gone through tremendous changes over the decades (to the point where there are no longer any of the founding members still performing with the group) but they've maintained a consistently energetic and eclectic sound (if that makes any sense) incorporating a variety of instruments but always including bagpipes, fiddle, piano/keyboard, and guitars. Some groups I like because of their consistent sound (the Tannahill Weavers come to mind - they've found what works for them and kept at it for around 20 years with only minor changes) and some I like because of their variety - Battlefield Band is one of the latter, a band that understands and loves its traditional roots but also isn't afraid to try new things, as the "old surfing song from the Outer Hebrides" below demonstrates:
(OK... the visuals with that one are downright eerie, given the recent storm devastation in the NYC/NJ area)
Anyway, one drawback to my only occasional attention to music is I sometimes go looking for current info on an artist or group and discover that they recently performed in the area. A couple of years ago it was Dougie MacLean over in Pittsfield - thankfully I was able to attend his concert in Schenectady back in May - and this time around it turns out to be Battlefield Band, who were down in Hudson of all places, a mere three weeks ago.
Perhaps I need to do a better job of regularly checking for upcoming gigs, especially for artists and groups that don't come to the U.S. all that often. Might be another positive use for that infernal "social media" site that rhymes with "ace crook", much as I loathe spending any more time in its sinister clutches than I absolutely have to... more evidence of what an old-fashioned curmudgeon I am.
JMH
