Acoustic Idol

So, I'm not just going to use this blog for the Pen Saga. No, I intend to keep you all at least vaguely entertained, or at least somewhat distracted, with a collection of ramblings/bloggings such as this. These ramblings/bloggings will likely be about different things in Woodland Park. Does enough happen in Woodland Park that I can continue blogging about Woodland Park without having to resort to talking about the weather and stuff? Nope. But I'm going to talk about the weather. Because there is a big, gigantic fire thing. Looking out the window, it appears rather calm, but I know that I could be subject to imminent doom at any second. I'm hoping this fire is slow moving, I mean, it's not particularly windy, but, I am not a huge fan of big, gigantic fire things.

But, I'm not going to ramble about how afraid I am that the trees around me will burst into flame as the sky is torn open in an awesome destructive fury and the world disintegrates into nothing but smoke and ash. No. I'm going to talk about music.

There are more than enough people in the world discussing music on the internet, but I'm pretty much just focusing on bands within this part of the state, mostly Teller County, because we have some pretty good music. That was ascertained for me at this Friday's Acoustic Idol competition.

The competition was sponsored by MAMA, and organized by Darren Thornberry. Yo' MAMA does some pretty cool stuff around here, like the monthly acoustic concerts and such, but they wanted to open up the association to a younger audience, to new blood. And I don't mean new blood in the trendy way, I mean it in the pleasant cliche way. Four other musicians and I were the competitors in Acoustic Idol this year, a few dropped out beforehand. Every single act I heard did an incredible job.

Dilated Mind was the first act, an instrumental duo, the only group competing, and they brought a ton of fans to the competition. With a fluid energy and a good, solid arrangement, they put on a great show and definitely fulfilled the anticipation they created for their music. I don't personally know them, but they definitely got me interested in their music, and if I knew where to buy it, I would absolutely post a link to it. Presenting the music instrumentally, without explaining it's intended meaning or anything of the like, they left it wide open for anyone's interpretation, echoing the sentiment of cerebral openness and widening expressed in their name.

Next was...me. And I'm not really going to review my own performance.

So skipping that, we come to Hannah Lara, who I had spent pretty much the entire evening with working with her on her and her friend Micaela Davidson's song, "Pouch of Bread". Hannah is a total freaking hipster, who plays baritone and concert ukulele, as well as guitar and banjo, but not really guitar, cause that's way mainstream. I booked her with Micaela and Benji Hobson at WaterAid Benefit Night, and they put on an excellent performance there, despite having an all-cover set. They are all just now starting to write their own songs. Pouch of Bread draws heavily on scripture as a song, musically directed inwards, speaking as apostrophe to the speakers own restless emotions, carried over a soft, and gentle finger-picked baritone ukulele, an instrument not unlike a guitar but with a sonorous, and relaxing vibe to it. I'm excited to see what Hannah and her friends do in the future.

Finishing the night was Matti Snow, who I graduated with, and have known since sixth grade. She comes from a country music background, her dad Bill Snow has released several albums, and gave a workshops on cowboy poetry at our school "back in the day". Just last summer, she used my dads studio to record "Sycamore Down", a cover song which I played mandolin for. Matti's voice is excellent; over the last year, she's gotten more and more involved with music, and Acoustic Idol was the first time I heard any of her original material. The two rows behind me were packed with people who had come to see her, the cheers when she came on were so loud, I think I saw Darren jump (memories are rather difficult to get specifics on, but unless they deceive me, Darren totally jumped, at least with his eyes). Matti's song, All At Once, boasted a powerful melody, and well constructed lyrics to match it.

It was a night to remember for everyone who came, and I only wish I had some film of it that I could show you. Ultimately, the final ranking was:
1st. Timmy Vilgiate
2nd. Matti Snow
3rd. Dilated Mind
4th. Hannah Lara

I would sincerely say everyone was playing on the same level. Music is not inherently a contest, but something to build community with. It's a tool, and I think everyone there really came together, and had a good time on stage. I am getting ready to plan a few house concerts this July. If you come to all of them, you'll see new bands every time, and some bands twice, not too mention whatever crazy stuff me and Rachelle come up with as gimmicks decorations!