Why? Because I Can

Last night was my second time performing at the Original Works Open Mic at the Dunn Brothers in Chaska. This time I brought my autoharp, and utilized the pick-up for the first time ever. Rosie sounded great plugged in, I was nervous and fumbled on the chord bars a few times, but my vocals were strong and it was really fun.

Kent Hansen playing Original Music at Open Mic night

 My brother Kent leads this and provides the amp and the mic, he has a huge collection of songs he has written, so he was able to both start out the night and bring it on home after I'd had my turn. I had such a good time listening and playing, and was complimented on my singing so that makes me feel very happy. A friend of my brother's said I should record an album and he will sell my CD's for me at the coffee shop while I'm singing!

Since I first took up the Autoharp six years ago, making music has been my happy place. The fall of 2009 was my first Fall Music Party, and I could only kind of play two songs and I was incredibly nervous to play them even to my friends and family in my own living room. Fear is the mind killer, and I have been chipping away at my stage fright a little bit at a time ever since. My favorite way to experience music is in a circle with other players, so we can all play together. While I really appreciate those who are devoted to performing their music, and I love listening to great performers, I'm coming to it reluctantly myself. But now that I'm writing songs, I really want to share them, and I love love love singing so much that I'll sing the songs that I love the most for others.

It's a busy music month for me, which began with my Fall Music Party on Saturday the 7th which was a ton of fun. We started the night earlier than usual, because if I had my way, everyone would stay and play all night. Alas, it was not to be, as my players all drove quite a distance for the party, the last of the music ended just before midnight. Still, a good time was had by all, and we had a photographer in our midst, who caught me doing what I love to do.

This morning while I was drinking my coffee, I started contemplating why I do this. After all, I have no desire to have a career at this, no ambitions to be a performer at all. I just love music so much, and I love telling story with song. What came to me was that I make music because I can. Life is too short, and I intend to fill mine with music. At some point I might want to throw my creative juices toward recording an album, because it sounds like a fun and rewarding project to me. For now I am in my happy place, and just last night I got another melody for a new song while I drove home from Chaska. My muse is taking me places I never thought I'd go, and it's a very good thing.

Powered by Decaf

Last Thursday night I did not strum, I did not pluck, and I did not drone. What I did do is stand behind a microphone and sing a song that I wrote, with a drummer for back-up. (Thanks Jason!) So begins the next phase of my musical adventure.

I'm going from singing for my cats, to singing in public. It's a really big step for me, because I do have problems with stage fright. But over time I hope to learn to manage it as I sing more and more. This was my first step into the waters, and it was a very safe zone for me. My brother is hosting the Original Works Open Mic night every third Thursday at the Chaska Dunn Brothers. I arrived to find a beautiful old brick building, and it was a relatively quiet night, and I did my best to open my eyes as much as I could and look at my brother and his friend there watching me sing. I arrived 35 minutes before close, so I didn't get the full experience, but the beauty of the venue won me over immediately and I want to go back and fill that lovely coffee shop with some of my original music.

Since caffeine makes me shake even more than my hereditary benign essential tremor does, I was powered by decaf for the night. Now that fall has come and night is here at 7 p.m., I'm looking to get out to more of these small venues to listen, and maybe even to sing a little. I've already made arrangements to switch shifts at work so I can get there by around 6 p.m. so I can experience the whole evening in November. This time I'll bring an instrument, or maybe two, since I don't have very many songs that I've written. Poets and spoken word is welcome too, it's all about orginal stuff.

My hope is that more time spent with other musicians, poets, songwriters, and singers will feed my musical soul, and I'll be able to write some more and expand my original songbook in the coming months. Winter always makes me turn inward, and I wrote my first full song with chords and lyrics in December of 2013. This is a thing to be grateful for, the community of other songwriters and a space to share our works together. Even tonight, I plan on practicing my instruments, working on technique and memorization of songs to perform at the next Fall Music Party.

It has been a long time between posts, my music has continued off and on.  Right now it is turned ON in neon letters daring the long nights of fall and winter to sit and listen to what people like me have to say in melody and verse.Tonight I just wanted to share some of the joy that is simmering in my heart right now, and to give any poets and songwriters a glimpse of the venue which will be hosting a gathering of creative spirits next month. This is the view that the musicians have:

I'm looking forward to some good nights over the coming months. Good think I like coffee! (even if it's decaf)

Dulcimer Day in May

I first heard about Dulcimer Day in Duluth last Spring when I stopped in at Homestead Pickin' Parlor to pick up a few items for my new dulcimer, which I hadn't received yet. Marv mentioned it to me, and I told him that I wouldn't have my dulcimer until after the event. So it's been on my mind for a year now, and this year's guest is Sue Carpenter, finger picker extraordinaire. The picture on the left is the cover of her Following The Muse CD. I LOVE fingerpicking. There are a couple of songs in my playbook that I do finger pick accompaniment, and I really want to learn fingerpicking with melody. I just love the sound of it. So I went to the website and researched it, looked at my calendar and considered it, then I looked at my checkbook and rejected the idea of attending this year. All my fun money is being set aside for the new Autoharp, so I can't go the the Dulcimer Day in Duluth this year either.

But that doesn't mean that May 5th can't be my own Dulcimer Day! Here's the plan, I'll get a copy of Sue Carpenter's DVD on fingerpicking, which comes with TAB for all the songs. And I will also get some of those aLaska picks that are so highly recommended, because my nails are too weak to grow out and do the job. I will plan the day out and have a one woman festival, complete with an Open Accoustic performance for the cats, and good food for lunch. In the evening I have a wonderful event to go to which includes music, so my day will be complete! It will be my treat to myself and my dulcimer. You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.