Music – Page 5 – tim mcmurdo

barn dance!

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Saturday nights are made for getting out and having a great time. For me, this Saturday meant the fall dance in the barn at the farm. I'm not much of a dancer. I do like to dance but, most of my dancing occurs at home with the stereo blasting. I can dance however I want and the only one laughing is my wife. Unless you are dancing at a wedding or you are a square dancer, old men should pretty much only dance behind closed doors. The rest of the world does not want to see us wiggling our sagging old man bottoms. It's just a fact. I can live with it.

All this is to say that because I have no idea how to square dance, I didn't dance on Saturday night. Square dancing intimidates me. Any dancing that requires a traffic cop calling out instructions must be too complicated for my little pea head. I'd rather watch the other people dancing in their complicated patterns while I sit back and tap my toes to the music. Besides, I am always too busy with my camera.

And afterall, isn't that better for everybody? You get to look at the pictures and I get to avoid injury. Sounds like a win-win situation for everybody involved.

back to the music

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

I have not forgotten about the Miami Valley Music Fest 2011. Before we leave the topic behind us, I wanted to share a little bit of one of the bands that we were lucky enough to catch while we were there. They go by the name of Blue Moon Soup and they played a fantastic bluegrass fusion. MIxing music like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and traditional bluegrass tunes, I have never heard anything like them.

The guitar, bass, fiddle, and mandolin players were outstanding and all were comfortable on the mic.

If you like blue grass and are in the mood for something new, check out Blue Moon Soup, I think you will enjoy what you hear. Seriously… go check them out before I have to reach for a big stick. Go on, get going!

miami valley music fest 2001 pt. one

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

I have a backstage pass to the Miami Valley Music Fest 2011. You ask yourself, How did Tim score such a wonderful thing? Well, I tell you, you have to have talent, work hard, practice for hours on end, and know somebody. In this case, all of that hard work and that great connection comes in the form of my wife Jodi and her belly dance troupe. The girls were part of the evening's entertainment Friday night and as their designated roadie/paparazzi, I got to go along.

The weekend long event is Ohio's version of Woodstock. Local and regional bands line up to play on the two stages, dancers entertain, and the crowd has a great time. So much happened and I got so many great images that, I will need to show them to you in a couple posts. So, stay tuned and I will feed them to you over the next couple days.

I don't think you will get tired of looking at the images. You will see musicians in cool T-shirts, animals, hippy chicks, belly dancers, and much much more. What more could you want? I am after all a full service blogger.

mama mia?

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

If you are anywhere close to my age, that means your grew up in the seventies. And wether you liked them or not, you probably listened to a LOT of ABBA. Not content to keep ABBA's ear worm tunes to ourselves, we have since inflicted their music on our children as well with movies and plays like "Muriel's Wedding", "The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert" and "Mama Mia".

I know this because in-spite of my aversion to pop music this sugary sweet, I have managed to tap my toes and sing along through all of them. I am not proud but, evidently I like ABBA music.

So, it was in musically challenged state that I went to see an ABBA tribute band at Veteran's Park in Springfield last night. I used the excuse that the event would be a great opportunity to take some concert shots but, we all know the real truth. I'd asked my photo buddy Larry if he would be there but, he said he had too much stuff to do. I suspect that in reality he was hiding in the bushes singing "Money Money Money" and giggling to himself. Fess up Larry!

The crowd gathered to a couple thousand people as they waited for the sun to set and the band to take the stage. While I waited, I shot the crowd and the men's room door. Did you know that they made urban wear for seniors? Must be an emerging market.

Finally, just after eight, the band took the stage and the crowd went wild. There was singing, clapping, and dancing in the aisles.

This is a picture of "Frieda" looking for Larry in the crowd. She and I both knew he was there someplace. It's ok Larry, you have to admit you have an ABBA addiction as your first step towards getting help.

barn dance

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Last night, I stopped by a barn dance at the farm for a couple hours and watched the crowd have a great time. The band was called the Corn Drinkers and they had the place hopping all evening.

The crowd was a mixture of young and old, city and country folk. The great thing about square dancing is that anybody can do it. You mix partners constantly, so you get to meet a lot of people.

I witnessed a lot of fancy footwork. And some that was not so fancy… didn't matter, they were all having fun.

Sarah, the barn cat, had a great time. She normally doesn't get any company in the evening. She likes to mingle with the crowd and is a master of small talk. I am not the social butterfly that she is and kept my camera between me and the revelers.

When they weren't dancing, the crowd was socializing. I had a great time. I'll be back in the fall when the farm hosts another dance. Maybe then, you will see a picture of me cutting the rug. Maybe…