The Party - Day 2

Today was a time for everyone to sit around and talk, or get out instruments and play. Connie provided lunch and a large number of deserts. In the evening we had a 'Pot Luck Supper' where everyone brought a 'covered dish' to share, this was a great time for people to join together. Unexpectedly, Marilee had approached me at lunchtime and asked if I would play guitar for her band, which was performing at the evening concert!! The Saturday Evening Concert was when the proper bands got the chance to play for everyone. Now I was happier doing this than the Band Scramble, as I could stand on the back row, and wouldn't have to sing. I could probably fake the guitar playing bit and we had time to practice. So in the afternoon we had a bit of a practice. Marilee had assembled some really good musicians and we were called The Front Porch Pickers, as we were an offshoot from her band The Back Porch Pickers. Unfortunaely Marilee's idea was that I would sing with this band and even have a guitar break. I was intent on helping make this band sound as good as it could be, so having played around with Amazing Grace in practice, Marilee and I started our performance off with a slow harmony version of Amazing Grace. At the end of the first verse the mandolin and banjo came in over the top with a double time rendition and Fred's great voice really raising the tempo for the rest of the song. That went down really well. At the end of the song Marilee and I returned to the original tempo to really hang out a harmonious repeat of the last line. It sounded great and brought the house down (I kid you not, though the great banjo, mandolin and fiddle may have had a lot to do with it). We followed this with a great version of Foggy Mountain Breakdown - always a favourite with audiences. In all we played a set of 20 minutes. I really enjoyed it, as I felt compfortable in that setting with such good players around me. When we had finished we got many compliments many of which said we were as good as anything they had heard at Sertoma. I think that being in vited to play with the Front Porch Pickers was one of the highlights of our time in Florida this Spring. (I still keep thinking "We really did fool them this time").
The concert was a great success, helped in no small measure by Connie's Strawbery Shortcake at half time.
After the concert some of us again assembled on the porch to have a bit of a jam. Another great day at the party.