Pontefinos/ When Cousins Marry launch/Smiths

The 10th Nov - Pontefinos
Solo jazz piano & vocals jazz gig out at Pontefinos in Gunthorpe - an hours drive each way and on this night quite a quiet night - I was a little tired so didn't mid it was quiet. One elderly couple requested and danced to My Way. A Latvian waiter kept telling me what Hollywood songs the jazz songs I sang came from - "Dat soonge you sange - voss from Harry Mett Sally - verry funny film.." 

Fri 11th When Cousins Marry CD launch
Having helped on their CD cover art and master I went to Dan Britton's hilbilly band of chums When Cousins Marry CD launch at the Carington Arms in Ashby Folville - my gosh it was rammed - totally heaving. Tehy were making a good sound - I didnlt stay too long as there was no-where much to be in a sea of people. Glad it went well for them - they sold 35 CDs on the night.

Sat 12th - Govannen at Smiths in Bourne
a 1hr20min dive each way always seems to take a while to Smiths - but it is nice place and an easy gig in the bar. One of our best gigs there with pretty keen crowd at the end. After doing endless weddings, playing 2 x 45mins seems easy. We sold 1 Sniff CD.

RIP Keris

On Saturday morning I was stunned to hear that filk chum Keris (Chris Croughton) had been killed in a car accident.
Hit me very hard. It is strange - I only saw him at filk cons - 3-5 days in a year - but over 11 years... Such a gap has been left. Such a terrible thing for his sister Hilary who's mother also passed away only months ago. My thoughts are with her. 

Keris did much of the tech at filk cons and had an amazing knowledge of all things tech. I sometimes help out running a sounddesk for someone's set but I didn't understand half of the background kit that Keris had there. It was thanks to Keris that my Live ! album had been recorded at a couple of filk cons - tho getting hold of the dat tapes from what must've been a mountain of them at his home was a job :-)

I remember him in my minds eye smiling, telling stories at the bar with a pint in his hand - often involved stories I couldn't always follow with my gnats attention span - but always told with a smile and an occasional erm as his voice caught up with his brain. He had an encyclopedic memory of filk events and history going way back. I also remember his helping people all the time at cons - sorting this, fixing that, joining an instaband on bass etc... I also remember him singing with the n'Early Music Consort - the filk choir - always a highlight at cons. He was due to chair the next con in February.

A huge hole is left in our filk community and I'm still dazed and can't believe this has happened.

Reading through all the tributes and memories on Livejournal this morning has been sad, but has helped too I think.
I have been struggling keeping up with Livejournal after the immediacy of Facebook and I seem to have less time these days to write in the long form. But things like this certainly show the value to the community to communicate longer deeper things and connect us in these dark times.