Wyman's Pond Music Fest 2011

Oh, what a day!

I arrived at 11 am all set to spruce up any landscaping and take care of last minute details, but when I arrived, Jon had dropped off the generator and set it up in the summer gear shed behind the main shed; Dad & the twins were raking the pine needles; and Ted had dropped off the two long tables and the canopy.

People wandered in at various times over the course of the day, listening to the performers, cooking their food, catching up with old friends, and hanging out. Also, this year the kids spent a lot more time in the water and playing games than they did sitting in rapt attention at the music. Which was spectacular.

(to be continued)

One Week to Go...

Missing Week

Wow, what a lame week. No responses to my job applications, no outdoor fun (rain, grey skies, and/or high winds most of the week), and no money to go out and do anything interesting.

The only noteworthy event (besides Prince William marrying Kate Middleton this morning across The Pond) was my sending out the e-vite for this year's Wyman's Pond Music Fest. Let the buzz begin!

Musician Outreach

Needing to fill two more spots for this year's Wyman's Pond Music Fest, I decided to get to work, and I sent invitations to perform to the following:

• Tom Thumb - A local musician from Massachusetts, based out of Bourne. I saw him live at Toad with Jay and Brian last year, and his guitar/laptop combo would be a good addition to the festivities.
• Mark Zaleski - A local jazz musician, I saw the Mark Zaleski Band perform at Mechanics Hall in Worcester awhile back during its Brown Bag Concert series. They were phenomenal, and I think a set of jazz would add a cool variety to the festival.

Festival Producer Working

I spent a big chunk of today working on the website for, and inviting musicians to the 2nd Annual Wyman's Pond Music Fest.

Almanac Mountain confirmed this morning, and after writing e-mails to Dave from The Rafters, Vanessa Kafka and Abbie Barrett, I received enthusiastic "aye!"s from Dave around lunch time, and from Abbie in the early evening. Two days in and I already have four out of six (or seven) acts scheduled!

I also figured out how to use tabs on a blog, so the musician FAQ (and any other upcoming section) has its own page. I have so many ideas to make this year better than last year: I am 95% certain I am going to have custom guitar picks made (instead of last year's wooden nickels) for the admittance tokens. I want to have an art contest for the event poster (of which I will do a small print run and raffle off), and t-shirts will be made way in advance.

WPMF 2

I just finished launching the website for the 2nd Annual Wyman's Pond Music Fest. I wanted to keep it separate from the first one for simplicity's sake. As I posted elsewhere, Elizabeth Lorrey is returning this year, and in addition I sent Christoper Cote (Almanac Mountain) an invitation to repeat as well. I am so psyched!

10 Dollar Day: Elizabeth Lorrey - Cafe Verde

For my first "10 Dollar Day" I went to see Elizabeth Lorrey's first show of 2011 in Lawrence, MA last night at the new Cafe Verde. Erik was sitting at a prime table when I arrived at 7:30, and after I greeted and received a big hug from Elizabeth, Brian & Nikki came piling in with their friend Caitlin. After we all got settled I went over to talk to Elizabeth for a bit, and after letting me know what was up for the evening (album cuts and covers, plus several new songs!), I asked if she was interested in a repeat gig this summer at Wyman's Pond Music Fest 2. She was enthusiastic, signed on, gave me a couple of names for 'new blood', and even offered the use of her sound system.

She went on at 9 pm, and over the course of the next two hours (with a short break around ten) she played all of the songs off her first album ("Frozen" and "She" were the best), several new songs (I really like "Invisible"), and a ton of covers. Caitlin (who is very cool) and Nikki both knew nearly all the words to every cover song Elizabeth performed - it was nutty! A list of the covers can be found in my music blog post, but standouts were The Pretenders "Back on the Chain Gang", Indigo Girls "Closer to Fine", and an amazing rendition of 'Til Tuesday's "Welcome Home". What a talented and versatile performer. I can't wait for her new EP in late March-early April.

It was great to be out & about with the guys again. Brian, Erik & I each had two beers each, Nikki had 3 mixed drinks, and Caitlin had 3 glasses of wine. The conversation flowed, the food was good (apparently - I wasn't hungry), and the music was consistently engaging. I enjoyed the rides there and back too, even with getting a bit lost on the way once I was in Lawrence. The downtown is pretty cool, and Cafe Verde is a great place to hang out with friends.

"10DD" Tally: My pair of Harpoon UFOs were $4.67 each, so tonight's festivities cost me $9.34 - success! Next up (hopefully): Abbie Barrett at TOAD next Saturday...