Off to the woods

Subject: Off to the woods
From: Big Mick
Date: 22 Jan 99 - 06:26 PM

I have told the story before of how my band started in a cabin in the woods, five lads playing till their fingers were bloody. Well the weekend in the woods has become an annual tradition for the band and I am on the way up there now. It is near the wee village of Walhalla, Michigan, USA. If you listen carefully this weekend you just may hear some good Irish music coming out of the woods near the Pere Marquette River. To be sure, I will be thinking of all of you and how you have helped my music. Your influence will be felt all weekend long. You may bet your paycheck that I will be lifting a number of jars of Uncle Arthur's (ya know, Alison, that vile dark stuff)to your collective health. Since it is a musical retreat for the lads and I, I just want to say thanks for all the help, thanks for your influence on the music and long live the Mudcat and the friends it has joined.

All the best,

Mick Lane

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: harpgirl
Date: 22 Jan 99 - 06:28 PM

can I come too???? puhllleeeasssee?????

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Bert
Date: 27 Jan 99 - 11:06 AM

TOO THE WOODS, TOO THE WOODS. (in a deep brown voice)

No! not the woods, Anything but the woods (in a high feminine voice)

ANYTHING? (in a deep brown voice)

To the woods, to the woods. (in a high feminine voice)

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 27 Jan 99 - 11:51 AM

Mick,

Did you catch any fish?

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Barbara
Date: 27 Jan 99 - 08:53 PM

Bert, every time I saw the title of this thread, I thought of that too, but we put a middle bit in:
(1st female response)"No!No! My mother wouldn't like it!"
(male)"Your mother loved it! To the woods!"
The rest is the same. I learned mine at church camp in Michigan in the late 50's. How about you?
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Big Mick
Date: 27 Jan 99 - 09:46 PM

I just love this place. I put a simple posting that I am going to the woods, and bingo, there is a song. For all you newbies, this is what you can expect from some of the most creative and talented musicians you will find anywhere. Bert and Barbara, you have just given me a bit to use in our gigs. If any of the rest of you have additional lyrics, please post 'em here.

Hey Dan, how you doin'? We actually didn't do any fishing. We were so intent on the music that we literally fell asleep doing it. I will tell you about the place and then how it went.

The Barothy Lodge is in the northwestern part of the lower peninsula. If you look at a map of Michigan, find the intersection of US131 and US10. Go west about 30 miles or so on US10 and you will come to the wee town of Walhalla. Straight south is the Pere Marquette River. It is a storied river with some of the great fly fishing for trout to be found anywhere. The place we stay in is this great huge lodge with all glass facing the river. It is deep in the woods. The name of the cabin we stay in is Riverbend, named that because the PM comes straight at you and pulls about a 140 degree turn and goes downstream away from you. The cabin sits atop a 30' highbank right on the bend. The view is magnificent and inspiring. At some point I will see if we got a picture that does it justice and post it someplace.

We arrive at various times on Friday and set up the chow. I had a pot of chili on the stove warm and waiting for when the lads and I felt like eating. Cookies, Banana bread, chips and salsa, bean dip, and plenty of "that vile black stuff" as our dear friend, the fair Alison calls it. And a fresh bottle of John Jamesons very finest Irish whiskey, just in case someone prefers a drop of the "craither". When folks arrive we tune and just start playing and singing. Friday is the night where we play whatever the hell we feel like playing. The craic was fierce and we finally drifted off to bed at about 1:30 or 2:00 in the morning. Ole Jon, our bass and concertina player, got up and made breakfast and had it served up and sitting on plates for us at about 9:00 on saturday morning. The man himself has a second calling as a short order cook if he ever needs work. The food was great, but I told him if he ever got near a coffee pot again, I would have to hunt him down. The coffee was as bad as the food was good. And the food was very, very good. After eating and a little jaw time, we went to work on cleaning up some arrangements, solving some timing problems that had developed, and working on arrangements for new material. It was a very productive day and we got some nice stuff down on tape, very rough as we just had a mic in the middle of the room. But you could hear nice tight harmonies and arrangements. About 6:00 Michael Scott and Mike McMillan cooked venison steaks and made us a great dinner. It was magnificent. We then had a jamb session and talk about eclectic. One of the lads brought a pre 64 Stratocaster and we played everything from Woody Gutherie to Bob Dylan to Buffalo Springfield to Doc Watson to John Prine to C,S&N to the Saw Doctors to the Pogues.........you get the picture. The last of us (me) fell into bed about 2 AM. The next morning we did a great version of a song called "Isle of Hope" with a neat guitar-mandolin dual lead piece for the interlude. The mandolin plays a standard break with the guitar filling the 'spaces' with little blues riffs. It sounds great. We then worked on an arrangement of 'Planxty Irwin' that we do, but I was brain/finger locked and couldn't, for some reason, do my 12 string guitar solo right. Just one of those days. We then cleaned and packed, sang "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" to our ancestors in thanks for the gift of song, then sang "The Parting Glass" to each other and left for home.

The weekend was wonderful, but I often found myself thinking how enjoyable it would be if some of us here at the Mudcat could find a way to do the same thing. You were all often in my thoughts, and your sage advice was used and appreciated. I hope I haven't bored you, but several have asked on ICQ and through Email how it went.

All the best,

Mick Lane

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Bert
Date: 28 Jan 99 - 10:46 AM

Barbara,

I seem to recall that we used the "No! Mother wouldn't like it" line in a different dialog and the response was "Mother ISN'T GETTING it"

Bert.

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Barbara
Date: 28 Jan 99 - 12:45 PM

And what might that other dialogue be, Bert?

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Jon W.
Date: 28 Jan 99 - 02:48 PM

Bert's mother aside, are you going to release the tape, Mick? We used to have hopes and dreams of a virtual jukebox on the Mudcat, sounds like just the sort of thing that we need to hear.

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Bert
Date: 28 Jan 99 - 04:23 PM

I don't remember much more of it Barbara. It went on and on getting progressively worse(if that's possible). The couple of exchanges I can recall go.
F. "but I'm in the family way"
M. "You're in every @#%*$ers way"
F. "I'll tell the Vicar"
M. "I AM the Vicar"

Bert.

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Bill D
Date: 28 Jan 99 - 04:51 PM

"into the woods"
"no, not into the woods"
"into the woods!!"
"..no, I'll scream!"
"...how loud can you scream?"
"...eeeeeeek"
"INTO THE WOODS!"

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Robin
Date: 28 Jan 99 - 07:21 PM

Thanks for the info Mick, envy your trip to the woods. As a fellow angler I'm always looking for a new spot. We have a place not far from there near Wellston on the pine. Alas, my fishing buddies aren't of the musical persuation.

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 28 Jan 99 - 09:43 PM

Hey Mick & Robin!

Tell me when the ice melts. I'll bring my waders and capo.

All the best,
Dan

Subject: RE: Off to the woods
From: Bert
Date: 29 Jan 99 - 09:42 AM

Dan,
OK, I can see you standing there with just your waders on...But, tell me again, what are you going to do with that capo???

Bert.