BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet

Date: October 19, 2009 8:48 AM Topic: Glen Echo Fall Dance Festival, 10/17 - 18/09 The Glen Echo Fall Dance Festival was fun. It was unfortunate that the weather was so bad (rain and cold) but those in attendance seemed to have no problems. Talk about dancers! It was a nonstop event. Glen Echo Park looks great, and it's a lot of fun to play in the Spanish Ballroom. We all look forward to our next show there.

Date: October 17, 2009 9:07 AM Topic: Solar Decathlon, 10/16/09 We got to see the ULL house, and it was very viable. The project was two years in the making and the results are very nice. After a brief walk through, we then went to a tent donated by the DOE where we set up. It was cold outside! I'd say there were about 200 people who came inside the tent for the performance. We started around 4:45 and played until 7pm. Once we found our vans (parked by our Smithsonian friends), we headed to the hotel in Vienna. It did take some time to thaw out!

What a wonderful venue the Arden Guild has! Everything was marvelous, from the food to the performance.  Volunteers cooked a dinner of beef with a marchand du vin sauce, gourmet mashed potatoes and roasted carrots.  After this feast, we had to play music!  Although most of the audience sat through the performance, some did dance. We look forward to the next time we get to play at the Arden Concert Guild. [Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Date: October 5, 2009 7:30 AM Topic: Tractor Tavern, 10/4/09 The show at the Tractor Tavern was set up as a 'half dance, half concert' situation. It seems that those who usually dance didn't show up because they thought the entire show was going to be a concert. Thus, the room was only about half full. The band played two very nice and lively one hour sets to an enthusiastic crowd. The uke was taken out for two songs last night: "Monkey on My Back" and "Chanson de Cinquante Sous." Today: long flight back home. Next up: Arden, DE.

Date: October 4, 2009 9:50 AM Topic: Bend Fall Festival, 10/3/9 The Bend Fall Festival this year should have been called the Bend Winter Festival Held in the Fall. The temperature hovered around 40º with a strong wind. And there were snowflakes from time to time. It's so hard to play when you can't feel your fingers! But the audience was supportive and danced. Believe me, when the last song was played, everyone dispersed! Today we're off to Seattle, about a 6 hour drive. It's snowing throughout central Oregon, and hopefully the passes will be open. Tonight: Tractor Tavern.

Date: October 2, 2009 12:14 PM Topic: The Shedd, 10/1/9 Attendance was a bit low at the Shedd but it was a good concert. As usual, we were treated well by the OFAM (Oregon Festival of American Music) folks, and everyone was in good spirits. The Shedd is an unusual venue: It's a converted hall with practice rooms and presentation rooms and other features common to schools. The performance area is a large hall with balcony seating. Although OFAM generally focuses on the classical arts, the organization also puts on concerts of popular music. This was the band's third appearance at the Shedd, and, as I said, we had a good time.