Seriously cool

Seriously cool and "Lush"

I had wondered about accepting an invitation to a local rock festival albeit one billed as small and family friendly but it was actually an enjoyable day. The site was restricted to 500 people and by my judgement wasn't quite full but the atmosphere was good. We were right next to the children's tent where plenty of painting, faces and pictures, was going on and a bouncy castle next to that. To our right the main stage, a couple of smaller stages opposite, a bar, catering and book stall around the edge of a site no more than about 100 yards square.

How were we going to compete amongst this I wondered. Easily answered, we didn't. The principle is that each stage makes enough noise that the sound from all the others is drowned out when you are next to it and although we couldn't compete on volume we worked the same way - except that with main stage going you couldn't hear yourself speak by the organ. In practice we played when someone asked, which was quite often, and between acts you could just about hear us if you got close enough. Mary Poppins was the favoured roll.

It was an interesting experience trying to explain the workings in sign language, and a lot of people were interested. The sort of questions asked suggested serious interest not just politeness and were beyond me when it came to modern midi operated organs. Mostly they knew more than I did about how that worked but they favoured paper rolls and card books as more traditional, aesthetically more satisfactory and pleasing to use, and "just more organic". There were quieter spots between the main acts when Rosie was just audible to those stood round to listen and we got a lot of compliments. We were announced from main stage as part of the event as "something well worth a look and listen" and "seriously cool". Several of them thanked us for coming and said they had been considering trying to build one but didn't know where to start. Lots of info re BOGA and John Smith were taken plus info on where and how to punch rolls or to get them made. One idea is to have a small organ on the back of a tricycle playing ragtime that can be pedalled round the sites. I've seen this done by Will Kelders sons so I know it can be done. Another was looking for something bigger, more café organ style though I'm not sure about heavy rock played on it. He wrote his own songs and knew enough about midi files, midiboek and so on though that I reckon he might just manage it. How about a DeCap type organ playing heavy rock at Banbury in a year or so?

All in all an interesting day. Far more interest than you get from a day on the streets, and serious interest, but would we do it again? Well I'd already accepted when were invited for the same day to a village fete that had been rearranged at short notice after a wash out earlier in the year. One of our regulars. I think next year we'll be back at the fete.