more Jim Manngard digital art

digital image of me by © Jim Manngard

from a photo by © Jim Lestrange

This is actually a digital artwork by Jim Manngard and not a real newspaper article. Jim is part of the Blackmores Night team (a band specializing in in new interpretations of Renaissance tunes, their website is here) and does lot of photos and posters for the band. To see one of his images for the band go here.

You will see that he he did one of these for me too (which I actually used as a christmas card to 11 of my relatives):

digital image of me by © Jim Manngard
from a photo by © Jim Lestrange

Jim has been making digital images of me for a couple of years now. To see many more, go here.

I'm going through a hard time now and this certainly warmed my heart! Many thanks to the two Jims!

Victorian Christmas music hall and library concerts

our most recent concert at the East Greenbush Library concert series

(note: in the poster we are wearing Renaissance attire, but we do have Victorian attire)

here is the press for the event:

Last year, we performed a Christmas concert for the Troy Music Hall with our whole band (4 of us) to a crowd of about 800 - 1,000:

that's half the stage with a big grand piano on it with organ pipes above it (the side boxes go up 3 stories and there is a big balcony in the rear)

we have been told by many respected performers that it has the best acoustics in the country!

And we've been performing for years for the Victorian Streetwalk in Saratoga Springs, NY. I used to also perform for the Troy Victorian Stroll through the 1990s (before meeting Jim, my music partner) and I performed at a sold out Christmas concert at the North Pointe Concert Hall in Kinderhook, NY years ago.

For the Kinderhook concert, we performed a couple of songs on the radio before hand and it was broadcast all the way to Amherst, MA - Woodstock, NY - the Adirondacks - Utica. People contacted us to buy CDs from that live performance. It was wonderful to get such a positive response.

For library and art center concert series, we make the experience educational and come dressed in appropriate Victorian attire. We talk about the style of dress during the era, about the instruments that were used at the time, the origin of the songs and the hammered dulcimer (the musical instrument that Jim plays for many of the carols as it has a bell-like quality and is perfect for this style of music). Since we also perform a wide variety of Renaissance songs and instrumentals and we are known for this music (through concert series, Renaissance faires and my CD of Renaissance songs, Wing'd With Hopes), we often incorporate this music and its carols into the program and repertoire. 

We would love to perform more concerts in this genre!

If you are reading this and you know someone who might be interested in featuring us, contact us through this e-mail address: SaratogaFaire (-(att)-) yahoo.com. (Note: what is in the parentheses should obviously have an @ symbol, but we didn't want anyone to spam us!).

You can check out our music through the following sites:

 our Renaissance music (myspace site)

our Celtic folk band (myspace site)

some of my own originals music plus some Renaissance pieces (myspace site)

performing and experiencing the 2011 Saratoga Springs Victorian Streetwalk

"Victorian Christmas" sketch

© Lise Winne

available from my on-line Artfire shop through this link



In the usual tradition (originally started on my website in 2005), I'm recapping this year's Victorian Streetwalk.

This was the first year in about three years where I wasn't getting over a cold, infection or some other malady. And because of that, it was a joy to perform (note to the uninitiated: performing isn't all roses and clapping; at this level, the level of the every day average non-star performer, it sometimes means hefting heavy sound equipment in a nice dress and shoes often in terrible weather, children trying to strum your instrument while you are performing, and a myriad of other situations -- some outright comical -- that I originally planned to use as the focus of this blog, and perhaps will in the future).

In fact the only distraction happened just before leaving for the gig. A childhood sweetheart (the first one, a brief dating experience in eighth grade -- and someone I hadn't seen since I was a freshman in highschool) friended me on facebook. So, as I'm leaving the house, memories from childhood come rushing back. I hadn't really thought about this part of my life at all since leaving it behind so many years ago and all of a sudden the memories became overwhelming. Mind you, these weren't exactly happy childhood years for a myriad of reasons: let's just say they were riddled with a lot of anxiety because my brother who went to the same school came home beaten with shredded clothes repeatedly only because he had long hair -- I had been punched a few times too because a certain crowd at the school took it upon themselves to study their classmates and were suspicious that I wasn't who they thought I was, i.e. possibly not part of acceptable mainstream junior high society (what if they really knew us! shudder!).

When you perform, you can't give into any overwhelming feelings no matter what is going on in your life because the job entails a great deal of focus for everything to come out right. My job entails two instruments (vocals and a stringed instrument) and I also have to keep track of what everyone else in the band is doing. While the Victorian Streetwalk is just two of us and isn't a high pressure gig like the Troy Music Hall, it is always packed and a group is always standing in front of us watching what we are doing. So, the childhood memories were squelched.

I love performing in this environment once a year -- the main street is totally devoid of cars; it is totally packed with marching bands,  jugglers, carollers, horses, wagons, food vendors and townspeople, many dressed in Victorian attire. The wonderful thing about this festival is that all of the performers are local. And the costume element is something I've always loved and brings me back to the days when I used to perform at Renaissance faires with the Spirites Consort.

Jim, my music partner at this event, is just starting to assemble a Victorian outfit. I already have one, but I was trying to sew a long red skirt (didn't quite finish it, but used it for the Victorian Christmas concert we put on at the East Greenbush Library the following Sunday).

We love playing at Dawgdom! We love the fact that we are helping to support a small business and helping the "buy local scene" in our own hometown. The happy dogs -- even the little toy dogs that put on the ferocious act like they are going to rip a great dane's head off -- are a plus.

After we packed up, the streetwalk was still in full swing and we went to listen to John Kribs and Doug Moody playing across the street. They looked so classy, dapper and handsome in their Victorian garb. I have so much admiration for John as a human being -- a true being of light -- and it comes across in the Sam fund which he started for musicians with health issues. He is a great musician too and he has made music his life despite lots of hardships that musicians are faced with these days and the scarcity of venues.

Then we headed over to Celtic Treasures where I show my greeting cards and where our Sartatoga Faire CD, Saratoga Romance has a place to be seen in our community. We visited Paul (the store owner), John Cromie and Tommy Wadsworth. They were already busy packing up, but they invited us with them for some post Streetwalk revery. Paul treated me to some Irish Sweet Potato fries (so nice!) and Jim to a Guinness Stout.

It is so wonderful to be part of this community and I feel proud of my community when I'm part of an event like this!

weblinks:

MY WEBSITE

It looks like MYSPACE is up and running again (yippie!) which is the best way to hear soundclips of our music:

MINE

MY BAND'S

MY RENAISSANCE BAND'S (this myspace site seems to be the most loved)

sketch available through:
MY ARTFIRE SHOP
(note: the reason I refer to the accompanying illustration as a sketch instead of a drawing is because it was done quickly and does not have the thoughtfulness and proper perspective that a finished drawing would have, despite its details and embellishments).

Extra Long Handmade Pepper and Salt Scarf for him and her

Here's the newest in 100 percent natural colored wool:

These are available in my Artfire shop.

Keep in mind these are extra long and we (the models) are tall people (I am 5'10" and Jim is 6'1"), so on a smaller person they might come to ankle length (?). You can always wrap it around and around. These are made from one hundred percent pure wool with lanolin, my favorite kind of yarn for a scarf. Lanolin (a natural sheep oil) makes the wool much more durable, more waterproof and even warmer. Of course, it also means you shouldn't wash it in soap unless you have to as soap will strip the oil.

Jim's outfit details:

Jim's scarf is made by me and available through Artfire.com through this link

Jacket by Calvin Klein

Shoes by Wolverine

Lise's outfit details:

the scarf is made by me and available through Artfire.com through this link

Vintage White Coat by ILGWU (made in the USA)

Purple Eggplant Velour shirt by L.L. Bean (made in the USA)

Boots by Timberland

links:
website

Jim is a member of the same band I perform with, Saratoga Faire
here is Saratoga Faire's CD on CD Baby

purchasing my art and clothing:
Artfire on-line store

more of Jim Manngard's digital art of me

© 2011 digital art by Jim Manngard
from a photo of me by Jim Lestrange

This reminds me of the dock I go swimming off of in Lake George. I wonder if the dog will jump in! 

© 2011 digital art by Jim Manngard
from a photo of me by Jim Lestrange

I'm a movie in this one.

Cool isn't it? I love both of these renditions!
This is the original photo that Jim Manngard used for his work:

© Jim Lestrange

If you want to see more of Jim Manngard's digital art of me (in a balloon!) go to this post.

As I mentioned in that previous blog post, Jim works on the sound team for Blackmores Night and also takes a lot of tour photos while he's at it (as well as doing a lot of fun digital art like this for the band when he is not on the road). You can see some of Jim's tour photos on the Blackmores Night website and the Candice Night website.

Is that my face in that balloon?

Jim Manngard: digital artwork
from a photo of me by Jim Lestrange

I thought this was pretty darned cool when Jim Manngard sent this to me, so I'm posting it here. Jim does a lot of fun digital work for his friends including photos with art (and special meanings) around the frames as well as funny self portraits (including himself as Matryoshka dolls!). Not too much of it out there on the web to see, which is too bad, but it is why I'm posting this one here.

He started his balloon series with the Blackmores Night Band. It is a balloon with a picture of the band with the caption "Blackmore's Night Minstrel Band flying high and reaching for the stars". Days later he made Ritchie and Candice (the married leaders of that band) balloons shaped like hearts flying over a lake. I had told him that I liked these pieces, so he sent me this version. Jim works for Blackmores Night as part of the sound team and takes a lot of tour pictures, some of which he converts to digital art when he is home.

You can see a few of Jim's photos on the Blackmores Night website and the Candice Night website.

My own website

Bolton Landing Fabulous Folk Festival

We (Saratoga Faire) performed in Bolton Landing for The Fabulous Folk Festival last Sunday. Above was the poster for the event.

Our setlists included songs and instrumentals from the past and present day including Brian Boru's March, Mulberry Garden/Juice of Barley, Silkie, Crazy Man Michael, The French Report, Come to Me In Dreams, LaRue's Lament, Wind in the Willows, Water is Wide (among many others).

Also performing at this festival was Peggy Lynn, Dan Berggren and Nancy Walker Trio.

Peggy wrote this stunning piece which she has been performing for years called "Lydia". She played it at this festival. The melody is gorgeous and there is a refrain that goes: "Mountain women can be heroes." It stays in my head for a day every time I hear it!

I also tapped my feet to Nancy Walker's version of "Sweet Home Alabama".

After the festival was over, Frank, our violinist was remarking to the show's promoter about how beautiful Lake George was, even surpassing some of the well known gorgeous lakes he has seen in Europe.

We also got a very unusual opportunity by a woman who approached us on the stage after our last set which I won't divulge until/if all band members are informed and are able to perform for it. But it was one of those episodes that is truly unexpected, something you would never even dream about or aspire to (unless you knew about it, which we didn't).

Saratoga Faire band site

Our Saratoga Faire CD on CD Baby

other performers at the festival:

Nancy Walker Trio

Peggy Lynn

Dan Berggren

First Night Saratoga and updates on my website

This is a picture of our band, Saratoga Faire, at First Night Saratoga 2010 (© Ray Bedard). We played to a packed crowd all night and sold quite a few CDs. There are more pictures of our band on our facebook here.

This photo and other music photos of 2009 are also on my website here. You’ll notice that this link takes you to a blog page. I do my own website blog every January summarizing the previous year (in this case it is about 2009). I had been doing that for years before starting a blog here on blogspot in September. Note: the blog on my website won't be repeated here, so take a look if you'd like.

The reason I started a blogspot? I started selling on Etsy. I thought it would be a good idea to announce new work I was putting on Etsy (for on-line customers). This wasn't so necessary for my brick and mortar stores: I didn't feel it was necessary to post on my website (& in fact, I didn't think my website was all that important for the art side of my life, which is why all of the music buttons are at the top).

I felt that people who were interested in my art would go see it in the stores and galleries I have listed on my website. But having an on-line store is a whole other venture. My only exposure to selling on-line is through CDs (but unlike etsy, these on-line stores take care of the actual marketing and selling for me)… and also selling some art and just a few CDs via paypal off of my website.

When I was entertaining the thought of starting a blog, I thought I would only focus on my art for my etsy store, but then realized that unlike other visual artists, there would be gaps in my creations as I often get called away to perform, record, write music, rehearse, etc. So it was only fitting that I should blog about music too. Both are important to me, inspire me and define who I am (and a number of people have remarked to me that I can't just let my singing voice go silent in an art studio all day and night).

My Website

Music MYSPACE (hear clips)

My Etsy on-line store for purchasing some of my CDs and some of my art

My band site: Saratoga Faire

My Renaissance band MYSPACE: The Spirites Consort (hear clips)

Purchasing our Saratoga Faire CD on CD Baby

Performing for the media (First Night kick-off) and The Victorian Streetwalk

My intention is to join my visual art with telling my tales about being a performing musician, but I can't seem to find the time at this juncture. So the little cropped pic of me with the guitar will have to suffice for now as the visual part of my story.

I was asked to perform for the media by the First Night office in Saratoga Springs, NY. As part of my general performance, I was asked to sing "Starry, Starry Night" as that was the theme for this year's event. This request came in on November 10 and I responded on November 11. This meant I had about 19 days (minus time around Thanksgiving) to "work up" the song. But, I was also practicing for two holiday performances, so I felt pretty stretched as holiday material isn’t something that is part of my regular repertoire. It always takes additional practice and rehearsal.

I found "Starry, Starry Night" vocally challenging (believe it or not!). I sing lots of challenging pieces like "Ave Maria", so I knew I could do it, but I knew I’d be in trouble if I tried to tackle and memorize the accompaniment too, so I asked Jim if he could do that part. This made my task a lot easier when the event finally came and I felt confident that I did a good job. We decided that since we would show up as a duo that we should use the hammered dulcimer in the performance too since there aren’t very musicians in this area who play the instrument.

We often use the hammered dulcimer in our holiday performances. It has a nice bell-like quality which is perfectly suited to holiday music and my vocals. In these performances, I play the classical guitar in addition to my singing.

I have played in front of television cameras before and the lights were fairly blinding. This is all right when I am singing and playing a guitar, but with the addition of the hammered dulcimer, this was of concern to us since Jim has to be able to see the strings in order to play his instrument (he uses handmade little wooden hammers).

We asked the sound guy about the lights and his brusque answer was to wear a hat with a visor and some sunglasses. But he was having a little fun with us because there were no lights, not a single one. Ha!

We played the Saratoga Victorian Streetwalk two days later (the same duo). The event and our venue was packed the whole night. The streets were blocked off and smelled like horses.

Many of our CD customers asked us who the other musicians were on our CD (feeling a little unsure of the musicianship of these "other" players when they weren't hearing them as part of our live performance). We had fun explaining that the whistle guy was across the street at Celtic Treasures and the violinist was down the street about a half a block at the post office and our recording guy was another half block across the street, etc. All the customers looked a little shocked. Most don't understand that many of the musicians in this area are like one big jamming family. In fact, our band formed at one of the biggest jam sessions in the north country, The Dance Flurry Festival.

My Website

Music MYSPACE (hear clips)

My Etsy on-line store and Artfire on-line store for purchasing some of my CDs and some of my art

My band site: Saratoga Faire

My Renaissance band MYSPACE: The Spirites Consort (hear clips)

Purchasing our Saratoga Faire CD on CD Baby

Practicing and learning new music, new art show and new gig

This is a new picture of Jim and me last summer. The two of us are spending the evenings practicing and learning new material. We are performing New Year’s Eve with the band. I think we are also playing a Christmas venue, though not entirely sure.

I painted/worked a new piece the entire day and rushed downtown late before everything closed and found out I will be at the holiday art show at Lower Adirondack Regional Art Center. Yippee! This year I will have greeting cards and giclee prints (and maybe an original or two). Oh, yes, and CDs.

My Website

Music MYSPACE (hear clips)

My Etsy on-line store for purchasing some of my CDs and some of my art

My band site: Saratoga Faire

My Renaissance band MYSPACE: The Spirites Consort (hear clips)

Purchasing our Saratoga Faire CD on CD Baby

Our CD, Saratoga Romance is now up on CD Baby

Our new CD (cover design above) is finally up for sale on CD Baby. It will probably be up on Amazon, Borders, and download sites like I-Tunes shortly.

I did the artwork for the CD (while band member Jim Lestrange did the graphics). I also made this into 2 greeting card designs without the writing (one has a color shift). It has done well and I am encouraged to make more designs with Celtic knots and horses.

I am hoping to sell the CD on Etsy as well. While I have done well at CD Baby (and they do have the soundclips!), I am less pleased that they were taken over by Discmakers: more corporate & seemingly more disorganized (though to be fair, they have just started to overhaul the site and things may get better... I hope).

Anyway: here are some of the greeting card designs I made from the CD cover (note: the copyright watermark does not appear in actual product):

My Website

Music MYSPACE (hear clips)

My Etsy on-line store for purchasing some of my CDs and some of my art

My band site: Saratoga Faire

My Renaissance band MYSPACE: The Spirites Consort (hear clips)

Purchasing our Saratoga Faire CD on CD Baby