Old Town School – On The Road

Dispatches from the road from our wayfaring travelers.

Packing my bags!

Hello! I’m Lindsay Weinberg, teacher of Wiggleworms, Kids Piano and Kids Voice. I’ve become quite connected in to the Old Town School in the past five years, by teaching, working at the front desk, and collaborating musically with other staff members on stages far and wide. I currently sing with Come Sunday and It’s A Girl, and while I perform regularly for kids, I’m sort of an emerging artist when it comes to the singer/songwriter world.

The Old Town School chose me to send to the Théâtre Petit Champlain in Québec, Canada to be a guest in a big program called Cinq Fois Cinq. “5×5″ is a residency offered by the Théâtre in which three selected young artists from around Québec participate in training workshops and performances with industry professionals. They perform in three thematic shows, each created and directed by a different renowned artist, which go up on stage at Petit Champlain. Finally, the fourth performance gives them a chance to play their own songs and interpretations of songs as they choose. You can read more about it on their website (in French), and see photos here, and even watch a video spot about the first thematic show here.

I’ll be a guest young artist for the 2nd thematic show. The theme of the first one was Happy Songs, and they did covers like Walking On Sunshine and Don’t Worry Be Happy. The second show, hosted by Pierre Flynn, has the theme Songs of Rebellion. We’ll be playing not just songs of political rebellion, but also music where people put their foot down in social, personal, humorous and romantic ways. It should make for a moving show and I’ve got a couple of originals that are great candidates for the theme!

I leave for Québec tonight. I’ll be there for 9 days. On the schedule: meeting Héra, Geneviève and Cynthia, the participants of 5×5; a brief radio spot on English-speaking Québec radio; struggling with all the French and putting my faith in the language of music; an adorable hotel a short walk from the Théâtre; planning the show with the house band and lots of rehearsal; a workshop with the three other ladies; the show next Wednesday April 7th; and poutine.

I’ve got a brand new Facebook page for my music (listen to my songs and be a fan!) and some new boots that were made for international rockin….

28_DEPRIEST_28_6 …let the adventure begin!

Filed under: Canada,Notes from Lindsay,Quebec by Lindsay | March 31, 2010 | Comments (7)

Rock Camp Day Six

We spent the morning preparing for our set tonight at the Key Club, then headed to the hotel for a few hours of R & R. The energy at the Key Club was peaking as camp bands ruled the stage one by one. Literally every band had performed with intensity and precision, and every camper’s faced expressed the same sentiment: It’s great to be alive! Our band was scheduled to perform last, and we scorched through “Rainbow in the Dark” (Ronnie James Dio), our original song, and “My Hero” (Foo Fighters) in honor of Rami for making our camp experience so positive and productive. Fellow campers and counselors said their goodbyes as we prepared to head back into reality. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, the entire Rock Camp staff accommodated to the campers’ every eccentric need. Most remarkably, they did it all with smiles on their faces and rock –n- roll in their hearts. I truly hope I get the opportunity to reunite with my band mates again someday, but I know they will keep music going in their lives and do it with a little more edge now that we’ve tasted the rock –n- roll fantasy.

Filed under: Domestic,Notes from Eric,Uncategorized by Eric | March 2, 2010 | Comments (0)

Rock Camp Day Five

Rehearsals resumed all morning for our recording session later in the evening. Rami then treated us to an amazing sushi lunch, followed by a tour of his amazing studio. After dinner, the band loaded onto the Gibson tour bus and headed to EASTWEST Studios for our original song recording. EASTWEST is the home of incredible legendary recordings from rock and pop superstars over the last 50 years. There to greet us in the booth was the notable producer, engineer and camp counselor, Ron Nevison. Ron has worked with the likes of The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Bad Company, Chicago, and Led Zeppelin, so I knew we were in good hands. The session was over before we knew it and the rough mixing process began. I’m looking forward to getting the final mix in a couple of weeks. Hopefully it will catch the great mood we all were in after collaborating so well together.