April 2008 - Finally!
Sorry it ha been so long since my last post. Life has a way of getting in the way of things. After a few personal changes, and some marvelous additions, The Exiles are ready to go. First, we have to say a sad farewell to our bodhran and mandolin player, Keith. Because of family commitments, Keith has chosen to leave us. His warmth, kindness and wonderful sense of humor will be greatly missed. With Keith's departure, we took time to step back and determine what direction we should go. I want to play more fiddle, and we want to feature Brenda more as a vocalist. To achieve these two goals, we have brought aboard to fantastic singer/guitar players -- Kim Johnson and Tom Otten. By adding these talented lads to our line-up, it looks like we now have a strong foundation. I'm looking forward to getting back to work and hopefully start booking gig in the coming weeks. With any luck, we'll be seeing you all very soon!
February 2008 - Really - We Are Going to Play!
It does seem like it's been a long journey, but I think we're getting ready to play. We have decided that a bass player is essential, so the search begins for that least piece. I've started to learn to play the fiddle as well, so if we're going to add that, we'll need another guitar player and possibly some more singers. I guess we're not in this for the money anyway, so the more players we have, the better! I'm still hoping to have a gig somewhere for St. Patrick's Day, but we'll have to see.
November 2007 - Just About Ready
Brenda has made all the difference -- and with a summer of practice behind us, we're just about ready to launch our public career. We're going to start taking gigs after January 1! Looking forward to setting out upon our new adventure!
May 2007 - Welcome Brenda
Though it is with sadness that we say goodbye to our dear friend, Craig, it is with great excitement that we welcome our new singer and guitar player, Brenda Szuberski. Brenda will add a totally new dimension to The Exiles. Her sweet vocal style and excellent rhythm guitar skills will make for a strong musical foundation. The Exiles are now on track to find a true Celtic sound and we look forward to working with her!
Spring 2007 - A New Beginning
We're starting to practice again and so it's a new beginning for the Exiles. It sounds like Craig has decided to put his musical career on hold, so for now, it looks like we are losing a valuable member of the group. It will be hard to replace him, but we will move on as best we can. I'm hoping to add another singer/guitar player and perhaps a fiddle player this year -- but fiddle players are hard to find. We may have to wait until Keith's daughter is old enough to hang out permanently with our group of misfits. We'll keep you posted as we grow and change. And we look forward to seeing all of you at a gig this summer.
Winter 2006-07 - Hiatus
It was an interesting winter. I was off to Ireland in December to spend the Christmas holiday with my husband Henry's family in Belfast. Of course, I had to go to Kilkenny City for a week on my own. If you ever have to take a holiday by yourself, Ireland should certainly be your destination. You are alone only as much as you want to be. The "Land of a 1000 welcomes" isn't an exaggeration. The people are very open to conversation and the pubs quickly become your home away from home!.
Jerry also had an interesting winter. First, it was foot surgery and that was followed by a pinched nerve in his hand. We still managed to get together occasionally for a bit of craic, but we weren't able to practice as much as we had hoped.
Craig's house is nearly finished so I'm hoping we're going to reel him back into the group, but only time will tell.
Keith is still healthy and from what I can tell, winter for him passed without major incident! He is the rock of the group and we couldn't do without him!
It's now April and our plan is to resume practice now that we are all healthy and ready to start again. So be on the lookout for the Exiles this summer. We'll do our best!
September 2006 - Our Second Gig
Nursing Home, Pine Island, Minnesota
Musically, we were a bit better this time around, but we were lacking enthusiasm. At the last minute, our lovely guitar player, Craig, had to cancel and wasn't able to join us. He was most certainly missed. Craig was in the middle of building his house and had to meet with contractors. With his life in a state of chaos, Craig is thinking about leaving the Exiles. Of course, we're not ready to let him go. As we go into hiatus to spend the winter practicing, we'll be working on him. Cross your fingers that he'll be with us when the Exiles take the stage in 2007. Overall, the residents seemed to enjoy the music. Of course, they enjoyed the tunes they recognized - and "Danny Boy" was their favorite tune. We've been asked to come back in the spring and we'll make sure to include more of the "classics" for them!
August 2006 - Our First Gig
Music in the Park, Westside Park, Eyota, Minnesota
I have to admit, we weren't quite ready. We barely had enough music to make it through the hour. And when I get nervous, I tend to play my music too fast. Needless to say, every song turned into a "minute waltz!" But there were some highlights. Keith's young daughter (the child we have never met) nearly brought the crowd to their feet with her perfect fiddling. As many performers know, it's very dangerous to take the stage with an adorable child. We were in dangerous waters indeed! But the crowd loved it and it did make for a light-hearted and entertaining moment for the audience. If I had it to do all over again, I would have asked her to play the entire show with us!
There were other good moments here and there, but we all realized we have a lot of work to do. So there's our challenge for the winter of 2006-07. With any luck, we'll be asked back to Music in the Park next summer, and we'll be a bit better. At least we'll have a go!
Sorry it ha been so long since my last post. Life has a way of getting in the way of things. After a few personal changes, and some marvelous additions, The Exiles are ready to go. First, we have to say a sad farewell to our bodhran and mandolin player, Keith. Because of family commitments, Keith has chosen to leave us. His warmth, kindness and wonderful sense of humor will be greatly missed. With Keith's departure, we took time to step back and determine what direction we should go. I want to play more fiddle, and we want to feature Brenda more as a vocalist. To achieve these two goals, we have brought aboard to fantastic singer/guitar players -- Kim Johnson and Tom Otten. By adding these talented lads to our line-up, it looks like we now have a strong foundation. I'm looking forward to getting back to work and hopefully start booking gig in the coming weeks. With any luck, we'll be seeing you all very soon!
February 2008 - Really - We Are Going to Play!
It does seem like it's been a long journey, but I think we're getting ready to play. We have decided that a bass player is essential, so the search begins for that least piece. I've started to learn to play the fiddle as well, so if we're going to add that, we'll need another guitar player and possibly some more singers. I guess we're not in this for the money anyway, so the more players we have, the better! I'm still hoping to have a gig somewhere for St. Patrick's Day, but we'll have to see.
November 2007 - Just About Ready
Brenda has made all the difference -- and with a summer of practice behind us, we're just about ready to launch our public career. We're going to start taking gigs after January 1! Looking forward to setting out upon our new adventure!
May 2007 - Welcome Brenda
Though it is with sadness that we say goodbye to our dear friend, Craig, it is with great excitement that we welcome our new singer and guitar player, Brenda Szuberski. Brenda will add a totally new dimension to The Exiles. Her sweet vocal style and excellent rhythm guitar skills will make for a strong musical foundation. The Exiles are now on track to find a true Celtic sound and we look forward to working with her!
Spring 2007 - A New Beginning
We're starting to practice again and so it's a new beginning for the Exiles. It sounds like Craig has decided to put his musical career on hold, so for now, it looks like we are losing a valuable member of the group. It will be hard to replace him, but we will move on as best we can. I'm hoping to add another singer/guitar player and perhaps a fiddle player this year -- but fiddle players are hard to find. We may have to wait until Keith's daughter is old enough to hang out permanently with our group of misfits. We'll keep you posted as we grow and change. And we look forward to seeing all of you at a gig this summer.
Winter 2006-07 - Hiatus
It was an interesting winter. I was off to Ireland in December to spend the Christmas holiday with my husband Henry's family in Belfast. Of course, I had to go to Kilkenny City for a week on my own. If you ever have to take a holiday by yourself, Ireland should certainly be your destination. You are alone only as much as you want to be. The "Land of a 1000 welcomes" isn't an exaggeration. The people are very open to conversation and the pubs quickly become your home away from home!.
Jerry also had an interesting winter. First, it was foot surgery and that was followed by a pinched nerve in his hand. We still managed to get together occasionally for a bit of craic, but we weren't able to practice as much as we had hoped.
Craig's house is nearly finished so I'm hoping we're going to reel him back into the group, but only time will tell.
Keith is still healthy and from what I can tell, winter for him passed without major incident! He is the rock of the group and we couldn't do without him!
It's now April and our plan is to resume practice now that we are all healthy and ready to start again. So be on the lookout for the Exiles this summer. We'll do our best!
September 2006 - Our Second Gig
Nursing Home, Pine Island, Minnesota
Musically, we were a bit better this time around, but we were lacking enthusiasm. At the last minute, our lovely guitar player, Craig, had to cancel and wasn't able to join us. He was most certainly missed. Craig was in the middle of building his house and had to meet with contractors. With his life in a state of chaos, Craig is thinking about leaving the Exiles. Of course, we're not ready to let him go. As we go into hiatus to spend the winter practicing, we'll be working on him. Cross your fingers that he'll be with us when the Exiles take the stage in 2007. Overall, the residents seemed to enjoy the music. Of course, they enjoyed the tunes they recognized - and "Danny Boy" was their favorite tune. We've been asked to come back in the spring and we'll make sure to include more of the "classics" for them!
August 2006 - Our First Gig
Music in the Park, Westside Park, Eyota, Minnesota
I have to admit, we weren't quite ready. We barely had enough music to make it through the hour. And when I get nervous, I tend to play my music too fast. Needless to say, every song turned into a "minute waltz!" But there were some highlights. Keith's young daughter (the child we have never met) nearly brought the crowd to their feet with her perfect fiddling. As many performers know, it's very dangerous to take the stage with an adorable child. We were in dangerous waters indeed! But the crowd loved it and it did make for a light-hearted and entertaining moment for the audience. If I had it to do all over again, I would have asked her to play the entire show with us!
There were other good moments here and there, but we all realized we have a lot of work to do. So there's our challenge for the winter of 2006-07. With any luck, we'll be asked back to Music in the Park next summer, and we'll be a bit better. At least we'll have a go!
