Last night I played as an opening act at the Fromagerie for the Reenie Band. It went okay. I was very glad to be able to do the arrangements and material that I love, and I'm delighted to be able to do this music with Brittany Goldsborough. But the audience was somewhat difficult.
The place would have been empty, probably, if it weren't for a wedding party who were there unexpectedly. As to be expected, they talked through everything we did, and got louder as their numbers increased. I engaged with them at the start, but later I noticed that talking to them was futile. Then, to my surprise at the end, several nice French people handed me tips. It was enough to pay for my cab fare to and from the gig, so I was delighted.
The place would have been empty, probably, if it weren't for a wedding party who were there unexpectedly. As to be expected, they talked through everything we did, and got louder as their numbers increased. I engaged with them at the start, but later I noticed that talking to them was futile. Then, to my surprise at the end, several nice French people handed me tips. It was enough to pay for my cab fare to and from the gig, so I was delighted.
I am inclined to think that there is a real hunger for music in French in Northern Ontario, and even, in particular, for French-Canadian folksongs. Since I love these so much, it makes sense for me to do more and more of them, which I intend to do. It's interesting that Anglophones (both audiences and musicians) enjoy this repertoire so much too.