Our Show With Scythian!

Last Friday night we opened for Scythian!

This has been a dream for Seasons that goes back many years...(by many, I mean like, four...)

As of so far our contact with Scythian has consisted of going to their shows, standing (or jumping around and dancing) in awe, taking lots of pictures, and then perseverating on how cool it would be to open for them (though then Peter would look at us like we were crazy and say "we're not worthy!")

Repeat cycle for four years (with two exceptions):

Me running into Scythian randomly at Heavenly Grounds Coffeehouse in Steubenville, stammering hi, then running away (I am not proud of my reaction, but at least I said something).

Peter and I having conversation with Lex at the Renaissance Faire in August '09 when we were playing in the same Shire (we saw this as getting closer to our dream). We also gave him a copy of "Which Way to Dublin Town" (this will become important later in the story).

Then, a call comes in September from One Heart Ministries, our good friends who run Fortress 1230 am and the Warm Hearts Coffeehouse. They said they were having a fundraiser for the radio station and that Scythian had agreed to be the main act, and they would like to have bands Gravel and Grace and Seasons as opening shows!

At first this seemed like an instant dream come true, until we heard the date of the show, and realized Peter would still be away in Austria.

After breaking the news that we were going to open for Scythian to Peter (who was elated until he heard the date) we decided to get our act together and put together a fantastic set.

Here was our initial line up:

Grace--Dulcimer

Clare--Violin

MT--Lots of things

Mary-Kate: harp and vocals

We practiced and practiced (this is what we usually are doing when we have to bow out of social events) and just when I started feeling like we might just have a band (even without Peter of the blazing hammers) everyone in my house gets the flu. Except me.

Fast-forward to the day of the concert. Contrary to our hopes, Teresa is the only Season besides me who feels up to playing. Upon returning home from work and and begging Grace to not be sick and play the show (until mom told me I had to reorganize my priorities), I start desperately trying to brush up on the hammered dulcimer.

Honestly, there was a point where I looked up from our scribbled set list to the ticking clock and said, "I don't think I want to do this." Everything was going wrong: people were sick, music was misplaced, and none of the instruments were staying in tune.

Even though we came really close to calling to bow out of the concert, we decided to push through.

Finally, Teresa and I (with our drummer Sean) showed up at the Community Center in Mechanicsburg (after getting stuck in traffic) and who do we see sitting in the third row of chairs while their soundcheck was going on but Scythian.

I made Teresa go through their names for the millionth time while we unloaded our stuff.

Now, when I had pictured our dream of opening for Scythian coming true, I had never gotten to the point where we actually got to talk to them, but as we were standing to the side of the stage waiting for our sound check, who comes up to me but Dan Fedorkya of Scythian.

He introduces himself and says "I've been listening to your CD alot on the bus and I really like it. Especially the Song of Saint Patrick. You wrote that, right? The words are really beautiful."

How should one respond when someone from one's favorite band pays you a compliment?

If you are me, you try something really humorous and witty like "Oh. Really? Thanks."

Dan Fedorkya talked to us a little longer before going to get ready. Later I heard that he sat in on our set (luckily I didn't notice this at the time because I was too busy making faces at the Delps in the front row) and listening quite attentively.

The set (miraculously) went well, despite our diminished size (having Diane Bird and Sean Davis was a Godsend) and one of the most well-received numbers was the cover that we did of Peter's "River Song," which we decided to add at the 11th hour.

After us Gravel and Grace took the stage, playing two of my favorite Nickel Creek songs in their set. They were followed by you know who (no, not Lord Voldemort).

Scythian gave a shout-out to us at the beginning of their show, saying they'd almost worn out our CD from listening to it. Later, when they were playing "Si Bheag and Si Mhor" medlied into "The Snowy Path" Dan got this quizzical expression on his face. Once they finished the song he looks at MT and I and asks, "Don't you guys play that on your CD too?"

To which I once again replied, with my usual humor and wit, "Um, yeah."

MT and I took this comment as an excellent sign since "The Snowy Path" appears in the final third of our CD, suggesting that Dan did in fact listen to all 17 tracks! Whoo-hoo!

Afterward the show I got a chance to talk with Lex (I was able to redeem myself a little because we talked about books). We also picked up a copy of Scythian's new live album, which is fantastic and ties with "Dance at the Crossroads" as my favorite.

I said that we hoped we could open for them again sometime (hopefully with our full band) and Lex thought that it would work out well if we opened for them during parent's weekend at Steubenville next year.

So hopefully I will see many of you at Homecoming at Franciscan University of Steubenville next October if this indeed comes to fruition. And then our dream can come true all over again!