BOTSO at Abottsford

Second public performance with me in BOTSO.

It was a gig but in a slightly contrived sort of way. As the first gig this was an unpaid performance.

I say contrived in the sense that BOTSO was used as convenient resource for the fundraising aims of Music Victoria. Everyone has to 'pay their dues' and this is part of the process. Brian Strating and Lyndal Chambers are office members of Music Victoria and the event was used to raise some extra money for the organisation. Brian and Lyndal are also part creators and organisers of BOTSO along with Andy Baylor. Sort of a bit inbred eh? To add further to the experience, all the members of BOTSO were also encouraged to 'make a financial donation'. Somehow that seemed a bit over the top. All of the members give their time freely to BOTSO and even pay to rehearse. In my case I have to drive two hours just to get there all at my own cost, but that is the price of being able to participate in a good group.

I was fortunate enough to obtain parking in the car park for a six dollar donation.

The performance was held in the Good Shephered Chapel located in Abbotsford and was part of a larger function. The Chapel is a functioning church, or was, not sure. We clustered in the front on a raised area that the alter was situated on. The alter was actually a few steps higher on a marble platform. We were given strict instructions: "Don't walk on the marble!". I guess if we did there would be a flash of lightning and that would be it, just like in Indianna Jones.

There were four acts:

  1. Six in the City.
  2. BOTSO.
  3. Men singing group, and,
  4. Don't know, I left before they started.

Brian was also the organiser/conductor for the men's singing group. Get's around doesn't he?

We each had 25 minutes to 'do our thing'.

BOTSO performed seven songs. One of which, the men's group joined in and that proved to be a bit testing. We had never rehearsed together and had different behaviours. BOTSO is rehearsed enough to be able to cope with changes in real-time. Not so with the men's singing group. Brian really conducts them and they obey his very visual direction. For that one song BOTSO started off instrumentally and were later joined by the men's group and this is where the difference between the groups became obvious. Clearly the men's group had learnt the tempo and weren't prepared to move from it. That tempo was slower than the tempo BOTSO was playing at, hence, synchronisation between the two groups fell apart to the point that I just stopped playing, the two groups weren't listening to each other. After the men stopped singing I started again. There's a lesson there.

Song List:

I tried out a few experiments of my own.

  1. I bought a twelve volt to two hundred and forty volt sine wave inverter to use on those occasions where mains power is had to find or of unknown origin. Worked a treat.
  2. Attached the end pin extender to play the cello standing up in the last song. That worked surprisingly well. Very comfortable.

Before I left I made a donation as I was expected to.

I had a good time.