Hi everybody-
Guy and I have spent a good part of this past winter producing a performance video to celebrate our 45 years of playing together. It will be presented by Amazing Things Arts Center (ATAC) this Friday, April 30th, at 8PM EDT. (Way to give advance notice, Bill!). Making the video was a lot of fun as well as being an "exciting and highly educational experience." (Translation: "OMG- I had no idea how much time and effort this would entail!") But 45 years? Really? If you do the math you'll realize that, in fact, I started playing with Guy when I was minus two years old.
We're really pleased with the way the video came out. Fortunately, Guy was in charge of the production, and I'll readily admit that his standards for this sort of thing are much higher than mine. To me it looks quite professional, and, despite the COVID performance restrictions (we recorded our parts separately), we took advantage of the video format to do some different things than we'd have been able to do in any kind of live performance. For guitarist fans, for instance, there are close-ups of Guy's fingers, and we both talk a bit about our musical backgrounds.
With the recent lifting of some COVID restrictions, I'm feeling quite excited and optimistic about the return of live performances. I also feel that this new concept of a virtual performance assembled with performers from different locations can be a truly creative process and is here to stay. As a musician, there can be enormous advantages in "performing" this way, especially if you're experienced with recording techniques. Much, if not most, of the recorded music you hear today is created using similar techniques, with musicians overdubbing to pre-recorded tracks or a producer improving a "live" recording with editing.
Having said all of that, I hope we all have the opportunity to see and play live music really soon!
In the meantime, stay safe and healthy!
--Billy
