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Ernie and Andy Lawrence

Recent News

April 29, 2010

Spring Newsletter

Hello friends,      

        Andrew and I recently took a month off from music.  We didn’t want to play Easter weekend and work was going to tie him up on a couple of Saturdays.  I was looking forward to the break.  We have been playing pretty steadily for almost three years.  I had some songwriting I wanted to work on.  I have had some lyrics kicking around in my head that have needed melodies and some musical ideas that need lyrics.  I thought I would use the time for that. 

        That isn’t what happened.  Our eight month old grandson, Gavyn, went into the hospital and spent most of the month there.  His mom and dad lived at the hospital.  I stayed in Lockport caring for his 3 1/2 year old sister, Esme.  Gavyn is having problems eating and gaining weight.  He had all kinds of tests done on him.  Now he eats through a feeding tube in his stomach.

        Gavyn is a good little fellow who is pretty cheerful when he is feeling okay.  He is cutting a couple of teeth he is really interested in.  He likes to sit up and take things out of boxes.  His sister is a sweet and active little girl who is fun to be with.  Their mom and dad are good parents.  

        Through these weeks of adventure we have heard from many friends who have offered their good wishes and prayers.  It helps us to remenber to be thankful for the important things:  family, friends and faith.  After all the tests, the doctors were not able to figure out what is causing Gavyn’s problems.  We experienced our share of anxious times, but eventually accepted that it is best to trust in God’s kindness and believe that this is just a part of his plan for Gavyn’s life.

        Well…The month “off” is over and it is time to start playing music again.  For obvious reasons, working on our musical craft and performing builds our family.  It gives us a chance to see many of you when you come out and support the music we make.  To everyone who wished us well and prayed for Gavyn during these weeks, we give our thanks. Our schedule for the coming weeks follows.  I haven’t had much time to work on booking new dates lately.  I expect to come up with some other shows in the next couple of weeks.

Recent News

March 7, 2010

Music and Mysticism

          I was playing and listening to music at the Golden Link Folksinging Society sing-around last Tuesday night.  This group of people has been getting together on a weekly basis for over thirty years.  People play the music they love and listen with interest to songs others perform.  I played the old Leiber/Butler song “Down Home Girl.”  Andrew and I put together a bluesy arrangement of this song a couple of years ago, but we hardly ever play it.  It is fun to sing, with lyrics like, “every time I kiss you girl, it tastes like pork and beans” and “every time you move like that I have to go to Sunday mass.”  Fellow club members were playing along with me:  Gavin on upright bass and Allen on the blues harmonica.
          A friend, Deborah, wrote in a note afterwards that she had a “really sublime moment” during the song.  “It was so intensely enjoyable that it lifted me out of my usual state of mental chatter, worry, self-consciousness, or whatever, and into a state of pure, intense, in-the-moment enjoyment.”  Those of you who have heard me play and sing know that it is not my modest ability as a musician that “lifted her out of her usual state.”  It was the music.  Music has that capacity.  Music can help us forget our usual troubles and shortcomings and take us someplace else where we can, for a time, be lifted by its beauty.  Religious people have these types of experiences in their encounters with the other.  I have known nature mystics who are filled with wonder in their contact with the natural world.  Music has the same power.
          During the early days of the music, people used to listen to blues to escape from the hardships in their lives.  Many lived in poverty and worked in levee camps or as sharecroppers on cotton plantations.  On weekend nights they would go out to listen to blues and have a good time with friends.  The music would help them forget about their troubles for a while.  That was the mission of the blues.  They could “have a good time singing about feeling bad.”
          So what should we do?  LISTEN!!!  Listen to your favorite music.  Get out and listen to live music.  LISTEN!  Observe the interactions of the players with their audience and with one another.  Support the musicians you like by attending their performances and purchasing their recordings.  In these difficult economic times, many music venues are struggling to survive and musicians have a difficult time booking good shows.  LISTEN!  Maybe, like Deborah, you will have one of those special moments when the music takes you someplace else.  I’ve certainly had them.
          Andrew and I have a light music schedule coming up.  We are only going to play two or three shows in March.  Then, we are going to take off the beginning of April.  We could use a break.  We haven’t had any real time off since September of 2008.  The two events we are playing in March are listed below.  We have another date booked for the 27th of March, but the venue hasn’t gotten the show details to me yet.  To learn those, check our website over the next couple of weeks. (www.ernieandandy.com) 

Best wishes and LISTEN,
Ernie Lawrence

Recent News

February 8, 2010

Surprises

          The Joe Crookston concert happened as planned on Saturday, January 23rd.  Sandy and I figured out how to pack 34 chairs into our house so that everyone could see and hear well.  The event sold out pretty easily with people who follow the music Andrew and I play. 
          Andrew and I opened the show and played for about 25 minutes.  Then, Joe Crookston got up and played for over two hours.  It was typical Joe.  Stomping…Picking…Singing…  The music was great.  Joe brought an accompanist named Peter Glanville who added energy and texture with his tenor guitar play and harmonies.  Joe, Peter, Ernie and Andy played three songs together.  Everyone had a good time.  It was hard to believe that the International Folk Alliance album of the year award winner was playing in our living room. 
          People hung around and talked after the show.  We had enough refreshments for an army.  Joe and Peter were here chatting with people and selling CDs until 11:30 PM.  Joe was impressed with the full house and the attentive audience.  He is definitely up for coming back again in the future.  It would be nice if we could grow the thing and hold it in a little bigger venue next time. 
          Joe was particularly smitten by the passion young Ian Peterson had for the music.  Ian is a vocal and guitar student I worked with for some months.  He is a good player who loves his music.  I turned him loose as a student a couple of months ago as he has enough tools to work with for now.  The Ernie and Andy schedule for February will follow, but pay attention to Saturday, February 6th.  Andrew and I will be playing at Muddy Waters Coffeehouse on Main Street in Geneseo.  Ian will play a couple of songs after each of our set breaks.  You should come out to hear how he interprets his music and to listen to how his songwriting craft is developing.
          So…Why did I title this newsletter “Surprises?”  I guess I never expected that I would still be playing music in my late 50’s, especially after the more than thirty years I was away from it.  I never expected that I would get to know and play music with people at the top of the folk industry like Joe Crookston.  I never expected that I would be in a position to help a young musician like Ian Peterson develop his own voice in music.  Life can be tough now and then, but it can sometimes be very kind.  I never expected that I would be playing music with my son, enjoying myself and strengthening family at the same time.

Recent News

January 14, 2010

Joe Crookston

Hello Friends,
          In two and one-half years of playing music together, Andrew and I have had the opportunity to hear, meet and play with some great musicians.  Probably the best musician I have heard in this time is a folksinger from Ithaca by the name of Joe Crookston.
          When I was a young man I saw film clips of Bob Dylan playing at the Newport folk festival.  He was only about 20 years old.  I was stunned by the power of his performance.  Around the same time I saw a very young Joni Mitchell on the Johnny Cash Show.  It had the same impact on me.  These artists seemed to be in a “window” of their lives when they had an extraordinary ability to play, sing and write at an exceptional level.  I saw them some years later.  They were still very good, but in my opinion that time of otherworldly brilliance had passed.
          The first time I saw Joe Crookston play, I was reminded of those occasions years before when I had watched Dylan and Mitchell.  He is a good guitar player and a strong singer.  He is an exceptional songwriter.  These elements combine to make an extremely powerful performer in which the sum of his musical abilities is greater than the parts.  I am not alone in my high opinion of Joe Crookston.  He was voted the “Most Wanted Artist” at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and his latest CD, “Able, Baker, Charlie and Dog”, was awarded the 2009 Album of the Year by The International Folk Alliance.
          Why am I telling you this stuff?  A couple of months ago I became aware that Joe was going to have a cancellation in his schedule.  I got together with him at one of his shows and we made plans for him to come to Perry and play a house concert in our home (11 Saint Helena St., Perry, NY 14530)  Andrew and I will open the show at 7:00 PM on Saturday, January 23rd.  Joe will play right after us. 
          This is a unique opportunity to hear a musician at the top of the profession play in a very intimate environment.  We can fit about 35 people in our house.  About two-thirds of the seats have already been bought.  If you think you would like to come to this event give me a call soon and we will try to fit you in (585-237-5346).  The admission price is $12 if you pay in advance or $15 at the door, but I am pretty sure the show will be a “sellout” before January 23rd.  You can find a flyer on this house concert in the attachment.
Best wishes,
Ernie Lawrence
Visit Joe’s Website: http://www.joecrookston.com/

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