Forums > Social Chat > ren faire's and music

Posted: 3rd Dec 2002
anything funky, like "i dont smoke" by dj dee kline, or "electric disco" by plump djs

if practice makes perfect, and no one is perfect, then why practice?

Posted: 3rd Dec 2002
Well, if they're letting you use a recording, they're not strict to period, so there's a lot of possibilities.
I'd say any folk/Celtic type stuff with no electric instruments or overly modern references would work nicely.

Some bands to check out (some have .com):
Great Big Sea
The Waterboys
Lunasa
Golden Bough
Altan
Ashley MacIsaac
The Chieftans
Fiddler's Fancy

Or if you know any musicians from Faire, they'll have suggestions, and will likely have recordings you can use...

(see, that was pretty short )

We got the MikeZ in the house, woot!Glue the ham, hat baby!

Posted: 3rd Dec 2002
No way! Go for E-heads must die, by Johnny Violent.

Jesus helps me trick people.

Posted: 4th Dec 2002
Govi has some nice uptempo guitar stuff which might work.
Clannad
Early Music Consortium
The soundtrack from "Shakespeare in Love"
Gothic Voices
King's Noyse

Better still, if you can enlist some drummers from the Ren Faire to help you, they can just play a rhythm for you to spin to. The times I have seen that done it has worked well and looked great.

Electronic music in that setting would just be silly.

Hope this helps,

Raphael

Posted: 4th Dec 2002
I'm currently twirling to Fairport Convention- Leigh and Leaf.
Good old Hippy, Tree huggin, Folk!!!!

*Trippy becomes over excited by the tune in his head and falls off his chair*

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Last night i met some pixies and we danced around a stone.

"I Got Soul"
Non-Https Image Link

Trippie Hippie- Monty Dons secret love child

Fly like a mouse, run like a pillow, be the small book case.

"Last night i met some pixies and we danced around a stone".

Because dressing up is fun.

Posted: 4th Dec 2002
Assuming that the faire you are intending to work will allow you to have any form of electrically played music, then you should stick with more traditional sounding tunes at least. Go with the gael upbeat musics, Traditional jigs and reels are good. You can also go the spanish route and look into traditional Flamenco music, or go for revived sea shantys and drinking tunes. Go to a Ren Faire, or to Mudcat Cafe online to get a good cross sectional tasting. Might I suggest looking into music by Double Indemnity/Empty Hats, The Burley Minstrel, Drunken Pirate Brigade, Merry Mischief, Celtic Spirit, Blackmore's Night (highly recommend this ones!), Loreena McKennit, Clannad.....
However, most faires do not allow "piped" music to be played, for dancers of any sort. There are a few ways to handle this, and I have in the past.

1. Spin without music. Talk to the audience through the show. Have them make the rhythm for you by clapping or singing or whatever. It brings them into the show and is great fun. Some of my best bits are actually based on this.

2. Faires are rife not only with professional musicians but those who long to be professional musicians. Get a listing of other acts there, or some talents that might be of a more wandering mistrel styling and try to employ them to make music for you. Inform them what beats you would like prior to your show, have them go through a test run with you, and just let it flow. I have had tremendous success with Bohdran players in this instance in the past.

In this type of venue it is imperitive that you be inventive, flexible and willing to have fun with whatever hand you are dealt. Good Luck and I hope this helped!

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 5th Dec 2002
wow,
thanks for all the advice , i've downloaded some of the music and it is great .. thanks alot pele for the insiders view it really is helpful.

thats right i look like an albino ape that has had a bad day.. go ahead say something stupid... i dare ya !

Posted: 5th Dec 2002
I would say, if you can find live music... use it! I cant imagine a better thing to spin to than live music.

Some Jarhead last night: "this dumb a$$ thinks hes fireproof"

Posted: 15th Sep 2010
I personally like using Apocalyptica or Nightwish and other symphonic/metal like bands. I lean more toward the first for Ren Faires because of it's haunting and yet fast harmonies

Posted: 15th Sep 2010
Check out Corvus Corax. They literally make Mideval music. Perfect for Ren Faire.

The only luck is bad luck.

Shut up before I stall my poi up your ass

Posted: 15th Sep 2010
As stated if they are allowing you to use a recording its not the strictest of places, but I would definitely work the electronics into the background, hide them or something and stick to time period music, or at least stuff that sounds like it. I don't know of enough stuff to fit the bill but I'm learning. Live music is even more awesome and fits into the fair even better. Though having poi with kevlar wicks at a renaissance fair is already posing all kinds of questions =P

Don't let your world end with you

p.s. No, just in case you're going to ask, I did not misspell Warrior, its supposed to be like that.