Victor Barden: Calendar

The Holy Spirit came through again for us after some technical battles while we were setting up.
I did feel a little strange not having to bring anything, as a keyboard was provided for me by the church, but I didn't really mind that much...
Angela Biggs, who accompanied Chad on "O Holy Night" on her harp, played the "prelude" before the concert. She also sang backup vocals with Vanessa.
Christ Community Church in Plainfield is a beautiful venue, both outside and inside. It's a post-and-beam structure that is affectionately known as "The Big Red Barn."
After the show I noticed I was low on gas, so I drove the few meters to Anne's gas station, but they were closed, and their pumps don't work after hours. That made it necessary to find gas elsewhere. The closest town was Windsor, Vermont, so I crossed the covered bridge and looked for a station. The first one I saw was a Cumberland Farms. I immediately looked elsewhere; I've had some bad experiences with Cumberland Farms gas and haven't bought it from them in at least 25 years. However, they were the only station open, and my tank was running low, so I decided to give them another chance. So far I have had no issues with the gas I bought, so it seems they have mended their ways. And since they have clearly repented, I forgive them for the bad gas they sold me back in the 1980's.

Middle River shared the gazebo with Lee Baker, a guitarist and member of September Rain, from Whitefield, NH, and Scott Brunt of the Brunt Family Singers from Weirs Beach. Scott sang to prerecorded tracks, and Lee played his guitar and sang.
I even did two songs, an original and "Mississippi Squirrel Revival."
Both Lee and Scott would sing bass in the choir, but Scott is a true bass; later that evening, at Fred's Family Restaurant in Claremont, Scott sang the bass part to the Oak Ridge Boys' "Workin' on the Buildin'." That part goes down to a low E-flat; that note is on the fifth string of my 5-string bass, and Scott hit it!
The event was shepherded by none other than Herb and Edi Hutchinson; they even sang a few of their songs.
The weather was hot and sunny, and many of us were lobster-colored afterward, Yours Truly and Scott included.

This day was rainy for pretty much the whole day. It rained on the Good News Gallop as well as the Alumni Day Parade. Some of the runners appreciated the rain because it kept them cool, but Bill Eckert (who played harmonica at this gig) said he has been hot in the rain.
Most of the people who weren’t running or walking went out when the runners started, but those of us who were in the band stayed inside for the most part. Ryan, who ran our sound, said that last year the band Calvary Road did both the music and the run, and they regretted it later.
Nobody who knew him was surprised when Pastor David Crosby of Grace River was announced as having the best time for his age group and gender; he is an avid runner who has done marathons. Chad’s mother also won in her category; she won last year, too. We suspect the rain did keep a lot of people away, but one man said that meant only the people who were serious about serving the Lord participated — there were no fair-weather Christians present.

Chad Perron and friends played for one of the get-togethers (or whatever they call them) they have at this church once a month. After we set up (without Chad, who had broken a contact lens and had to go home to replace it), we were to judge a teens’ chili cook-off. Tim Holtz, our electric guitarist, relished that thought; he likes his food hot and spicy. I’m not really a chili person, but I sampled all five entries — even the hot one — and voted for the vegetarian chili as the best.

The Godsmen were missing our baritone, so we "drafted" my mother to sing tenor, and I sang bari. That seemed to work out fine, except we felt obliged to call ourselves the "Godspersons" for that evening. Chad Perron also came to share some music; I played my bass, and he chose three songs that feature what I do. Then Aaron Gonthier from Springfield, VT, shared some of his songs. After Aaron, Cindi Meehan did her set. Cindi makes her living playing and singing for senior citizens; if you enjoy the folk style, you will like what she does.
Chad and Cindi have CD's of their material, and I think we've convinced Aaron that he needs to record his stuff, so look for a CD from him at some point.
Bruce Fairbank, of Gospel Train, ran the sound and played congas. He used GT's Fender Passport PA system and a standard mixing board, and I thought he got a good sound with it. He had Shure SM58 mics and Audix OM2's; I set up the mics and used the 58's for vocals, putting the Audix on the guests' acoustic guitar. A 58 is what works best for my voice; the OM2 has more highs, which my voice doesn't need, but an acoustic guitar would benefit from that frequency response.
We really appreciate Fred for opening his restaurant to gospel music. Jim Hills said he doesn't know of a restaurant north of Maryland that does that. There were two young men who walked out when I played "Come and Live"; that song wasn't their cup of tea, to be sure, but the important message of the song reached their ears just before the door closed: "And He wants you to know the love that He has for you." God's word will not return to Him void but it will do the work He intends it to do.