PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic BIAB forum get-together July 2017

OK, we've talked about this in the past, so now I'm proposing an actual event for July 2017 in New York State.

Matt Finley hosts an annual music event on Lake George, usually during the last week of July. Everything I've seen and heard about it requires truck loads of superlatives in order to describe it adequately! Matt runs with the pros, so the music alone would be well worth the trip for anyone who can make it!

The fellowship with BIAB friends would be icing on the cake, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

This is a feeler post to gauge interest and provide sufficient time for planning. Unless something unexpected happens, I'm planning to attend.

Whether this turns into a large turnout or something involving only a few, I'm sure that whoever comes will be glad they did.

More info will be made available as July 2017 gets closer.

Pat count me in. As soon as you get a date please let me know. Lake George in one of the lakes that my wife and I haven't been on yet. It will be our 50th wedding anniversary next year so this would be a nice short trip for us.

Cool! Thanks for weighing in Mario! And congratulations on an amazingly solid 50 years of marriage! You both must be remarkable people!

Note to everybody else:
OK, here's at least 3 forum regulars who will be in one place at the same time... and it's a BEAUTIFUL place too! The scenery alone would justify the trip! Likewise, Matt's music alone would justify the trip... but when you put it all together, it's going to be a unique intersection of experiences that those who join in will be talking about for years.

I'm sure Matt will be busy managing the Music event, so we won't be able to impose on him for anything more than a bit of his time. As a resort town, I'm sure we can find house rentals, motels or campgrounds nearby (depending on how long you want to stay and the degree of luxury you require in your accommodations. I'll probably stick around for a few days (or not) depending on availability of accommodations.

And it's over a year away, so nobody can say they didn't have time to plan.

And Matt, as soon as you know the date for your 2017 concert, please let us know so any interested parties can start to research and book lodging.

If the stars align well, then Anita and I will try to make the trip. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Thanks for doing this, Pat!!

Sent you a PM with a few details of what I know now.

Hey John, that would be AWESOME! I really enjoyed the conversations we had during my visit to your home, and it would be great to pick up where we left off!

It is a wonderful idea and a beautiful part of the country. Like you say Pat, it is a long time away so hard to make any promise, but if there were a way for me to break away for an extended road trip with the wife I would love to give it my best try.

Depending on when in July it is, I would be big time up for it! That would be a blast! Great idea!

although it's too soon to nail the date down, be thinking in terms of the last week in July or first week in August 2017.

That gives us all a 2 week window to block out on the calendar and not put anything else there.

;-)

if you come, don't forget to bring your guitar! I bet we could find an evening to jam!

I don't play guitar; can I come? [kidding]

Yes, my concert is most likely July 25, 2017. Outside chance it will be August 1 but unlikely. They haven't even finished this year's entertainment schedule, but I have first dibs on dates each year as we anchor the concert series.

Cindy and I just got a new truck and camper. A year from now I may know how to operate everything. It would be a fun trip.

It would be! A man with a new truck and camper just about HAS to take a road trip to see his BIAB forum buddies! We'll find a local restaurant and test the waitress's patience, like we did that poor gal in Myrtle Beach!

;-)

Well that is a lot closer for me than Canada! Yes, Pat I would be interested in coming to this event next year.

WooHoo! Josie, that would be WONDERFUL!

Early expressions of interest may change by July 2017, so it doesn't make sense to say much about accommodations until we have a hard number of attendees... but it's a resort town, and renting spots to visitors is what they do!

Matt has suggested options that would make sense for a group... so whether we get a large or small turnout for this, we should be able to accommodate everybody!

I have a gig in Pennsylvania on the way there, so I'll have all my gear with me... come prepared to play music in the evenings!

WOWSERS, Pat! You are to be commended for putting this idea together!

This bent old Irishman will be there in spirit. Please get videos for me?

Don

Can't complain about a one year notice. I will also start working it into my schedule, 1st step is blocking out some time . . . then the faiths take over.

I will do my part my friend, this is all I can promise at this point.

Later,

maybe we can set up a skype session, Don... that way everybody in attendance could chat with you personally! I'll have my laptop with me... as the time gets closer, we can make sure we both have skype logins and we both know what they are

I certainly understand that nobody can predict with certainty that they'll do something over a year away... but your response is a best case scenario, Danny! Blocking out the time and setting the goal is a positive first step!

I know you've already met both Mario and me... and I'm sure both of us will enjoy seeing you again! It would be great if you bring your guitar and the computer with your songs so you can play for us!

If everybody comes prepared to play, we may have to block out a separate time frame so we don't miss Matt's concert! ;-)

a little prelude to the Matt Show!

and maybe if we are lucky, we'll get a chance to hear Matt's lovely wife perform too:



This will be the confluence of multiple rivers of talent, nature and fellowship!

if anybody has contact information for MAC, please extend an invitation to him and maybe even send him a link to this thread

anywhere near pittsburgh? being legally i don't drive but depending on where you are......

Hot damn, that there is some pretty sweet sounds.... why would I be surprised?

it's about 2 hours east of you, In Altoona (Martinsburg, actually)

Maybe I could swing by on the way up or back though... I have relatives in Pittsburgh ... that would justify the trip!

that would be great! and i have a year to practice even better

keep in mind i only know how to make reservations

I have already met Pat and Mario . . . and despite of that I will still try to make it! LMAO!

Later,

Hey Mike, do you know Kenny Blake from Pittsburgh? Great funky jazz alto sax. We went to prep school together near Boston and played together often. He had a couple of jazz chart hits. Pretty sure he's based back home now.

Now THAT is funny!

About Matt and his wife's videos...um...really? WOW! That's pretty amazing. All of the players were TIGHT! Thanks for that share! Who is the drummer btw? GREAT feel!

LOL! Priceless, Danny! ;-)

Matt, is that the drummer who played with SpyroGyra and Blood Sweat & Tears?
(Like I said previously.. Matt runs with the big dogs)

Thanks! The credits at the end are too fast...

I really appreciate the "tight" comment because I had just written that song as a feature for my guitarist, and the band was sight-reading! Jeff Ciampa (guitarist) and his wife had hiked up a mountain across from my house (visible in most of my Facebook landscape photos) with my wife and me, and I named it "Just a Little Bit Higher". My band does not rehearse. I write the songs or the arrangements, record a composer's demo using BIAB, and send it to them with the sheet music. When we play live, I want it to sound like what it is: spontaneous. The occasional train wreck makes for audience fun.

Oh yes, my drummer is incredible. That's Joel Rosenblatt. He was Spyro Gyra's drummer for 13 years, and most recently the drummer for Blood Sweat & Tears. Now he freelances around New York City. He also does a lot of teaching at his studio, and records amazing drum tracks for hire.

sadly i've never met him but know of him and have appreciated his playing

And here's a true story about Joel, with a Lake George slant:

Joel's been with me for over ten years. Near the beginning of that time, I announced the members of the band at the concert in Lake George this way:

"and on drums, our special guest artist is the amazing Joel Rosenblatt, long-time drummer with the supergroup, Spyro Gyra. Last night he was in Colorado. Tomorrow he'll be in North Carolina, but tonight he's here with us in Lake George!"

Soon after, Joel quit Spyro Gyra. He told me that listening to my introduction that night made him feel tired!

I won't derail the thread here, I'll just leave it at that explains it! I didn't recognize him, but haven't seen him in FOREVER. Just listening, I used to get him and Dave Weckl mixed up! It's great you are playing with the caliber of player.

Matt has sent me a bunch of pics that would be of interest to anyone who plans to attend... I think I'll post them a little at a time to keep bumping the thread so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle over the next 14 months.

One of the photo subjects is a building where we could all meet and play music (or just socialize) It has a kitchen and sufficient bathroom facilities to accommodate a whole group.

So it's looking like there will definitely be a place and time for playing your music if you come prepared to do so.

I'll also be posting links to area vacation rentals and tourism sites.

More info later, dribbled at a rate that never lets this get too far out of your mind... ;-)

It would also allow some time to chart out a music video or documentary of the event.

Plenty of talent on hand, plus video and animation experts....

I'll supply my drone for aerial shots.....

OK, update to our BIAB forum get together at Lake George New York. Matt Finley just contacted me and said that the date is nailed down.

In Matt's words: "We are definite for Tuesday July 25, 2017."

That's the date of his concert. Depending on when people arrive, we can also plan to hang out together the weekend before the concert.

But we have a whole year to figure that out. For now, anyone considering attending should block out that time on the calendar so it doesn't get forgotten or booked for some other purpose.

Thanks to Matt for letting us know that date is now determined!

Keep the reminders coming, Pat. I've already talked to my wife and she's up for it, as long as nothing trips us up.

AWESOME! It will be good to see both of you again!

There's a fine line between keeping people informed and being a pest. I will certainly keep posting any new information as it comes available.

Matt has sent me local vacation rental info, and as the time gets closer I'll start posting some of that. Probably before too long, since the longer you wait to book lodging at a vacation resort the fewer options are left.

The only possible problem we may have on the weekend prior to the concert would be my wife's 50th class reunion. We do not know when that will be scheduled and if it falls on that weekend it will be my wife's call. But we should be there for the concert.

No it's not

I've met Pat and Matt (hey, that rhymes) in person, as well as Derryl Gabel virtually (I have Skyped with him a couple of times to help solve a problem he was having).

It would be cool to meet many of the other forum regulars.

Yes, I've met Pat and John and thoroughly enjoyed it! It would be my great honor to share my cabin and all things Lake George with this group.

Pat, thanks so much for coordinating. I need to do some more groundwork up here.

Ok, it's time to start talking more about the (drum roll....)
July 2017 BIAB forum get-together at Lake George NY... where Matt Finley and his all-star band will be performing!!

(for more details, scroll up and read the previous messages.)

Like most resort areas, Lake George accommodations tend to get booked well in advance. For that reason, if you are planning to attend this event, I strongly suggest that you make reservations ASAP.

Matt or I will post some links with contact information for places to stay... but you can also use the internet to find a rental house, motel, campground or whatever meets your needs.

The main takeaway you should get from this message is the urgency to book now. We will roll our eyes later if you wait then tell us you didn't come because you couldn't find a vacancy. ;-)

Thanks, Pat, for coordinating this.

One of the reasons my band anchors the summer concert series at this particular time is that the end of July is the best weekend of the year, weather-wise, at Lake George. It's always the most busy week of the season here.

Would Rutland, VT be the closest airport?...well big enough to fly into commercially?

Oh no, use Albany International in Albany NY. One hour south and a straight shot up Interstate 87 (the Northway).

If you can access a smaller regional airport, Glens Falls NY. under 30 minutes south.

Rutland looks close as the crow flies, but the round-about roads would take 90 minutes.

This is why I ask! Thanks Matt!

Matt, is July 25th still the concert date?

Mario, yes, Tuesday July 25. Thanks.

This is a fantastic idea and i'm excited to see this grow!

When are others planning to come to Lake George? Saturday, Sunday or Monday and when are you leaving? I want to get there when most of you do and leave sometimes after. The wife and I are making a longer vacation trip.

I guess this would be a good time to extend an invitation to everybody at PGMusic!

Good question, Mario! Hard to speak for anybody else, since I have no way of knowing what kind of plans they might make or what availability they'll find when they start calling for accommodations.

I can say that Matt has reserved a community center for the BIAB crowd to meet in on the evenings leading up to his concert. Here's his last email to me on the matter:



I would hope most people will be in Lake George at least for those 3 days. That's when I plan to be there. The 25th will be Matt's concert.

Depending on the arrangements people find, I'd guess departure days will vary. Some places only rent full weeks, but I'm hoping to find a motel that I can rent for those 3 days only. If others are staying longer and we're all having the time of our lives, I'll pay to stay longer.

Does that answer your question?

here are links to some places where you can secure accommodations:

http://www.bluewatermanor.com/
(I think this is pretty close to where Matt is located)

when I asked about campgrounds, Matt replied as follows:



http://www.visitlakegeorge.com/camping/public-campgrounds

more to come, but if you search online for LAKE GEORGE NY RENTALS you'll get more hits than I could post in a year...

Pat, I will see what my friend at the Hampton can do, and especially if he will rent for less than a week. Do you have a feel for how many might be staying?

Same for Blue Water Manor. Yes, that's the only motel on the same bay. I made my first money as a pro there at age 12, playing with the college staff band.

Can we get a tentative shout-out from everybody who is considering attending? Matt could probably use some rough numbers when asking around for special rates.

So far we've heard that the following people are considering it:

Pat Marr
Mario & Wife
John Ford & Wife
JazzManDan
HearToLearn
Charlie Fogle & Wife
JoAnne Cooper
Danny Campo & Wife
PghboeMike (If I swing by and pick him up)

Looking through the thread, that's everybody who has expressed a tentative interest in the idea. SOme may drop out as the time gets closer, others might join in.. hard to tell.

Anybody else? Any updates from the list of maybes?

oh, remember the community center that Matt reserved? We can jam there! So bring yo' gear! ;-)

I am still in pat

places to stay
http://www.lakegeorge.com/lodging/

https://www.airbnb.com/s/Lake-George-newyork?guests=1&checkin=07%2F22%2F2017&checkout=07%2F26%2F2017&ss_id=s8g19dqk&source=bb&s_tag=TUTG7IfT

https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/new-york/adirondack-mountains/lake-george?sleeps=1-plus&from-date=2017-07-22&to-date=2017-07-26

Pat, Linda and I will be there.

Please get oodles of pix for me!q

Hi PatMarr, This is fantastic idea and I am so glad this thread has gotten as popular as it has!

Dearest Josie,

Does that hold out hopes of seeing/hearing you again?

You made many friends of we fossils. That's about 100 new fans.

It would be fantastic if Danny and other PGers could join in and do a full weekend HootenDonny. Danny has arrangements with brand new hotel manager to trade entertainment for deluxe lodging. It's very nice hotel where Danny and Linda stayed. Danny is always in perpetual sales and bargaining mode.

Hope you and Megz can catch Danny's Concert Window show on Saturday evening. He's a fabulous entertainer. (Don't tell him I said that)!

Donny

Hi Donny. I am not too sure if I will make it out to Oklahoma this trip. It will probably only be a week trip and will probably just drive up to Lake George from NY (we fly Joburg NY direct)...sorry

In the time that I've been active on the forum, there have been a number of small meetings between forum members... usually isolated connections between two forum friends and their spouses.

We've talked about a group meeting on and off for years, but in the past we always started the dialog too late and people already had other plans made... so interest gave way to schedules and those get-togethers failed to materialize.

This time we learned from past discussions and started the dialog more than a year in advance, which gives everybody a heads-up as they start to plan the coming year. It's hard to tell how many will actually show up, but it's looking like it will turn into the largest assembly of BIAB forum members to date! Really... anything over TWO will be the largest ;-)

There was talk last year of having something near BIAB HQ, but it was one of the times when we started planning too late and the weekend that worked for some didn't work for others. Also, this year the majority of interested parties were closer to the east coast than the west coast.

I do think there is enough interest among the west coast contingency that if another meeting to be held on Vancouver Island was planned far enough in advance, there would be enough participation to make it work. Maybe the 2018 BIAB forum west coast bash? I'd probably fly cross country for that! ;-)

Pat, I would do that once (go to Victoria) and hopefully meet PG Music staff as well as other users. Maybe for that one, we could have a few presentations/workshops.

You're really doing a great job rallying folks for next year!

For anyone who is going get your reservations in NOW! I am finding that a lot of places are already booked solid.

Our situation is probably very different from many of yours as we are also celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary so we are staying in a family suite at The Villas on Lake George for a week. It's a little out of town but it was the only one that I found available that was suited for us. YMMV.

But the bottom line is get your reservations in now.

Will this be broadcast on Periscope or anywhere? The logistics of being 8 hours away with a car that drives from gas station to gas station is likely going to be a deal breaker for me. The 1000 mile round trip would cost me $175 in gas alone. Then room, food, paying my baby (dog) sitter... Just can't afford it. I hate to not be there though. Thus the wonder about broadcasting.

OK, time to bump this back to the top again... Mario contacted me a few days ago and mentioned that he had a heck of a time finding a vacancy, and he reinforced the fact that anybody who wants to attend this BIAB FORUM GET-TOGETHER at Lake George on July 25 2017 needs to make their reservations ASAP! Like yesterday!

Some people may want to find accommodations near other BIAB friends, so if you have made your reservations, it would be helpful to others if you post where you're staying and if there were still vacancies when you made your reservations.

I just made reservations at:
Hampton Inn & Suites Lake George
2133 Route 9,Lake George, NY, US 12845
844-236-4282 (website posted in one of the messages above)

I got a room with 2 queen sized beds and a couch, so there's room for somebody else who's willing to share the costs. If others stay at this same place it would be easy to connect and hang out.

I only booked it for 2 days, arriving on July 24 and checking out on the 26th. Anybody who wants to share the room should contact me privately. (First come, first served!) Its good to know that the Hampton Inn rents by the day, they aren't limited to full week rentals as some resort rentals are.

The Hampton Inn has an online booking page, and when I made my reservations there were still other rooms available... so... your call.

If you search online for accommodations, "Lake George" probably makes the search too large. Try BOLTON LANDING as a search phrase, and you'll end up closer to where Matt will be playing.

Anyway... this is a fun and exciting adventure for anybody who still has a desire for fun and adventure! I hope that more people get involved!

After Eddie posted this, Matt contacted me by email to say that there is no WIFI where they will be playing... so the concert itself can't be streamed in real time. However, I expect that people in attendance will video some or all of the show, and post it to youtube... so... the answer is both "yes" and "no". There will almost certainly be a video record of the event, but not in real time that allows viewers to interact with the participants.

Thanks Pat. Great advice. A good friend who used to take me out of the upper rounds of tennis tournaments runs that Hampton. It is just behind one of only two remaining Howard Johnson restaurants in the world.

For fifty plus years, people ask me if I will record my concerts. I don't have any objection if others do, but my answer is always that I do not. The nature of what I want to create with my band is the spontaneity of a jazz cabaret. We do not rehearse. We are not 'tight'. We have a train wreck or two per concert, always fun for the audience to watch. I tell the players to have fun and go for it, so I count it off and whatever happens, happens. What this means is I value the live experience over revisiting the mistakes that will inevitably mar a recording (pun intended).

Hope that gives you a feel for my thinking about recording.

information for anyone who may want to stay near somebody from the forum: Mario and his wife will be staying here:

http://www.onlakegeorge.com/

2 miles from my house, 5 miles from Bolton Landing, 4 miles from Lake George Village. On the water, of course.

Bump

BUMP!

Mario reminded me that this hasn't been bumped to the top lately, and we don't want it to get lost in the avalanche of other posts on this very active forum!

If you plan to come, you probably want to nail down some kind of lodging ASAP. The place I rented would accommodate probably 2 more people., so if you want to share costs with me, send me a PM.

This forum is unique in a lot of ways. It's not just a place to get information. Its the modern equivalent of a social club. People here are friends you've never met.

Its also an older group, and as such we won't be around forever. Some who used to be regulars are already gone. This might be the last time a concerted effort is made to gather BIAB forum friends together in one place!

Nearly everybody takes a vacation. Above and beyond being an opportunity to meet your forum friends, Lake George is a first class resort area, well worth squandering your annual vacation time to see it one time in your life.

Plus you'll get to hear Matt perform! And with a little luck, maybe his talented wife too!