10th Anniversary of Urban Tapestry
Ten years ago this month Debbie, Jodi and I became Urban Tapestry.
Debbie and I had been involved in filk music for several years individually and Jodi had gotten involved in filk just five months before. We had all been involved in another filk group that had disbanded suddenly in early July 1993 and we were left with the option of letting the music go or try to forge our way into new territory as a trio. I still remember us sitting at a restaurant table scribbling names onto napkins- Trillium? Tapestry? Maybe -Urban- Tapestry?
Our earliest days were a bit of a whirlwind. Our former group had been just about to start recording a filk tape in the summer of '93 and we were offered the opportunity to continue recording as Urban Tapestry. We were scrambling for unique material as none of us were prolific songwriters and Jodi and I were still developing our harmonic vocal sound (Debbie not being a vocalist in those days). That same month I bought my first 12-string guitar and I found myself facing studio microphones to record with it before I barely knew how to play it.
As we learned to cope with the break-up of one band and the shaping of another and a baptism by fire in the studio all these small pressures were put into perspective when Debbie's brother, Jim, and his wife, Diane, died in a car accident on August 6, 1993. All concerns about the band and recording went on-hold in the face of such a personal tragedy. By the time the three of us got together again in the fall we were much more tight-knit by experience, very different people than we had been at the beginning of July.
It felt like we had been together for a long time. We had yet to even perform before an audience. We could not yet even imagine the experiences we were going to be lucky enough to have as Urban Tapestry. Ten years ago this month.
Once we realized this summer was going to be our tenth anniversary we decided it would be worthwhile to celebrate the event. First off, of course, we will be releasing our new live CD "Sushi and High Tea" at Torcon in August. Also, the concom at ConCertino, the filk convention we will be attending in two weeks, has been generous enough to offer us an hour in their con-suite to host an Urban Tapestry 10th Anniversary party. We'll toast our years together and have an advance playing of our new CD.
Being that I have archived a lot of UT photos, convention badges, articles, Debbie cartoons through the years, I thought it would be fun to put together a retrospective display to hang up during our 10th anniversary party and maybe put onto the web once I get home from the con. I pulled out all my photo albums today and started to pull out appropriate material. Now, from 1993 to 1998 I was very faithful and compulsive about UT's archives, but after that, well, not so much so. I'm discovering that finding photos and memorabilia from 1999 to 2003 a bit more difficult. I'm still searching and I do know I have digital photos from this year, at least. I also have an extensive scrapbook from our trip to England in 2000.
So here's where my request comes in. I'm looking especially for photos of Urban Tapestry or Deb, Jodi and me with other filkers at conventions we attended dating from 1999 to 2002. I have a bunch of loose photos to look through here, too, but if you are able to e-mail me any good photo you may have, I will print out a copy, credit you in the display (or future webpage) and you will have my extreme gratitude.
Naturally my display will need to be finished before Wednesday, July 16, to have it ready to take to ConCertino with me, but please do contact me here if you have a photo you think I can use. Thanks!
Exercise log: Walked two miles and then got driven inside by the rain, taking me to 258 miles.
Debbie and I had been involved in filk music for several years individually and Jodi had gotten involved in filk just five months before. We had all been involved in another filk group that had disbanded suddenly in early July 1993 and we were left with the option of letting the music go or try to forge our way into new territory as a trio. I still remember us sitting at a restaurant table scribbling names onto napkins- Trillium? Tapestry? Maybe -Urban- Tapestry?
Our earliest days were a bit of a whirlwind. Our former group had been just about to start recording a filk tape in the summer of '93 and we were offered the opportunity to continue recording as Urban Tapestry. We were scrambling for unique material as none of us were prolific songwriters and Jodi and I were still developing our harmonic vocal sound (Debbie not being a vocalist in those days). That same month I bought my first 12-string guitar and I found myself facing studio microphones to record with it before I barely knew how to play it.
As we learned to cope with the break-up of one band and the shaping of another and a baptism by fire in the studio all these small pressures were put into perspective when Debbie's brother, Jim, and his wife, Diane, died in a car accident on August 6, 1993. All concerns about the band and recording went on-hold in the face of such a personal tragedy. By the time the three of us got together again in the fall we were much more tight-knit by experience, very different people than we had been at the beginning of July.
It felt like we had been together for a long time. We had yet to even perform before an audience. We could not yet even imagine the experiences we were going to be lucky enough to have as Urban Tapestry. Ten years ago this month.
Once we realized this summer was going to be our tenth anniversary we decided it would be worthwhile to celebrate the event. First off, of course, we will be releasing our new live CD "Sushi and High Tea" at Torcon in August. Also, the concom at ConCertino, the filk convention we will be attending in two weeks, has been generous enough to offer us an hour in their con-suite to host an Urban Tapestry 10th Anniversary party. We'll toast our years together and have an advance playing of our new CD.
Being that I have archived a lot of UT photos, convention badges, articles, Debbie cartoons through the years, I thought it would be fun to put together a retrospective display to hang up during our 10th anniversary party and maybe put onto the web once I get home from the con. I pulled out all my photo albums today and started to pull out appropriate material. Now, from 1993 to 1998 I was very faithful and compulsive about UT's archives, but after that, well, not so much so. I'm discovering that finding photos and memorabilia from 1999 to 2003 a bit more difficult. I'm still searching and I do know I have digital photos from this year, at least. I also have an extensive scrapbook from our trip to England in 2000.
So here's where my request comes in. I'm looking especially for photos of Urban Tapestry or Deb, Jodi and me with other filkers at conventions we attended dating from 1999 to 2002. I have a bunch of loose photos to look through here, too, but if you are able to e-mail me any good photo you may have, I will print out a copy, credit you in the display (or future webpage) and you will have my extreme gratitude.
Naturally my display will need to be finished before Wednesday, July 16, to have it ready to take to ConCertino with me, but please do contact me here if you have a photo you think I can use. Thanks!
Exercise log: Walked two miles and then got driven inside by the rain, taking me to 258 miles.