Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra

[John Ritchhart]

I noticed that The Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra is scheduled to be on the Prairie Home Companion (Garrison Kiellor's PBS radio show) today if anyone's interested.

[Linda Binder]

I'm interested....I'm playing!! Im leaving for the theater in about an hour to rehearse, have dinner, play the live show and lastly attend the after show party being thrown by the local NPR affiliate. I'm looking forward to meeting Garrison K., Fred Newman, Chuck Hedges, etc. It's a 4000 seat theater and it's sold out! This should be fun!!
--Linda

[Got8Strings]

Linda - that's so cool! Please tell us about the experience and share pictures if you take (took) them.

I've been listening to PHC since 1981 and would *love* to be able to play on the show. I'm SOOOOO jealous!

[John Ritchhart]

That's great Linda. I love that show. Hope you have a great time.

[Got8Strings]

Hey! I'm listening to you folks right now - sounds GREAT!

Also, Garrison recommended to all parents listening to "buy your children a mandolin and get them started on the right path"

Nice!

[johnM]

Thats wonderful, I'm listening now. I like Garrisons comment that "if you love your child buy them a mandolin" It sounds like he REALLY liked the group. GOOD SHOW!

jm

[Jim Garber]

Wonderful music, wonderful feeling... zip-a-dee-doo-dah... and nice playing to boot.

Jim

[JEStanek]

Linda,
Y'all sounded great. Whatta treat.
Jamie

[Baron Collins-Hill]

that was amazing! your group sounds great.

baron

[Linda Binder]

Thank you for your comments! What a blast! Everyone was so nice to us. The show is so well run and they were great about putting us at ease and keeping us posted about what was happening. Playing for a home town crowd of 4000 people was just great. I think a few Milwaukee parents just might buy mandolins for their children after tonight! Garrison hung out with the mandolin orchestra for quite awhile after the show and was really nice. It was a great pleasure meeting him. I've admired Fred Newman for years so it was a special pleasure for me to meet him. I'm the webmaster for milmando.org -- the MMO site and I've got a ton of mail in my inbox from people who heard the show all over the country! It was a wonderful experience. Thank to Garrison and everyone at The Prairie Home Companion for having us play--- and for promoting the mandolin!
--Linda

[Linda Binder]

Here's me with Fred! He's great!!!
-Linda

[sunburst]

I heard the show, and imediately wondered if any cafe members were playing. Just one?
Glad you had a good time, Linda. The orchestra sounded good!

[Ken]

Wonderful to hear a mandolin orchestra on the radio, great show.
Ken

[Jim Garber]

I didn't realize who Fred Newman was, but did a quick search and ... oh! He is the guy who does all the sound effects.

Now I see why you are a fan, Linda!

Jim

[MML]

Just listened to the show, as I do every Sunday when I can. And when there is that much #mando content I made sure not to miss it today. Linda the Orchestra sounded GREAT!
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[glauber]

Dang! missed it today. Congratulations, Linda! Yes, Fred's great.

[Linda Binder]

Thank you all! #I tried to listen today at noon on my local NPR station but it was a show from last week. #I did find that Prairie Home Companion archives the show on their website so it will probably be up there in about a week, maybe with photos too? # I'll have to make sure the other MMO members know to look on MCafe to see this thread. #I don't know that other people post and read as frequently as I do and I know they'd love to read your comments. #Thanks again,
--Linda

[Jonathan]

I managed to catch one number today - very crisp playing. Judging from the sound I thought it might be a fairly small contingent - or else you all play really well together!
Congratulations on acheiving this step forward for mando-dom.

Jonathan (of the Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra and Quartet)

[oldwave maker]

I vaguely remember graduating from UW-Madison, but those were real goosebumps I got from listening to that mandofamily version of 'On Wisconsin'- bravo, ladies and gentlemen!

[Got8Strings]

Linda, how did this cool opportunity for the MMO come up? Did PHC call your group out of the blue and invite you? Give us a little history so we can bask in your glory! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Spruce]

"I vaguely remember graduating from UW-Madison"

I would have really lost that bet.... #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Eugene]

I have been out all day yesterday and today entertaining guitarist Goran Krivokapic (with he, in turn, entertaining us). #The end result is that I was away from a radio for every broadcast of this weekend's Prairie Home Companion. #I've never really followed that show. #Will this performance be archived online some place so I can hear it eventually? #(Sorry to have missed Linda and Bill...and Paul...and all.)

However, I was more excited upon hearing Goran's rather serious program than I have been by a solo guitar recital in very a long time. #What a true virtuoso! #Check him out if the GFA tour brings him near your home.

[mythicfish]

Congrats to all in the MMO ... great show!
It was well worth the interruption of my Sunday afternoon nap.

Curt

[Linda Binder]

In answer to a few questions--- Fifteen of us played. Jonathan, thanks for commenting that we sounded cohesive! We had three first mandolins, three seconds, two mandolas, two mandocellos, one mando-bass, three guitars and one flute. We were asked to play because a man who ran sound for us a few years ago is now working with Prairie Home Companion and mentioned us as a possible group when it looked like they needed another one. We first heard on Monday night that they wanted us to play! It was short notice and it's great that everyone wanted to do it enough that people set aside other plans and we went for it. We were sad to miss a few people who absolutely couldn't do it due to other commitments but we had enough to be an "orchestra". Bill, I'm glad you enjoyed On Wisconsin! I actually wasn't sure people recognized it at first but once we hit the chorus the clapping started. Hearing that many people clapping, or trying to clap in time is a really interesting sound. I'm usually not that into the song, due to the fact that we play it rather often, but it was fun with that much support. I'll keep an eye on the Prairie Home Companion site archived shows to see when it appears on their site. I can't wait to hear it!
-Linda

[keef]

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but I am trying to get in touch with Bill Bussmann, who posted here.

Bill - I sent you a couple of PM but these may not have arrived - can you please drop me a line at columbus.1@tiscali.nl? Thanks much!

...and now back to the original topic... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Linda Binder]

The Prairie Home Companion site has the show archived already.( http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/ ) I just listened to it. You can even zip ahead in Real Player to the specific times mentioned when the orchestra plays although Garrison's story telling is so compelling that I ended up listening to that again as well. We did four tunes. Thanks again for the interest and comments!
--Linda

[SurebetVA]

Congrats Hrimaly, I just listened to the show and you guys were awesome. A lot of fun to listen to. Makes me wonder how we could get an orchestra started around here in Richmond, VA.

You guys did an excellent job and was very entertaining. Thanks

[Linda Binder]

Thanks Jim. #You should go for it! #There are some recently started mandolin orchestras who's directors could probably give you great pointers on getting one rolling from the ground up. #Allen Richmond's group in Dayton looks to be going very strong and was recently started. #Must be that youthful energy. #Our group is 106 years old. #That's our excuse. #There's lots of music out there and mandolin orchestras are always willing to share music. #It is generally very up-beat, happy music--rag-times, fox-trots, etc. although a mandolin orch. certainly doesn't need to be restricted to playing mandolin orchestra music of course...
--Linda

[sunburst]

Jim, I've thought the same thing. "What would it take to get a mando orchestra started?"
I'm a couple of hours from Richmond, but I'd be interested to hear if you have any success starting one, so please post if you do.