ubuntu-allstars team mailing list archive

[Clint Byrum <clint@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Excerpts from Steve Conklin's message of Thu Apr 07 10:01:18 -0700 2011:
> On Thu, 2011-04-07 at 11:08 -0400, Barry Warsaw wrote:
> > On Apr 07, 2011, at 09:44 AM, David Henningsson wrote:
> > 
> > >If that is our goal, I think we need to split: more than one rehearsal room,
> > >every band can only play x songs, and so on.
> > >
> > >A little more structure, a little less ad-hoc: rehearsal times on the
> > >schedule, a formal playlist on the party night, etc.
> > >
> > >More rehearsal rooms could also help in getting different kinds of music (i e
> > >not just american rock classics ;-) ) on the jam.
> > 
> > I have to be honest, I think there was *too* much structure in Orlando. ;)
> > 
> > I totally get the desire to want to put on a good show, rehearsal and have
> > everything Just So.  OTOH, I personally fall more to the improvisational side
> > of things.  I like mixing it up, jamming, seeing what happens, and not
> > worrying so much about the results.  The latter tends to work itself out if
> > everyone's having fun and the alcohol is flowing. :)
> > 
> 
> My 2 cents:
> 
> Over the last couple of years, things have moved away from a loose sort
> of style of organization toward what we had at Orlando, and I think that
> Orlando was the best jam we've ever had at UDS.

It was pretty cool, and I think I was maybe among a very tiny group who
were disappointed at not being able to participate, which was my own
fault for not figuring out when and where the practice sessions were. The
DJ sessions were *crazy* cool, and I danced like a fool with a bunch of
people until they booted us out way into the night.

I think peoples' frustration in the past wasn't in not being included, but
in not knowing how to be included.

The way I see it, those of you with the skills and experience to put on such
an amazing jam are like the ubuntu core-dev's. Those of us who like to sing
or maybe know one song on the guitar well enough to play publicly are like
contributors seeking sponsorship.

I think as long as the contributors know how, and are welcomed with open
arms for their small bits, there will be no hard feelings. I think if
there is a feeling that their contributions to the show aren't wanted
(which is how I felt until afterward when I realized I had just missed
the boat on rehearsing), then its hard not to get a negative feeling
about the jam.

Its also important to note that in Orlando RockBand was setup so people
could do a little mini-jam before the real jam started. That was a pretty
cool addition to the party. Maybe they should do a Kinect this time? ;)

> 
> The organization served to resolve a problem that had been seen at
> previous jams - the 'band' performances start out with the set list,
> then become more impromptu, and end up in a sort of general chaos that
> lasts long into the evening. That's a lot of fun for the folks who are
> on stage, but not so much for everyone else. I understand how cool it is
> to have an audience to perform for, but it's mostly non-participatory
> for the audience as compared with dancing. As soon as the tight numbers
> are over, it's not so fun.
> 
> The UDS near Brussels was a really good example of this - people
> wandered out early and the party fizzled.

To be honest, that was super fun even though there were only 20 or so people
after an hour of Mine and Thierry's catterwalling. Still, Thierry and I
had an AMAZING time, even if we sucked and drove everyone out. ;)