ubuntu-allstars team mailing list archive

[Steve Conklin <sconklin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 2011-04-07 at 13:38 -0700, Clint Byrum wrote:
> 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.
> 

I think this is an excellent analogy, and it helped me see this from the
point of view of the more casual participants. Thanks.

I agree, I think more and better announcements about how to participate
would help a lot.

> 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? ;)
> 

This time is going to be different from any of the past ones that I'm
aware of because it's at a bar near the hotel. From what I know the
facilities look nice but I have no idea how it might be organized to
allow multiple types of activities.

> > 
> > 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. ;)
> 
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