Perfection: The Practice I was Anxious For

At last the day came when guitarist Joshua Payne, upright bass player Geoffrey Rayback, and I could practice on the same night. . .in the same room.

I was familiar with the way Joshua played his guitar to merge in the telling of the Forsaken Brother story. I was anxious to hear how Geoffrey would add to the already-awesome combination of music and story.

After reviewing with Geoffrey and Joshua the basic storyline and where certain sounds were key, it was time for the first telling as a trio to begin.

Joshua blew a couple times on his guitar for soundscapes to summon the winds, and then I followed it with "It was summer. About an hour before sunset."

Part of mind thought and told the story while another part of my brain was listening to how the guitar and upright bass were working together.

Luckily, Julie Barnson, my story buddy, as well as her daughter were there as the audience.

The first time through the music was heavier in sound so that Julie and her daughter had some tough moments to hear the story.

We started the story a second time.

Again, Joshua blew a couple times on his guitar for soundscapes to summon the winds, and then I followed it with "It was summer. About an hour before sunset."

This time it felt the perfect volume between teller and musicians.

In fact, the whole performance seemed perfect.

Towards the climax, when the brother sees the boy on the shore, the extra bass brought a steadiness to the scene while the guitar symbolized chaos. The speed and intensity heightened as the boy became more and more like a wolf.

My own telling strengthened.

We were building on each others' energy.

When we were done, Julie and her daughter applauded loudly.

I celebrated.

We had it.

We only had to wait. . .oh. . .13 days to share this merging of arts at the premiere.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Forsaken Brother Practices: Ideal vs. Reality

As always on Tuesday morning, I headed to Julie Barnson's house to practice Forsaken Brother.

I got to practice with guitarist Joshua Payne again.

I felt chills every time he made the guitar howl like a wolf for the story.

Although upright bass player Geoffrey Rayback could not make any of these Tuesday morning practices, I knew that Joshua recorded every session (as did I) and that Geoffrey would mostly follow Joshua when it came to the premiere.

Of course, I would have loved to practice more often with Joshua and Geoffrey, but sometimes the ideal must be substituted with reality.

Rather than dwelling on the "I wish", there is always something to celebrate.

However, the next Tuesday we would practice in the evening and Geoffrey could make that one.

Yes, we would be able to practice as a trio before the premiere.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller

Geoff Rayback: Upright Bass Player for the Teller

Joshua Payne thought that Geoff Rayback (see picture) may be interested in the "Forsaken Brother" story and add to the accompaniment.

He was right.

I received the call from Joshua today. Geoff was officially our upright bass player.

I have yet to meet him in person. I do know Joshua and I trust him enough to extend that trust to Geoff.



What I know so far--
Geoffrey Rayback is a bassist and producer based in Salt Lake City. He has played with musicians such as Ernie Watts, Cronelius Bumpus, and Ward Swingle. He has engineered and produced more than twenty albums in styles ranging from straight ahead jazz to heavy metal and runs the independent record label Hibiscus Zombie Records.

This would add something more to the whole "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" program.

When I realized that Geoff could join guitarist Joshua Payne and singer/storyteller Holly Robison in this venture, I thought about one of my dreams as a teller.

One year I went with my husband to the Annual Christmas Concert put on by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Besides the world famous choir, there was the Orchestra on Temple Square, the Bells on Temple Square, dancers, and a storyteller.

The storyteller was always a big name--a celebrity name. Someone who did not label themselves as a storyteller on a daily basis.

I knew I would not reach celebrity status, but I played with the idea and asked my family, "Couldn't there be tandem telling with a celebrity?"

The emotions mixed with story and music and song and dance would lift me to the heavens. . .if not for a moment.

When looking at the "Family Famine: Hunger for Love" program, Joshua and Geoff will provide "soundscapes" rather than tunes. This makes me wonder how close I may be to what I envisioned a few years before.

At this time, I welcome Geoff as well as Joshua and Holly to share their dreams for what could be the very near future.

Until we tell again,

Rachel Hedman

Professional Storyteller

Former Co-Chair of Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance (2005-2008)

Tel: (801) 870-5799
Email: info@rachelhedman.com

URL: http://www.rachelhedman.com

How-To Blog: http://storytellingadventures.blogspot.com

Performance Blog: http://familyfamine.blogspot.com
Other places to find me: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Professional Storyteller