LRDC Holiday Parties

George Winston's "Carol Of The Bells" (1990?)

I believe this marked my first appearance as part of the party's entertainment program... and my last serious musical endeavor for it. I played a rendition of George's piano piece from his December album on my five-octave keyboard, using my drum machine to drive the rhythm motif. I don't remember much about it, other than being nervous as hell!

The Two-Fisted Quartet, "Jingle Beers" (1991?)

This was more like it -- four grad students each blowing across two tuned beer bottles, to the tune of Jingle Bells. My partners in crime were HeatherM, CarltonH, and JosephC.

Star Trek: The Next Degeneration, "Day of the Eyesore" (1993)

A multi-media skit integrating live action, videotaped scenes, computer graphics, and sound effects, all in "honor" of our beloved building (deemed one of the city's ten worst eyesores by the now-defunct In Pittsburgh newsweekly), this one definitely raised the bar in the holiday party entertainment arena... a little too high. There was no entertainment the following year and, to this day, nobody has dared attempt anything as involved. Co-written and -produced by myself and HeatherM; camerawork by myself, HeatherM, and JennyW; TNG costumes, computer graphics, and tech support by JimS; video editing by myself and BradH.

The Two-Fisted Sextet (1995)

The beer-bottle idea went over so well the first time we decided to give it another go, this time playing "Beck the Halls", "We Wish You A Merry Guinness", and "Linus and Lucy". Joining me and fellow veteran JosephC were newcomers JennyW, KatherineL, and BritteC. Never mind that at showtime we were a sextet of only five, or that we simply lip-synched the Peanuts theme to a taped recording of me playing it on a synthesizer using pan-flute sounds; nobody seemed to notice!

JC and the Moonshine Band (2002)

Third time's a charm... Figuring that anyone else who was here seven years ago had long forgotten the last time we did this, I dug into the archives and found the old "music" I arranged for the first two performances. Helping me man the bottles this time were (left to right) SusanD, MichalB, JessicaN, ErikR, and BobH. A few rounds of post-entertainment dirty-word hangman helped round out the throwback-fest.

Hark The Herald Peanuts Synch (2005)

Some of the most recent beer-bottle veterans joined me for this one, a spirited "lip-synching" (read: synchronized breathing) of the wordless prelude to the carol intoned by the Peanuts gang around Charlie Brown's rehabilitated Christmas tree. Joining me in the "choir" were SusanD, BobH & LeslieH, and JessicaN. Dirty-word hangman again brought up the rear.

Ghosts of Christmas Past and Jingle Beer(s) Redux (2007)

After having heard that nobody had stepped forward to entertain this year, I hastily trained myself to play "Jingle Bells" on a blues harmonica, and two-time beer-bottle veteran BobH stepped up for the assist by blowing the one note my harp couldn't hit. Knowing that we were the only act, I first made everyone sit through an even more hastily compiled brief history of my past holiday party entertainment, in the hopes that others will step up in the future. As usual, dirty-word hangman rounded out the party, until we few survivors migrated to a karaoke bar...

O Christmas Wii and backup vocals on Mele Kalikimaka & Let It Snow (2008)

Again facing the prospect of a year without any party entertainment, I hastily recorded a 73-second rendition of "O Christmas Tree" on Wii Music, with clones of Mii playing all five bell parts. Thankfully, in addition I was able to lend more serious last-minute musical contributions by singing harmony on accompanied renditions of "Mele Kalikimaka" (I was the third Andrew Sister) and "Let It Snow". Feeling that I'd helped facilitate the assembly of such diverse performers and instruments (e.g., steel pan drum, djembe, a coconut bra, and the saw), I can now retire from LRDC party entertaining having more or less passed the torch. Although dirty-word hangman never really caught on this time, we few survivors once again migrated to a karaoke bar...

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