[fringe +13] something to harp on about

It's been so many shows that I've almost forgotten what day it is. Meanwhile, the sun continues in its valiant attempts to melt concrete and it doesn't look like it is going to give up any day soon. Although I'm doing better than I thought, provided I don't run into anyone I know. If I do, I feel utterly drained in about five minutes and lose the next day. I'll really be a lot happier when I start regaining some kind of control over seratonin and dopamine release. Blaaah! On to the Fringe! For the love of all that is unholy, could people please leave their electronic tethers at home, or at least turn them off. This is the fourth performance where a mobile phone audibly rang. It's inconsiderate to the performers and the rest of the audience, especially when, say, an acapella group is doing a purely acoustic number (it was the wrong key for them to sing along to, otherwise they would have) or a harpist perform a subtle and moving passage on a great harp. You shouldn't have to be told by now. Oh, and that's turn them off, not just leave them silent. If you are too close to the pa equipment it can pick up the phone's negotiation with the cell tower when it receives a call, which is also bloody annoying. That being said, we can move on to my other harping for the evening, that being the harping presented by Cecile Corbel (technically there should be some diacritics in there but I'm an Australian). From Brittany in France, the diminuitive red-haired lass [1] played a number of beautiful harp songs from all around the world, including France, Scotland, England, Turkey, and Israel. Her playing was beautiful, but I found her voice a bit weak for accompaniment, although this was almost certainly a result of the rather poor mixing at the sound desk. If this is the quality of the sound engineering at the Trinity Church for their regular Trinity Sessions, then I'm definitely not heading back any time soon. On the other hand, when the mix was right, she was definitely worth listening to. She's off to the Port Fairy Folk Festival (attending this is getting more attractive as time goes on, especially since many of the acts I liked at Womadelaide inevitably ended up playing there afterwards). I was disappointed to note that the previous day's Fringe Trinity Session (in case you haven't realised these are actually regular events which at the moment happen to coincide with the Fringe) was Genticorum, a Quebecois folk trio. Now ever since I discovered La Volee d'Castor ("A Flight of Beaver") I've been a fan of the use of counter-point foot tapping (usually in a different signature to whatever else the musician is doing) that is practically unique to Quebecois folk music. It was also interesting going back there, especially since I used to live next door. The basketball/tennis courts have become a car park, and the hall where I used to do gymnastics (until I became overly resistant to throwing myself off my feet) has been modernised and shrunk. I wonder if they still have the extensive Sunday School complex down the back. Probably not, especially as that was more of a relic of the Methodist days (before the majority of the Methodist churches in Oz combined with two other faiths to become the Uniting Church). The Methodists always stressed asking "why?" although when you got to the inevitable end of reason their answer always was to take a leap of faith. Still, asking people to ask why can be dangerous when your assumptions are erroneous. I got my first tastes of proper theology, philosophy, and rhetoric there. Although when they became Uniting Church, they stopped questioning their faith, and just started accepting it. Very disappointing. One should always examine one's beliefs and assumptions and question "what the hell is going on here?" Tomorrow [Fringe +14]: Thanks to the confusion caused by double-booking stuff I've ended up with nothing planned. I could consider Ollie and the Minotaur I suppose. It's gotten some good press, especially Wendy's work. I'll have to see. I have a birthday dinner on Saturday (not to mention the wedding in Canberra), which probably means I'll be too busy to even consider making it to The Bollywood Dance Club later that evening, as tempting as it sounds, so that means my next planned Fringe activity is Scott Edgar and the Universe (aka Scodsy from Tripod) on Sunday night [Fringe +16]. Always open to suggestions though. [1] I am now convinced that somebody is running a compression routine on cute female musicians/singers. Damn you, Dr Methuselah!