Storyteller and Bard
Back in February, I was hired by English Community Organization of Lanaudiere to record some stories in Grace Anglican church in Mascouche (Qc), which is about 45 minutes North East of Montreal.
We then got to work with a local band (Fiddlehead Soup) who recorded music for two of the stories.
The video for this story session was released this past weekend, so here it is! I hope you enjoy it.
I researched, wrote, and performed this True Crime story, which was directed and recorded by Mathieu Desbiens. We shot the telling of this story at the courthouse in Joliette (Qc) where Nulty was tried and hanged, and in a cemetery in Rawdon where some of the Nulty family are buried.
Café Mariposa‘s Open Mic night ends with a story about the Devil. Jeff Deeprose on fiddle.
Cafe Mariposa’s Open Mic night is every Thursday evening at 6pm.
5434 Côte Saint Luc Rd,
Montreal, QC H3X 2C5
Villa Maria metro
To make a bard one needs to find, the recipe to create its kind. Never easy, always changing, from culture to culture, recipes ranging. Below we find a simple mix, to make a bard, and learn his tricks.
So listen now, as i do tell, a simple bard creation spell:
Add to a sturdy pot and boil over the intense flames of the bardic fire. Stir frequently, listening for the tell tale signs of bubbling and free-style rapping that tell you it is almost complete.
Once cooked, allow to cool and take on its natural shape, that of the master storyteller and keeper of sacred tales.
Facebook has this feature called a Live Video which basically streams video out from your phone as you are recording it, then saves the video on your time line. It’s a pretty neat feature because anyone can tune into it and leave comments and likes and such.
Unfortunately, I cannot embed the video here, but if you’re on Facebook, you should be able to see the videos play.
Bedtime Stories v1 (the story actually begins at the 7:20 mark)
Bedtime Stories v2 (the story actually begins at the 3:00 mark)
At the last Slamtastique Story Slam that I hosted, I told a story about why Patricia left. Patricia Flewwelling is a published author who works at TELUS, but also worked at Cafe Mariposa, which is where the Story Slam now takes place. And I’ll admit it right here: I’ve had a bit of an unrequited crush on her for a while. It’s no secret.
But new adventures have flung our beloved Patricia far and wide, but few know the real reason, so I decided to tell the masses the *real* reason why she left us. Now that I’ve heard the recording, I can tell I told it a bit too fast (the pace is off), but I’ll fix that with some practice in the future.
When Patricia met Death in the Market
Back in October, I told a couple of stories at the Yellow Door Coffeehouse hosted by Marc Nerenberg, deep in the McGill student ghetto. Happily, they were video recorded and they just got posted!
I’ll be featured at the Yellow Door Coffeehouse on December 12th 2014 (Facebook event), so you should join us!
These two stories are also featured on my new CD Did You Hear That?, so you should get your copy today, or come by the CD Launch at Le Mariposa on November 19th 2014 (Facebook event).
So I hosted a concert called Driving Out the Snakes II in Montreal on St. Patrick’s Day weekend in 2014 and it was great! Generous audiences, talented musicians, and an energetic step dancer! I also got to tell a few tales and they were recorded, so I’m happy to share one of them.
The videographer is Roy Keys and the event was organized by Aine Doan.
I really need to tell more stories in French. I really, really do. In Quebec, there are just more opportunities to tell if I start telling in French and, if I play my cards right, I could become the Jim Corcoran of storytelling.
So a few months ago, André Lemelin asked me to take part in an evening of storytelling at the Maison de la culture de Villeray, Saint-Michel, Parc-Extension. It was a small crowd, but the stage was very nice. I was honored to share the stage with André Lemelin, Patti Warnock, Bernard Antoun, and Jacques Pasquet.
Unfortunately, the show was not being recorded. But at the last minute, I decided to try the recording app on my phone so I would at least have a record of it. It turns out, the recording quality wasn’t so bad!
When I rehearsed this story, I had it all down perfectly. But of course, the presence of an audience and a microphone challenged my composure, so my telling isn’t as smooth as I would have liked it to me. I really need more practice telling in French, and I need to slow my pacing down so I can mentally prepare to say each sentence properly so I don’t auto-correct so much. Practice, practice: that’s how you get to Carnegie Hall.
So with just a bit of editing for sound quality, here’s the recording from that night.
Les Mensonges Delicieux (7:38) told by JD Hickey