Back at it with the Lamplighter Sessions, (usually in December, but sometimes in other seasons as well) with three to four musicians, all on stage together, one of them usually being Peter Mulvey, rotating songs & stories and musicianifying and magicianifying together.
PETER MULVEY on these sessions, held at the Carpe in mid-December:
“I have been transported by music suspiciously often in this life, and from the beginning, I sensed a pattern: most of these moments were impromptu, they happened offstage, and they involved people communicating something sublime in this elusive yet utterly reliable language we all share. The music-ness of moments is at its best when two or more players don’t quite know where it’s all going, and yet have enough of a common idea of the map at hand that they’re all going together.
The Lamplighter Sessions is my dogged attempt to set up, year after year, lightning rods in a field, to coax these offstage moments into being onstage. It’s my favorite thing I do all year, and this is coming from a guy who tours Ireland and Alaska, who plays concerts in a cave underneath West Virginia, and who tours by bike in the autumn. The Lamplighter sessions is a chance for me to give back, to all the great musicians I’ve met, and all the great audiences I’ve been lucky enough to assemble.
Some faces recur, most are new, but at the core of it all will be strangers and friends coming together to make up a set list out of thin air, just by reacting to whatever happens. I live for this, when one of the players transports not just the audience, but the musicians on stage, and then, once time resumes, someone says “What’s next?””
**** LAMPLIGHTER SCHEDULE: see UPCOMING EVENTS
These shows have become quite popular, and attract people from all over the globe. It behooves you to buy tickets early, or it may boohoo you.
****ADVANCE TICKETS
For these shows we will be using on an online ticket sales program known as Ticket Tailor. There will be a booking fee of $1.50-$2.00 per ticket. You will be able to buy tickets right on the event page. It will indicate if the show is sold out, and give you a chance to join a waiting list.
We do not have a box office or even an office, really. Someone answering the phone may be serving customers when you call. Please forgive the inability to answer a lot of questions at busy times, and consider calling back later.
**** WISDOM
It’s wise to sign up on the Carpe website for our newsletter, or Like us (even if you don’t) on Facebook so that you can be reached with any updates due to weather or other vicissitudes. (See footer to act wisely.)
****TRY SOMEONE NEW
If a show you were hoping to see has sold out, dare yourself to experience some new performers. There are some talented new faces in the crowd every year, and they deserve your attention. Might even become your new favorite.
****THE NIGHTS OF THE SHOWS– When to arrive, etc.
Please come at least 15 minutes early to increase the likelihood that the shows will start on time. Eating here helps keep us in business, but we urge you to come at least an hour earlier to do so. Our space is small, our kitchen is small, and our brains are small, which means there may be a bit of pleasant waiting and delightful chaos.
On the busiest nights the menu will be limited to specials and a reduced menu of sandwiches to facilitate feeding more people in a shorter period of time. Apologies in advance if your favorite item is not offered. There is usually no shortage of dessert offerings…
Did I mention it’ll be fun?