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"Scott
Kirby's project Barnstorming Montana is wonderful. And he is a great composer, interpreter and performer" George Winston
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"Scott
Kirby's project Barnstorming Montana is wonderful. And he is a great composer, interpreter and performer" George Winston
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July 24, 2003 in Helena, Montana will mark the beginning of a trip unlike any I have attempted, a journey in search of the spirit and the song of the last best place. Barnstorming Montana is a tour, a film, and a website: www.BarnstormingMontana.com. On a long drive home from the 2002 Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival, I stopped in Ingomar, Montana, a once shimmering and potent hub of rural activity, years ago the sheep-shearing capital of Eastern Montana, perhaps of the whole Northern Plains. Now at least half of the buildings are vacant. Many structures stoop against the relentless waves of air, some leaning at angles, doors fallen, others sinking into the prairie gumbo. After passing the notorious (and still open) Jersey Lilly Saloon I found my way to the porch of the old school house, a national historic building which has morphed quite naturally into a bunkhouse. Soothed by a cool breeze, which in July signals the approach of a storm, I sat on the concrete steps and beheld a sky so wide that the thunderheads seemed but a few whiffs and belches of churning cloud many miles away. These moments as the storm gathered and advanced towards me gave rise to the concept of Barnstorming Montana. “I must play music in this place,” was my single thought. What began as the germ of an idea has now grown into a multi-limbed beast of a project. The immediate objective was to string together a series of concerts, many of which are in underserved towns, traveling with my acoustic piano (for those places unable to furnish their own) and binding the whole thing together with a single purpose: to raise awareness and money for music and arts education. This was the first part of the idea. To film a documentary as we go, trying to uncover what lies behind the facades and around the corners of the places and the folk of Montana; this was the next dimension of the idea. As it stands now, we will start with a 5-week tour this summer, playing 20 gigs, and working on the film in the process. Performing and filming at various times throughout the fall, winter and spring, we will raise as much money and gather as much footage as we can before the final big push in the summer of 2004. Every type of venue will serve our purposes, from barnyards to concert halls, and more than a few schools. I will take responsibility for the moving, tuning and playing of the piano, while my wife Doe will do the filming, using a Canon XL- 1s digital video camera and a Paillard Botex black-and-white 8 mm camera, or comparable black and white camera, depending on the availability of film. Her sister will assist with the audio, and her parents will watch after our two girls, Sara who is 4 and Leah-Marie who will barely be one by then. The mission of Barnstorming Montana has evolved beyond just raising money for arts education and the performing arts. We seek to explore regional heritage, to affirm the value of community, to understand culture in the context of community, and to try to capture the personality traits of Montana that don’t make it into the travel brochures and the Hollywood films. Using some of the pieces from my “Homestead” suite (which was inspired by Montana’s early pioneers), I will supply the documentary with a soundtrack of all original compositions. Although the budgets for the film and fundraising for the tour will be separate, these two dimensions of Barnstorming Montana may often intersect and feed off of each other. The Montana Performing Arts Consortium (MPAC) will receive all profits from the endeavor, these being collected through a variety of means, including grants, corporate sponsorships, private donations and ticket sales. In these times of less and less government support for the arts, the responsibility falls upon all of us to participate in saving traditions of the past and forging ones which will be vital to future generations. On a personal note, this project has been a fantasy of mine for some time. Besides indulging my fascination with open spaces and “big skies”, I will be looking into the lives of Montanans and their relationship with the landscape, with the work they do, with those who came before them. It’s more than an examination of history, and it’s more than living culture. It’s a penetrating curiosity, a panorama of inspiration that connects images, encounters, and bursts of musical creation. I am not a Montanan. I have no claims there, except those I can stake on the wind as it cleaves the shortgrass and sweeps down the sides of buttes. I won’t presume to know what makes this place vibrate and wail and groan. From the chipped and broken skyward peaks of the Bitteroots to the psychedelic formations at Medicine Rocks, from the wet and wild Yaak to the crusty desolation of Garfield County, if there is any binding force across this “last best place” I seek to find it, or at the very least, to document the attempt with appropriate measures of wonder and devotion.
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Scott Kirby, currently a resident
of Idaho, has been playing the piano since the age of five. A native of
Ohio, he studied classical piano for 17 years, obtained an English Degree
from Ohio State University, and then left the buckeye state for good to
see if he could make it in New Orleans as a professional busker, or
“street performer.” Having mastered the logistics of using an acoustic
piano under less-than-ideal circumstances, and having absorbed the sounds
of American traditional styles such as ragtime, blues and jazz, Kirby set
about recording. He first released six CDs for the independent label
Greener Pastures, including the complete ragtime works of Scott Joplin.
He then made his debut at major ragtime festivals in the United States, as
well as festivals in Hungary, Norway, Belgium and France. For more information, please go to: www.ScottKirby.net
"In Scott Kirby’s playing we
"Kirby is leading the way toward
"Scott Kirby is at the forefront
“Scott Kirby is one of the best
interpreters of traditional ragtime piano...”
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The supporting characters are truly the main characters, at least in the bigger picture, and in terms of the documentary. We will be seeking out local historians, amateur archivists, musicians, artists, ranchers, cowboy poets, and anyone who collects anything or has a story to tell. As the trip progresses, the text from some of these interviews will be posted in Real Time, and when the technology allows, even may be accompanied by an audio/video component. The essence of the trip lies in these encounters, the living caricatures, the unexpected insights and the quiet ironies that comprise the dark underbelly of Montana’s personality. |
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1. To raise awareness and money for arts education in Montana. 2. To affirm the values of local community, and regional culture. 3. To film every aspect of the tour in documentary style, interviewing persons of local interest, authors, historians and residents, highlighting the relevant issues discussed above, and any others which may arise. 4. To offer a model for arts funding which may replace a dependency upon federal sources with community-based grass roots funding alternatives. 5. To integrate the pleasures of travel, music, discourse, learning, landscape and family. |
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Imagine a town like Ingomar, a quiet High Plains village with a bunkhouse (a historic school), a saloon called the Jersey Lilly, and more than a few abandoned structures. When was the last time the local children had a conversation with a musician who specializes in the era during which their town was founded? Consider a raft trip, complete with mobile piano, connecting several Missouri River towns once serviced by paddle-wheelers, stopping along the riverbanks for informal concerts in places like Fort Benton. Envision an interview with a resident of Baker who is one of the last remaining craftsmen in the lost art of fiddle-making, and then an impromptu piano-fiddle duet. Montana’s smallest town Ismay, often known as “Joe”, is featured in the Jonathan Raban prize-winning book Badland, an American Romance, and still helps to tell the story of the homesteaders of Eastern Montana. And then there’s Butte, the only Montana city which boasts a residency and publication of a work by one of America’s few masters of Missouri-style Classic Ragtime, Tom Turpin.
Ghost Kitchen
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My piano is an upright Yamaha P22, full-88 key, acoustic piano, in which I place the utmost confidence. It is bolted down to a steel-reinforced cart with inflated balloon tires. I load and unload the instrument in a matter of minutes using a ramp. The piano may then be moved almost anywhere, as long as the doorway is 33 1/2 inches wide. Playing outside is an option, depending upon the weather. Outdoor concerts need to be placed carefully for acoustical reasons, and I will have my own sound system, when needed. I do all my own repairs and moving, but may require a few tunings during the tour. |
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ITINERARY
Summer 2003
Click on each town for more information JULY
24 - Helena AUGUST
9 - Broadus
Fall/ Winter/ Spring
2003 - 2004
September 16 September 23 September 24 October 8 2004 January 28 January 29-30 January 31 February 1st February 4 February 6 February 7 March 11 March 23 April 18 April 19 April 30 May 1 May 3
SUMMER 2004 July 1 August 1 August 7 August 8 August 14 August 16 August 21 August 28 August 29
Other Montana
Dates: September 3 September 16 September 17 November 26 December 4 January 16, 2005 June 24,2005
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The Programs: Each community may design (either in advance or on the spot) any combination of concerts, matinees for kids, lecture-demonstrations, interactive discussions, master classes, elder hostels, or dinner-concerts. On average, 90 minutes in the afternoon and 90 minutes in the evening comprise a single appearance, with meals and fellowship in between and/or after the programs. Mornings are travel time. The Content: The ragtime era (1895-1920) serves as the starting point for the show, and much is made of the historical differences between then and now in terms of culture, community and creativity. The many branches of ragtime’s family tree reach into South America, the French-Caribbean, Cuba, Appalachia, and include New Orleans Jazz, Blues, Folk Ragtime, Stride Piano, Boogie Woogie, Rock and Roll, New Ragtime and Terra Verde. Many old favorites are paired with new and exciting compositions, forming a continuum, illustrating that this music is part of a living tradition. From saloon to salon, from the bars to the concert stage, each concert contains familiar sounds, anecdotes and connective tissue from 150 years of American music. Special attention is paid to the historical context of the music, particularly when it relates to Montana heritage, landscape or artistic life. The musical programs always contain educational content, and the educational shows always use music to make their points. Depending upon the wishes of the community, question/answer discussions, requests, dancing and other kinds of participation may also be incorporated. |
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The film crew will consist of my wife Marie-Dominique Verdier, and her assistant. The camera is a Canon XL 1S. Filming during the tour will focus primarily on those areas encompassed by the performance locations, but will include several sites which will be outside the realm of the performing itinerary. Much of the documentary material will be accumulated at various times before and after the tour itself, and edited following the final tour in the summer of 2004. Original music will be added at that time. |
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[All profits will benefit the Montana Performing Arts Consortium, a non-profit 501 (c) (3).]
The budget for the tour, and hence, the money collected for the beneficiary (see “The Beneficiary” below) is separate from the budget for the film. The only “common ground” would be when filming is done during the tour. However, non-performance days, which will be the primary filming times, will be funded at the artist’s expense. Any overlap will have no impact on the tour budget. (The documentary will be funded by the artist, and paid for through grants and sponsorship obtained specifically for this purpose, as well as sales of the video.) Each venue will require its own approach, usually depending upon the financial status of the presenter or community. In general, these may fall into four categories: 1. MPAC gigs 2. Free gigs 3. Independent gigs 4. Community Concert gigs
1.
MPAC presenters must provide $150 per performance day as a
base fee, which will cover tour expenses for that day. Any money raised
above this amount will go into the benefit fund. (See “fundraising”
below.) 2. Free gigs will occur in those places that have no money to pay for the services rendered. In these towns any funds raised will go directly into the benefit fund, up to $250. After (or “if”) this figure of $250 is reached, the next $150 will go towards tour expenses. After (or “if”) this added $150 is raised, any further money will go into the benefit fund. (Most likely, in these towns the figure of $250 won’t be reached at all, but this scheme allows for a clear financial plan in those cases which go beyond that amount.) If less than $250 is raised total, $150 tour expense may come from other sources - from the funds generated at “general fundraising” events. (See “fundraising” below.)
3. Independent gigs will be contracted on an individual basis, and are identified as those which are not in any of the other categories described here in # 1, 2 or 4. In a few instances, there will be venue-related expenses, such as rental of the space, in which case any income will go to pay these fees first, the remainder to be divided as indicated in the contract for each gig. The maximum tour expense to be extracted from the intake will be $300, and would require a total intake of $600. (This 50/50 arrangement operates on the assumption that the “double” tour expense would only be taken out to compensate for those gigs which don’t raise any expense money, such as those described above in #2. Obviously, these questions can only be answered at the end of each tour period. Therefore, accounting will be done throughout each tour, and the final direction of funds will be decided at the end of the tour.)
4. Community Concert gigs (in Montana only) were contracted and arranged independent of any booking agency. These will occur during the school year, and will not be part of the larger tours. The artist will retain all income designated in the contract for expenses. The “fee” will be divided 50/50, with half going into the Barnstorming Montana advertising budget, and half going to the beneficiary.
The Beneficiary The Montana Performing Arts Consortium (MPAC) is a 501 (c)(3), and their address is P.O. Box 1872, Bozeman, MT, 59771-1872. MPAC will receive the funds designated for the “beneficiary” through checks and cash. Any donation of $250 or more will generate a letter of acknowledgement, but Barnstorming Montana will keep records of all donations and provide acknowledgement to any party who so desires. MPAC will use the funds raised in any way they see fit to promote the performing arts, arts education and “outreach” through their organization. (“Outreach” consists of school performances of all types, master classes, workshops, mini-concerts for community groups and/or clubs, lectures, elder-hostels, and appearances in hospitals, retirement homes, senior clubs and assisted living venues.)
Fundraising The responsibility for raising money for the beneficiary, beyond the base fees discussed above, will fall on the artist. However, each community may take part in the process, if they so desire. (The artist has promised to avoid soliciting to local sources which are usually tapped by MPAC members to the best of his ability, in order to preserve these funding sources for the regular season events.) Here are some of the ways money may be raised, some of which may occur AT THE EVENT, and others which may occur at any time before or after the event: 1. ticket sales. If a presenter chooses, they may charge at the door, the proceeds being divided according to the contract for that event. 2. donations. Either private donations or “passing the hat” can happen in any appropriate context. A representative from the presenter should be on hand to verify the amount before the funds are processed, to maintain trust and accuracy. 3. grants. Grants may be obtained to assist in expenses, and in raising money for the beneficiary. Funds collected in this way will be allocated according to the guidelines of the grant. (See “Acknowledgement” below.) 4. sponsorships. Corporate or other sponsorships may be secured using various arrangements in which the artist will provide publicity in exchange for funding. (See “Acknowledgement” below.) 5. fundraising events. Benefit concerts and other “general fundraising” activities will raise money to be used either for tour expenses or for the beneficiary, as long as these events are “site-neutral.” That is, these events take place independently of any specific concert budget. While they may be in a gig locale, and may even be organized by a presenter who is participating in the regular tour, there is no expectation or agreement that funds raised in this event will apply to the fees or expenses of the gig which will occur at the same site or organized by the same presenter. (This must be mutually agreed upon and discussed in advance.) The funds raised go into the general Barnstorming Montana fund, and may be allocated according to the need for tour expenses not raised at venues in the tour, such as those in #2 above. These shall not exceed a total of $150 per day for those days of performance only, and shall not include advertising expenses.
Acknowledgement of Sponsors and Grants Corporate sponsorships and grant received will generate the following in exchange for the funds:
1. display of the logo or name of the sponsor on publicity material. 2. information about the tax benefit for their donation, if requested. 3. acknowledgement from the stage for those gigs which apply. 4. a free Barnstorming Montana video, and a free CD. 5. free admittance for persons from the sponsoring organization. 6. acknowledgment during relevant media interviews (This would include media outlets who cover the area in which the sponsorship serves, and any grant/donation over $1,000.) 7. Display of the sponsor’s name or logo on the stage or the piano for donations of $500 or more IF a sign is provided. Private donors of $50 or more will be acknowledged on the website and in all official records. Private donors of $100 or more will receive the acknowledgement above, plus a free Barnstorming Montana video and Scott Kirby CD of their choice.
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