On Tuesday, August 7, 2012, I went to eat dinner at the
Runcible Spoon. While I was there, I observed an Irish music session including Pop Music, Identity, and Social Life’s very
own Dr. McDonald. The Runcible Spoon pays obvious amounts of attention to
capture the atmosphere of an Ireland home and it is a perfect haven for people
of all cultures to come and experience.
The
Runcible Spoon was an interesting experience because it is very reminiscent of
a restaurant in my home town that I worked at. It is a very peaceful
arrangement and the people there were very much their own. Bloomington has
always given me the impression that it works very hard to be a place where
everyone can find their very own niche, or little piece of home. While eating
my dinner I took a moment to glance around and note the types of people sitting
around me enjoying the festive music playing in the background. Many of the
people I observed were Bloomington locals who would walk through the backdoors
of the establishment and order a Guinness, but across the room from me and
outside in the gardens were elderly groups of people coming for dinner. The
music was by far my favorite part of the experience and it was exciting hearing
all the different instruments the artists had brought with them. The
instruments I saw used: the mandolin, guitar, accordion, two different types of
flute, and a drum. I noticed that the mandolin and guitar tended to be the base
of each of the songs and give a rhythm to follow, while the flutes and
accordions took the melody. Each one of these instruments is like layers on a
cake. While even having one instrument is a treat, the more instruments
layering on top of each other in song make at a much more natural sound and
give whole new meaning to the word music. Music of the Irish culture is by far
my favorite form of music. Irish songs can capture the feelings of cheer and
content and transfer them into sound for people to listen to and enjoy. This
form of music can also be some of the saddest which is why I love it so much,
it is an art form of total extremes and puts things out there cut and dry. The
people and musicians sit all in different places but fairly close together. The
musicians sit in a fairly congested part of the restaurant as if they were
about to order a meal, and then they start playing Irish jigs in a circle.
Respect
is given to the performers that come to The Runcible Spoon. No one crowds
around the musicians; no one cheers or tries to overpower the sound of the
music. The audience almost isn’t an audience at all. They are participating in
the music that is being performed by simply being respectful and keeping down
so that the music goes undisturbed. The way the performers sat in a circle
almost indicates that they are performing in an invitational format. If you
were to have a talent or an instrument to add to the group, it seemed as though
that they would be more than welcoming to your participation. The group of
musicians played many different instruments and songs. What was interesting was
that it seemed to be practiced in a very participatory way. When watching them
play, each person would take turns starting off the song with a melody or phrase
and then the group would respond with their own variation of the phrase. Even
though they play with the 4th best Irish flutist in the world, Ray Larsen,
there isn’t a set hierarchy where one person is the proclaimed leader and the
others follow intently. It was like they were having conversations
that we were listening in on and they would change from topic to topic. There
was no leader of the group. Between songs the groups would take breaks and talk
with different tables having their meals and then when it was time for them to
play a new song, they just felt it and would start.
We live
in a society that values high fidelity and studio art music. It seems as though
we have become accustom to living in a world where human interaction has taken
the backseat. When musicians like the ones in the Runcible Spoon come together
to play in a very participatory manor, the “audience” learns new values that
bring people together rather than placing them into solidarity. There was a
universal feeling of unity that this form of participation music conveys.
Going to
dinner and listening to music at the Runcible Spoon was one of the most
memorable parts of IFS. Ireland is the one place I wanted to visit before I die,
and this experience made that want into a need. In a society predominantly
ruled by high fidelity and studio art music, it’s refreshing to get a taste of
a form of music that really makes you feel sense of unity.
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