Performance Ethnography Essay

Foregrounding Background Music

It was snowing outside and I had called three cab companies – two companies didn’t pick up at all, and the other had a wait of 45 minutes. It wouldn’t take me more than 25 minutes to walk downtown, so I put on my heaviest coat and started my trek down to the AS220 FOO(d) Restaurant. The walk was bitterly cold and I was starting to lose feeling in my feet as my wet socks were starting to freeze, I opened the door to the FOO(d) Restaurant and was immediately transported into a small pub in the hills of Ireland. It was cozy, dimly lit and I was greeted with the sound of fiddles and chatter all around me. I felt instantly warm and I was ready for a few hours of music on a Saturday evening.

I sat down at the bar and was handed a dinner menu as I ordered a cup of hot cider. After perusing the menu and ordering some warm food, I looked around the restaurant and noticed a few people actively engaged to the music; however, to my surprise and sadness, most people weren’t paying much attention to the music at all and were treating it as one would treat a cd. In a sense, it really was just background music as the group of musicians playing Irish traditional music (lead by Jimmy Devine and featuring Mark Roberts, Andrea Cooper, and Teddi Scobi) was tucked away in a corner of the room instead of on a proper stage. One thing I noticed though was that, in contrast to the dimly lit majority of the restaurant, the brightest light in the room was focused on the musicians, instantly captivating my gaze. I had little prior knowledge about Irish folk music; however, I could clearly tell that this was a group of very talented musicians. Maybe it was because I came for the music, and the food was just a pleasant secondary element to my experience, but I thought that the musicians deserved much more attention and respect than the amount that they were given.

The show lacked an emcee or a program, and the musicians did little talking, so the names of the songs were lost and it was hard to recall any songs post-show, whether to purchase online or just to hear once more. It was obvious that these musicians weren’t here for publicity, but instead for pure enjoyment of what they were playing. This sentiment came across very well, as they appeared to be very excited to play some of their songs with their bows moving rapidly and feet tapping vehemently. These songs had the power to draw the crowd in the most, as much of the talking stopped and I could see heads turn to get a better listen to the music. These were the songs garnered the most applause when they were over, which I was happy to see. However, some of the other songs seemed more like part of a traditional Irish folk canon and were played in a more routine, “we have to get these out of the way,” manner. I could see the audience return to their food and tune out of these lower energy, albeit consistently well played, songs, some of which, to my shock, got no applause at all. That being said, Jimmy and his friends were very aware of how their music affected the audience and whenever there seemed to be too much of a lull and the music being produced from the fiddles sounded more mournful than festive, the band brought the energy up again. As I was waiting for my food, I sat at my chair and just watched the interactions that they were having with each other. Smiling and glancing at each other, they were truly engaged with their music and I felt as if I was witnessing a very real and intimate look at their lives. This scenario seemed very organic, making it seem more like a treat than a routine thing that happened every Saturday.

As attentive and talented as the musicians were, the general mood in the room was that the moderately crowded restaurant filled with patrons ranging from young children to people in their 60s had come for the food, but stuck around for the music. Upon walking in from the cold, one couple seemed completely unaware that there was going to be music. They were happily surprised, however, the female member even did a little jig as she took a seat at a center table. Even if that woman was doing it in a mocking way, she had a physical response to the music just as I did – I realized that my foot had been tapping while in the middle of a bite of warm maple glazed sweet potato mash, – for how long I do not know.

Every time I glanced at the musicians, I could see the downpour mix of rain, snow and hail out of the window that was behind them. I truly appreciated the warm ambiance that having cheerful musicians play festive music brought to the restaurant and, even though it was nearing the end of their timeslot, I truly did not want it to end. Thankfully their set didn’t end exactly at 7 and they played a few more songs for another 15 minutes, but then it just abruptly ended – thankfully to a good amount of applause from everyone. I was surprised that they made no mention of their last song and there was nothing said afterward – not even a thank you and definitely nothing about where we could purchase their music. I felt a little bit cheated as I would like to have known more about these entertainers; however, both the restaurant’s and their own treatment of them post-show just went to reinforce how they weren’t the main draw for most of the patrons there, but more like a secondary thought. As they packed up and left, I got another mug of hot cider, paid my bill and faced the snowy trek up College Hill. I don’t know if was the cider or the enjoyable and fulfilling music that I had just been listening to, but I was kept warm and rosy during my entire walk home.

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