culture / music

Open Mic Adventures XLIII: “Greek Fair”

The Portly Politico18 Comments

Back on Thursday, 20 July 2023 I made a pilgrimage back to Lula’s Coffee Company, which for several years before The Age of The Virus was the epicenter of a flourishing of musical and cultural activity in Florence, South Carolina.  Then the management dragged its feet on resuming open mic post-pandemic, and I largely wrote it off as a venue.

Fortunately, I am overcame my stubborn resistance and occasionally make it out there for open mic night.  It is a long way from my home now, so I don’t get out there much, but I found my most recent visit to be quite rewarding.

My buddy John Pickett and I played “Greek Fair“; I regard this song as the best I have ever written.  Others have proven more popular, but I’m really proud of this one.

The song is in the key of F major, with an opening chord progression that moves from F -> Am -> Dm -> Bb.  I intentionally withhold the V chord (C major) until the chorus, which itself moves C -> A/C# -> Dm -> G, before resolving back to F with a Dm-> C-> Bb -> Bbm -> F sequence.

After the second chorus, the key shifts to D major.  D minor is the relative minor of F major, so it’s not a totally unexpected leap, but it’s odd enough that it catches the listener’s attention.  I originally envisioned a short guitar solo going here, but John plays a killer harmonic solo on it.

But enough of my yakkin’; let’s rock!

As always, here’s the same video on YouTube (you really should subscribe to my YouTube channel—it’s free!):

Happy Listening!

—TPP

Other Editions of Open Mic Adventures:

18 thoughts on “Open Mic Adventures XLIII: “Greek Fair””

  1. It’s very good, Greek Fair, and I love how closely your voices match (you and John). Answer me this … it seems to me I’m hearing echoes of “someone saved, someone saved, someone saved my life tonight” in the opening lines of your song. Is that my imagination or is your presentation a nod to Elton John’s Someone Saved My LIfe Tonight? Which doesn’t imply anything unseemly, of course, but I suspect you do with music the same kind of analysis that you bring to movie reviews – where you catch all the tips to modern culture and such. Am I crazy? Lol…careful now, lol.

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    • I was not thinking of Elton John when I wrote the opening lines—the first two chords are actually very similar to Davis Bowie’a “Space Odyssey”—but every time I play this song, people compare it to Sir Elton. I take that as a major compliment!

      Here’s an amusing anecdote for you: I played “Greek Fair” recently at an event in Darlington with a strong “elderly Boomer” contingent. Literally seven people in a row told me, “You sound like Elton John!” 😂

      Millennials and Gen Xers tend to compare me to either Ben Folds or Billy Joel.

      I love all those comparisons, but it’s interesting to see the different generations’ pop culture touchstones.

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      • Gosh! That’s fascinating! Do you discuss this stuff with John? What does he think? Does he agree with us boomers and hear a little echo of Elton John?

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        • Isn’t it cool? All anecdotal evidence, of course, but it was uncanny how I spoke to seven people (no exaggeration!) all probably 60+, and they all said, something along the lines of, “I was listening to Elton John!”

          John and I do discuss these things, haha. I’ll have to ask John tonight what he thinks. I’m sure he’s done the E.J. comparison, as well as B.J. We definitely both have a strong David Bowie influence, although it probably manifests in my songwriting more than John’s.

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        • Tina is also correct. It’s a major I to the minor iii chord (in this case, F major to A minor). Sometimes John and I will sing, “Ground control to Major Tom,” over the first two chords and say, “Just kidding,” haha! The audience always loves that.

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  2. Superb! By far my favourite! 👍😄

    I’ve got to ask though, what’s with the new habit of fist pumping key changes? I noticed it one or two sessions back.

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    • Thanks, man! “Greek Fair” is my favorite of my own songs. John and I did an encore performance of it last Tuesday (not this recording), and it was magical—people waving their phones aloft, and just a sense of magical unity in the room. Sadly, no one recorded it—d’oh!

      Hmmmm… “fist pumping key changes,” you say? I do have the modulation from F major to D major on the bridge, then back to F major. I like the contrast of those two keys, which are _almost_ closely-related (D minor is the relative minor of F major, but here I go to D major). I try to avoid the “truck driver gearshift,” which is merely playing an additional chorus of the song a half- or whole-step higher. They can sometimes be quite powerful (think of “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi), but they often are just a way to pad the runtime of the song without adding anything substantially new. The sudden key change *feels* good, though, so it’s an easy way to (in my mind) emotionally manipulate the listener without offering something truly new to the piece.

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      • You and John have good chemistry. You each bring something unique to the song but you gel well. As much as I enjoy your solo performances, I do prefer them with both of you. You’re both class acts.

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        • Thanks, dude! I agree—I vastly prefer playing with John. When I do solo gigs (rarely these days due to my schedule), I will start missing his backing vocals and harmonies. His guitar also adds a great deal on the tunes on which he includes it.

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  4. Here’s a comparison you might have received – Meatloaf. He put a lot of passion and energy into his songs. Same as you. 👍

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      • Who doesn’t??? Here’s a story for you … my daughter (16-17yrs old at the time & and ‘lookin’ all that’, if you know what I mean …) and a girlfriend, managed to get to his bus outside a venue he was playing here in Florida. Roadie or aide invited them on the bus. He was a complete gentleman!!! Signed a couple of things, chatted briefly, and sent them on their way. That’s how to be a human being. God bless him.

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  5. One last thing before I pop out. I have a request which, as always, you’re free to ignore! 😂😂😂

    John Legend did a wonderful piece many years ago called Ordinary People. I didn’t mind the big studio production but I just adored the live version when it was just him and his piano. I really think you could make that song your own.

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