Reverse Polish Notation News

Upcoming Gigs

Mon, 09 Dec 2013 20:59:34 GMT

Since the Sonicbids calendar widget is currently down, here are my upcoming gigs:

Fri 12/20/13 9:00PM - Ginger Ibex at Church of Boston

Sat 12/21/13 7:00PM - Ladies Accordion Orchestra at Somerville Armory

Sat 1/4/14 - Funk Philharmonic at Somerville Armory Disco Ball

Tue 1/28/14 8:30PM - Ginger Ibex TT the Bear's Place

Sat 2/22/14 7:00PM - Ginger Ibex at The Lily Pad

Sat 3/29/14 7:30PM - Ginger Ibex at Arts at the Armory Cafe

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Recent and Upcoming Activities

Wed, 16 Oct 2013 12:15:39 GMT

It's been a busy summer and early fall! Recently I've been out performing with Ginger Ibex on pianos provided by the Street Pianos Boston project:

Marching with the Ladies Accordion Orchestra in the HONK! parade:

And I'll be playing viola with Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys at a Dia de Los Muertos event on November 2nd!

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Busking Again in Malden

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 02:29:01 GMT

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the Malden Mayor's office, who requested that I do some evening busking outside of the Malden Center MBTA station. They had recently taken over supervising the area because they didn't feel the T was giving it adequate attention. I played there 6-7:30pm on May 31st, was rained out this past Friday, and will try again on June 21 and 28.

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Betty's Spring News

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:54:44 GMT

Greetings Friends & Fans!

Happy Spring (hoping for not much more snow)! I've been busy doing studio work and an on-line course recently, but do have a few things to show for it, as well as a Ginger Ibex gig this weekend.

As you may recall I usually spend the month of February participating in the RPM Challenge, which involves composing and recording an album of 10 original musical ideas in 28 days. This year my Ginger Ibex partner Sharon Crumrine asked to do it with me - the result is an album we call "The Rusty Goat Sessions". We did a lot of experimentation with new sounds and techniques in my office studio - you can hear the results on line at our Soundcloud account:

You may purchase a physical CD via this link.

And though I did record and mix the RPM Challenge album myself I have much more to learn about music production, so I'm taking a free online course from Berklee on that topic. Since the weekly homework assignments are to teach something we studied that week to other class members you can see some of my assignments as videos on my YouTube channel.

And finally: Ginger Ibex is performing this Saturday March 30th at The Lily Pad in Inman Sq Cambridge MA, starting at 10pm sharp. Tickets at the door are $10, but if you order them in advance from our presale site you not only save about 75 cents ($8 plus a fee) but you will also get a free MP3 download of the RPM Challenge album!

Coming up in April: I'll be making my drum kit debut at the Ladies Rock Camp showcase at TT the Bear's Place Sunday April 14th!

Cheers,

Betty Widerski

www.sonicbids.com/BettyWiderski

bettywiderski.com

facebook.com/bettywiderskimusic

Electric/Acoustic Improv Violist/Violinist

Don't forget to check out What Betty Knows as well!

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October (+) Shows

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:51:33 GMT

Greetings Friends & Fans!

It's too rainy today for my last downtown Malden busking date of the season, but I've got a lot of varied and interesting shows coming up, including one from a person who heard me busking and three at least partly from an article on my What Betty Knows blog about a contentious topic!

So with out further ado, the dates and events:

Sunday September 30

3:00-4:00PM [NOTE TIME CHANGE!] Eastern Time

WAXWING at Yurt Radio

Hampshire College, Amherst MA

Ginger Ibex will perform live on this Internet radio show - listen from anywhere in the world via their website: http://yurt.hampshire.edu/
Monday October 1

Lizard Lounge Open Mic Challenge

1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge MA

Doors at 7:30pm - 21+ - $5

Ginger Ibex performing in the 3rd slot, about 8:30pm
Saturday October 6

Arts at the Armory Cafe

191 Highland Ave, Somerville MA

7pm - all ages - $5

Ginger Ibex performing ~9pm
Monday October 8

Encyclopedia Show: Somerville

The Davis Square Theatre, 255 Elm St. Somerville MA

7pm welcome party, 8pm-10pm show - all ages, $10/$7 sliding scale

"invited artists from a variety of performance disciplines present all-new, original works on sub-topics of a single theme." This episode's topic is The Moon, and I will be performing a new looping piece inspired by the sub-topic "Tides."
Friday October 26

Corinthian Hall, Melrose MA

Backgound music for a fundraising event.
EARLY NOTICE! - Thursday-Saturday Novenber 15, 16,17

Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra

Paradise Rock Club

967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston MA

8pm - 21+ - $25

Yes! I've been invited to be part of the string section for these shows . They are likely to sell out before the dates (11/17 may already be unavailable) so buy tickets now if you haven't already.

(and in an amusing twist, later in November GI will be playing a "Ladies Cover Night" show covering... Amanda Palmer! So I get to pracice for my cover gig with the person I'm covering...)

Hope to see you at a show!

Cheers,

Betty Widerski

Betty on Facebook

Betty on Twitter

Reverse Polish Notation

What Betty Knows blog

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September Show Updates

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 15:54:16 GMT

Greetings, Friends and Fans!

Fall is definitely in the air, and incoming students are moving into the Boston area and trying to find their way around on our streets, so watch out for confused drivers and cyclists!

I started out the month yesterday by busking in the South Station subway station with guitarist Matthew Lister, doing some of his "Geek themes" arrangements (e.g., Star Wars, Star Trek, TV themes) He's pretty busy, too, but we hope to continue this collaboration - if you want a "Cantina band" (c.f. 1st Star Wars movie) for your party, or pre-show background music talk to me :-)

About two weeks ago 12 members of the Boston music/arts community lost their homes and most of their possessions when a fire swept through their Cambridge apartment building. There will be several benefit shows happening, including one at which my band Ginger Ibex is playing, but if you are not in the area and want to contribute you may do so at this ChipIn site.

Now on to the show listings!

Friday Sept 7, 2012
Pleasant St, Malden MA
6:30pm-9:00pm

Reverse Polish Notation solo busking on the street.

Sunday Sept 9, 2012
Help! Our Bands Are On Fire I
Precinct Bar
Union Sq, Somerville MA
7:00PM
$10 gives you entry to 3 venues (also Sally O'Brien's and PA's Lounge), 21+

My band Ginger Ibex is performing a short set as part of this benefit, along with many other local bands at the 3 venues from 3pm-11pm.

Friday Sept 14, 2012
Pleasant St, Malden MA
6:30pm-9:00pm

Reverse Polish Notation solo busking on the street.

Friday Sept 21, 2012
Pleasant St, Malden MA
6:30pm-9:00pm

Reverse Polish Notation solo busking on the street.
Saturday Sept 22, 2012

Malden River Festival

Rivers Edge Park (Commercial St), Malden MA

11:00am-3:00pm

free, all ages (rain date Sunday Sept 23)

Reverse Polish Notation busking somewhere in the park
Friday Sept 28, 2012

Pleasant St, Malden MA

6:30pm-9:00pm

Reverse Polish Notation solo busking on the street (last for this season)
Sunday Sept 30, 2012

Live on Hampshire College Yurt Radio

Amherst MA

3:30pm-4:30PM

Ginger Ibex doing a live in-studio performance streaming on the web.

Coming in October: Ginger Ibex at the Somerville Armory Sat Oct 6, 2012.

Hope to see you at a show!

Cheers,
Betty

RPNband.com
Facebook
What Betty Knows

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Betty's Show Update

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 13:42:45 GMT

Greetings, Friends and Fans!

I hope you are having a great summer! The weather has been a bit weird around here, but has also been quite lovely at times. I hope that latter part continues for the next three Fridays, as I've been selected by the city of Malden MA (where I live) to be part of their Street Performer Pilot Program to bring more activity to the downtown area. So I'll be doing my Reverse Polish Notation solo electric violin looping on Pleasant Street (near the New England Comics store 7/27 and 8/3, near Main St 8/10) 6:30-9:30PM, weather permitting. In addition to my own pieces I'll also be adding some cover tunes, including Gotye, Coldplay, Foster The People, and even Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys!

Fridays July 27, August 3, August 10
Downtown Malden Street Performers
51 Pleasant St (except 5 Pleasant St on 8/10)
Reverse Polish Notation violin looping

Also, remember you can sign up for weekly updates from my blog What Betty Knows - this week's newsletter includes posts on avoiding car lockouts, links for Kickstarter projects I find interesting, how to support local independent bookstores when buying ebooks, and more.

Hope to see you in downtown Malden on an upcoming Friday - there are lots of great restaurants to check out!

Cheers,
Betty
BettyWiderski.com
RPNband.com
Facebook
WhatBettyKnows.com

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June Show Update

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 13:40:55 GMT

Greetings, Friends and Fans!

Just one gig this month, but it will be fun: Ginger Ibex Acoustic (myself, pianist Sharon Crumrine and violinist/guitarist Mel Fitzhugh) have set up a "Ladies Rock" show at Outpost 186 with some other great musicians we met recently at Ladies Rock Camp:

Friday June 26, 2012

Outpost 186
186 Rear Hampshire St (Inman Sq)
Cambridge MA
Door at 8pm, All ages, $10
With Ginger Ibex, Evelyn Pope, Naughty Shirley/QUINCUNX, Everything To Everybody

And in other "Betty" news: if you've hung out with me for any length of time you've realized that I know a lot of different bits of information, and am always picking up more. I've now created a blog, What Betty Knows, in which I post articles about things I know that seem useful to my friends and fans, such as:

Please sign up for a weekly newsletter containing new posts at this link. Note: I am NOT auto-subscribing addresses from this music fan email - you will need to opt in here if you want to receive the blog newsletter. You can also keep up with the blog by visiting WhatBettyKnows.com and/or "liking" the associated Facebook Page.

That's it for now - hope to see you at a show!

Cheers,
Betty
BettyWiderski.com
Betty on Facebook
Reverse Polish Notation
What Betty Knows

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April Newsletter

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 04:08:54 GMT

Greetings, friends and fans!

Spring has already sprung here in New England, though it's been a bit colder again this week. But it seems fairly unlikely that any of my gigs this month will be snowed out (hopefully not famous last words!)

In addition to two Ginger Ibex shows, I have been given the privilege of appearing as an auxiliary member of Boston "Steamcrunk" band Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys for three shows during the upcoming run of their original apocalyptic, sci-fi, steampunk musical play 28 Seeds - I will be substituting for their awesome violist Rachel Jayson for the Sunday matinee performances! See a trailer for the musical here.

All the details:

Thursday April 12 - Somerville MA

PA's Lounge

345 Somerville Ave (Union Sq)

$8, 21+

Facebook Event listing

9pm - Steve Walther Orchestra, 10:30pm - Axemunkee, 11:30pm - Ginger Ibex
Saturday April 21 - Cambridge Ma

Reach Out: a fundraiser for the Creative Arts Program at Dana-Farber Cancer institute

New School of Music

25 Lowell St (near Mt. Auburn Hospital)

6:30-9:30pm, admission $10 if RSVP to Facebook event by April 15th, or $15 at the door (cash or check to "Dana-Farber Cancer Institute")

Join us for an evening of art, live music, and wine.Featuring - new artwork by Melanie Maz; live music by Fusion String Ensemble, Ginger Ibex, Patrick Wheyland, Lauren Bateman, and Yani Batteau and The Styles; silent auction; wine reception, with desserts provided by Lyndell's Bakery (Cambridge), and food/beverages provided by Trader Joe's (Cambridge).
Sunday April 22, April 29, and May 6 - Boston MA

28 Seeds

Boston Center for the Arts - Plaza Theatre

539 Tremont St

4:00 PM

All ages, $35 - tickets in advance here or call 617-933-8600

I will be playing viola for these three shows ONLY - there are also evening performances Thurs-Sat April 19 through May 12.

And for those of you not able to attend any of these performances, here's a new recording I just made featuring my latest musical acquisition, a steel tongued "tank" drum :-)

Happy Spring!

Betty Widerski

BettyWiderski.com

Reverse Polish Notation

Facebook

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RPM Challenge Album/Tracks Download on Bandcamp

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:22:47 GMT

If you liked any of my RPM Challenge tracks from last month enough to load on your playback device, they are now available for free/pay what you will download here:

<a href="http://reversepolishnotation.bandcamp.com/album/play-all-the-instruments-rpm-challenge-2012">Play ALL The Instruments! (RPM Challenge 2012) by Reverse Polish Notation (Betty Widerski)</a>

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Final RPM Challenge Track

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:10:43 GMT

Because I wanted to do one track more than the minimum requirement (which is 10 tracks or 35 min of music) I used Leafcutter John's Forester sampling/looping app plus selected annual sampling and fx to create a "track of tracks" containing all of the 19 instruments I used:

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RPM Challenge Track #10

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:06:31 GMT

Last minimum required track - I was out of new melodic instruments, so did looping of my own whistling with some mandolin:

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RPM Challenge #9

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 05:35:20 GMT

I spent about 10 hours on this one today, due to not being a guitarist plus having a nearly-toy guitar:

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The Loog guitar people love me :)

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:43:36 GMT

Someone at Loog Guitars really liked my RPM Challenge piece #2 on which I used my Loog, and wrote a VERY complimentary blog about it and me:

The Loog Guitar Goes Pro
retweet
Loog Guitars are perfect for kids and adults who want to learn guitar and have a good eye for cool design. But what we at the Loog Team personally love about it is that, at the end of the day, the Loog is still a guitar: an instrument you can play with and play on, letting you finally find your own sound.
And that’s exactly what Betty Widerski saw in the Loog. Betty is one of our amazing Kickstarter backers but she’s also a great violinist and the soul behindReverse Polish Notation (RPN), her own musical outlet. Her sound is definitely unique and powerful, with loops, songs and improvisations that manage to capture emotions in just four to five minutes of instrumental bliss.
And she also uses the Loog in her work.
For instance, take a listen to Memento, a soulful and nostalgic tune she created, using a Loog, a kalimba and a soprano recorder. The Loog just got serious!

So thanks Betty for your awesome work and for showing just how versatile the Loog is!
And if you’re in the Boston area, you’re in for a treat: Betty will be performing in Cantab Lounge & Club Bohemia on Friday, February 24 in Cambridge at 8:00 PM. Tell us if you’ll be there in the comments (we seriously want pictures).
For more updates on Betty’s work, check our her soundcloud or follow RPN on Twitter.

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RPM Challenge #8

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:08:15 GMT

Guitar and pennywhistle. Recorded on a multi-track iphone app via the iphone's mic, because I wasn't feeling like going to my studio or setting up gear in my BR. I may re-record the guitar track later because I used the Loog but then this morning remembered that I have another small guitar I've yet to use for this month.

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RPM Challenge Track #7

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:55:35 GMT

Piano, bass, drums. I am a player of none of these, so there are some tempo and alignment bumps - if I get a chance before 2/29 I may try to use Logic to quantize them.

Tired because I was up until 2am mixing!

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4th, 5th, 6th RPM Challenge tracks

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:42:26 GMT

#4 - electric bass, drums, melodica

#5 - harmonica, mandolin, bass, drums

#6 - glockenspiel, mandolin

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RPM Challenge Soundcloud set link

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:12:38 GMT

FFR here's the Soundcloud set to which I'm adding RPM Challenge tracks as they are created. New one today (so four so far), plus bonus draft album cover!

And for bonus geekery: since free DW accounts only allow one cross-posting account, I'm testing cascading: my rpnband DW account x-posting to my bettyw DW account, which is x-posting to my bettyw LJ account >;-0

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RPM Challenge 2012 3rd Completed Piece

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:24:30 GMT

This was interesting to do - I now own a full electronic drum set so that Ginger Ibex can practice in my Malden office/studio, but I have never done kit drumming. So of course I don't start out with a basic 3 or 4 beat, but with a pattern of 7/8-7/8-7/8-5/8! It didn't take too long to get into the stick groove, but after a test track of kick drum I decided not to try to add pedal work for now.

And my harp skills consist of 6 group lessons at CCAE 15+ yrs ago, plus 4 yrs attending Deborah Henson-Conant's Celebration Barn workshops (not playing harp myself).

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Recent Output

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:55:55 GMT

It's RPM Challenge time again - write and record a 10-song album entirely during February. This year my theme is "use ALL the instruments!", i.e., the wide variety of sound-making gear I don't normally use on stage. I'm off to a decent start with two already in the can:

Bliptronic, Stylophone, toy keyboard snare button:
Kalimba, soprano recorder, Loog 3-string guitar:

I will also be an officially published writer! Some of my lyrics (for "Amiga Pesadilla") are included in the soon-to-be released anthology "Census 3" by Irish publisher Seven Towers Agency. Too bad I won't make the launch party Feb 22 in Dublin >;-0 But I'll probably have a free download opportunity once I learn which were included.

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My Music Year in Review

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:40:53 GMT

2011 gigs, recording sessions, busking:

Ginger Ibex: 20
Gobshites: 8
RPN: 11
Other: 11
Recording sessions: 6
Busking: 11

Most distant gig: Pomeroy OH - festival with Sharon Knight Band
Most frequent venue: 3-way tie - Passim, Lily Pad, Precinct
Best door split: Celebration Barn
Most unusual venues: a yurt, a Swedenborgen chapel
Most unusual gig: Dolly Parton covers with Bitch Trifecta
Trifecta of remaining Harvard Sq venerable Folk institution venues completed (Passim, Nameless in 9/2010, this year Squawk)
Best tech in a venue: Oberon
Largest project: Ginger Ibex score for Karen Montanaro's dance "The Journey", including workshop, premiere in Maine, premiere in Cambridge, sound track recording for more distant performances.
Most unexpected gear purchase: an electronic drum kit
Most unexpected free gear: a JamHub Greenroom silent rehearsal studio.

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Videos from Ohio with The Sharon Knight Band

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:02:38 GMT

I recently had the privilege of performing with The Sharon Knight Band at the Wisteria Summer Solstice Festival in Pomeroy OH. Our drummer du jour Jonathan Fell shot some videos of the set:

"Serpentina" and "Word of Honor" on Youtube

Two others on Facebook:

"Star of the Sea"

"Brian O'Lynne/Pipe on the Hob"

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Interviewed by Sepiachord

Thu, 05 May 2011 01:48:52 GMT

After being in rotation on their playlist for 10+ weeks, SepiaChord decided to interview me - read it here:
http://www.sepiachord.com/bettywiderskiint.htm

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"Sacred/Profane" now available on Bandcamp

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:48:17 GMT

My RPM Challenge album Sacred/Profane is available to hear and download for free or a donation on Bandcamp, as well as my EP Imaginary Numbers.

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"Tango a Unos Ojos" on Sepiachord playlist

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:30:58 GMT

The Sepiachord playlist for week ending February 27th includes "Tango a Unos Ojos" .

Listen to it here: http://reversepolishnotation.bandcamp.com/track/tango-a-unos-ojos-2

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