Many of our DCMR readers know the name Will Urquhart well. He is our video guru extraordinaire and brings us so much great music content through livestreams and webcams. This is a little story about him getting a big thank you from some of his fans.
It all began mid-morning on Monday, April 6, with a group message by DC musician Sunny Trippel, of Covered With Jam, DC Meters, and Sunny Trippel Friends Unlimited to a private Facebook message group. It read, "Hi, it's me. Tomorrow night we are going to give Will Urquhart a little virtual present at Phish's 'Dinner And A Movie' Webcast during set-break. Will is always doing such an incredible job of getting music to us, and we have a great idea that we could give him a poster 'virtually' at set-break tomorrow, and we each hold up a sign with a word on it that collectively reads 'Thanks for all you do Will! We will get by'." (Edited for clarity)
It all began mid-morning on Monday, April 6, with a group message by DC musician Sunny Trippel, of Covered With Jam, DC Meters, and Sunny Trippel Friends Unlimited to a private Facebook message group. It read, "Hi, it's me. Tomorrow night we are going to give Will Urquhart a little virtual present at Phish's 'Dinner And A Movie' Webcast during set-break. Will is always doing such an incredible job of getting music to us, and we have a great idea that we could give him a poster 'virtually' at set-break tomorrow, and we each hold up a sign with a word on it that collectively reads 'Thanks for all you do Will! We will get by'." (Edited for clarity)
It was then with great delight we witnessed a flurry of messages and responses by DMV creatives who were up to the challenge on how to celebrate Urquhart. After a flurry of messages about posters to decorate a new idea evolved and pierced the chatroom like a thunderclap on a stormy night when Sunny Trippel uploaded a simple acoustic version of Bob Dylan's timeless classic "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)." This song was penned in 1967 by Bob Dylan and was recorded the following year by Manfred Mann. This classic was a staple of The Grateful Dead and countless other artists that include The String Cheese Incident, Phish, Leon Russell, and Greensky Bluegrass, to name a few. The most poignant reason Tripple chose this song was because of Urquhart's beloved dog - Quinn. Sunny would later tell DC Music Review that Neel Singh came up with the idea.
Now that everyone in the chat room had a celebratory rally song, that is when the true magic unfolded. For me, as a huge music lover but without the skills to play music, it was a fascinating glimpse into the creative and collaborative process that musicians have done for millennia - albeit without a Facebook chat and other digital mechanisms. Members of the group were able to quickly transcribe the song into measures, chords, and other nuances of music that are intrinsic to a song's construction. Throughout the creative process you could see Singh's creative resolve as he would upload photos with chord progressions and other nuances of the song. It was really with delight that we could better understand the magic that goes into music. All of these musical details are the magical components of a song that a fan feels in their musical heart but cannot quite describe adequately.
Slowly but surely, each creative uploaded a trial version of their song as others watched on and nodded with messages of approval and suggestions. Soon enough, messages were flying around with who was taking what instrument or part of the performance. Some creatives were able to do some astounding audio and video magic, including sound balancing and other adjustments while merging all the video into a fantastic, almost Brady Bunch inspired Accapella video - we are all musical family after all. In the center, Quinn would be highlighted as Quinn and Urquhart were the central themes of our celebration.
The set-break reveal.
And just like that, in slightly over a day, the community came together to share a little slice of celebration and stay connected with one another. Needless to say, a group viewing party for Phish's "Dinner and a Movie" was set up, and Urquhart's face during the set break was one for the ages, and this was a reveal rivaled many musical reveals we witnessed on stage - this was a celebration by us and for us and lifted the spirits of so many. Even as we recall the collaboration several weeks out, it brings a smile to our face to re-read the endearing messages and reading the creative process.
The set-break Reveal - from all of the creatives to Will.
The common goal of this blistering twenty-four-hour endeavor was simple - how can people best surprise and show gratitude to one of their own. I believe that this effort is best summed up by the classic sentiment distilled on The Beatles timeless classic, "The End" - "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make
The Beatles // "The End" off of Abbey Road
While we realize that everyone is adapting to the circumstance at their own pace and adjusting to the situation, we also realize that love, compassion, connectedness, and creativity can help us make it through the days ahead. We hope you can connect with your loved ones, share a smile, share some music, share a small or large slice of life. Another lyrical metaphor we can use is Phish's "Show Of Life" - "It's no easy road, this struggle and strife, we find ourselves in the show of life. What's on the schedule? What's on your plan? ... It's been perfectly planned, it's completely insane, it's a revolving cast, but it's the same old game." We truly hope that music, our bonds with musicians, and our bonds with those who share the vigorous love of music with us will see us through.
All that being said, we hope that DC Music Review can also impart that message. The fans of the DMV are truly special to us, and we always look forward to reflecting and returning the love that you provide to us -
Thank you for all that you do! We will get by!
AJ Masthay's "We Will Get By" Limited Edition
Important Note: In addition to learning more about Sunny Trippel's Friends Unlimited, Covered With Jam, DC Meters, and Phish, please keep scrolling down to the very end of this article. Will Urquhart has done some pretty exceptional webcasts for DC Music Review. Be sure to see all of his webcasts below and allow yourself to wade in the vast sea of his recordings.
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Additional
Resources
To learn more about Sunny Trippel's Friends Unlimited, please see the following web resources:
To learn more about Covered With Jam, please see the following web resources:
To learn more about DC Meters, please see the following web resources:
To learn more about Phish's "Dinner And A Movie", please see the following web resources:
Webcast Aid Virtual Concerts
Webcast Aid Virtual Concerts
Webcast Aid Virtual Concerts
All Of Will's Webcasts
All Of Will's Webcasts
All Of Will's Webcasts
Please keep on scrolling below. As you can see Will Urquhart has spent countless nights live-streaming performances from all around the DMV (and beyond). The following is a tribute to our mad genius behind the video cameras.
