Monday, June13

   We put on our traveling shoes last weekend and headed out for high adventure.  My musical compadre' Paul G asked if I'd mind playing a little dobro and Hawaiian steel on his upcoming CD, and being the musical sleaze bag that most musicians are, I agreed to give it a shot.  We rendezvoused at a secret location and  made our way to the studio in the woods.  Things went well and we were treated like royalty by our hosts.   It's been my experience that people involved in artistic persuits are the best folks in the world.  I'm sure there are a few exceptions to this rule, but they are few and far between.
   After we accomplished our recording goals and said our goodbyes to our hosts we headed for our weekend hide out in Gold Head Branch State Park.  A great park I'd never visited before, great hiking trails and I imagine at one time some beautiful lakes.  The sad state of the water shortage in Florida is painfully obvious by looking at all the dried up lake beds in this part of the state.  This area is supposed to be the recharging point for the states aquifer, if that's true, we're in worse shape than I thought.  It's a great place to visit just the same, and checking out the ravine is like going back to the stone age.
     We had some folks renting the cabin next to us who thought that all the nature was just a little to quiet for them, so they cranked up their boom box with some urban wildlife noises of their own.   We played it cool and let the party continue until it burned itself out, that or the ranger finally showed up and made them turn off their booty caller.  Just amazing!
   Until next time, keep your sense of humor intact!

Thursday 5/2/11

I have finally recovered from attending the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs and thought I'd post a short review of the event.  It was great!  Is that short enough?  Just kidding.  This years headliners were John Anderson, of Seminole Wind fame, and Billy Dean.  Both great performers and song writers, however I managed to miss all of their sets, I heard they were good from reliable sources.
   The one thing about this festival is that you miss more acts than you see.  It could be the heat, or the distance between stages, or it may just be that you get so busy having a good time you forget stop and smell the roses.  We caught up with all of our friends from around the state and managed not to get heat stroked, that was a challenge.
    Our missing bass player returned from her extended sick leave, and it was great to have her back.  We have been playing without her since November of last year, and hearing her sing harmonies with us again was just fantastic.  We're hoping she continues to improve over the summer, and is ready for the fall festival season.
   Until next time, don't let your strings rust!