And Now, The Music

As those of you who were dry enough to be here yesterday know,

Miss Margo and I were listening to some pretty fine tunes on Sunday. 

 We heard eight acts in six hours

There was very little down-time between sets.

Encores were allowed but not encouraged.

The early acts were amazed to be awake; "I didn't know that there were two 10:30's in a single day."

There was lots of gospel and a maddening urge to get up and boogie.

The music touches something in my soul; G'ma loved Woody Guthrie and I'm wondering if it's genetic.

 

There were contest winners

 like Desert Heart, who won a spot on the bill by coming in first in the Friday Night Band Contest.

Two are married, all were smiling.

The music was fine.  Margo and I enjoyed their joy.

 

Mark Phillips (in black) & IIIrd Generation

 got the crowd up and dancing.

A classically trained musician does have a smoother sound than someone who learned at Granpa's knee.I'm not being snobby; I'm stating facts. 

Daniel Foulks began playing classical music at the age of 4; can you see how tenderly he holds the bow in my fuzzy picture?  

Ned Luberecki entertained us on the ride down on Sirius radio;

he said he was in Tucson, and he was.

The guy on the radio was taped; who knew?

The live one took pictures of the crowd before he joined the Night Drivers and Chris Jones.

 

Superstition Ridge put on faux rock 'n roll hats.

They should've stuck to Gene Autry remixes. 

 And then there was Sierra Hull, who just turned twenty-one.

She went to Berklee instead of touring right out of high school.

The polish shows (cf David Foulks above).

She is "playing with a point to prove" and whatever that means to her it translated to talent married with confidence and a palpable sense that what we were hearing was only a part of what lives inside her soul.

She was part of her instrument; her outside mirrored her insides.

 

There were beautiful instruments, like this very thin bass

 and this very very thin and narrow bass.

And then there were all those banjos.

Though I love the sound,  I find the banjo to be a very silly looking instrument.

It's just too small to make all that noise.

 

Margo drew this.

One minute there was an unadorned program.

Next, there was a bass.

Then, there was a woman.

I love talent.

 

The Sonoran Dogs

 had the crowd singing and laughing about going to "see Alice in Nogales" .. which had nothing to do with any medication (say it out loud if you must)... and which rhymed, to groans, with aurora borealis and callous and digitalis. 

They referenced Bela Flek and the Grateful Dead.

I was in heaven.

You really ought to think about coming out next year.