my new favorite band

Each year I block off the weekend of the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival over at Planet Bluegrass. This is one of my favorite music events of the year with three days of non-stop music from 11:00am until the last set winds down at 10:30pm.

The folks over at Planet Bluegrass never disappoint with the lineup. There are the tried and trues that play late in the day and draw the crowds and there are the bands I've yet to discover. The lineup this year stuck to the aforementioned formula...crowd drawers and new discoveries.

This year was an amazing blend of the must sees:
- Don McLean - Who got the entire crowd on their feet to sing and dance to a ~20 minute rendition of 'American Pie'under the stars. Never mind that there was a fallen climber rescue going on just across the creek (thankfully she got away with minor injuries).
- Madeleine Peyroux - Not your typical Folks Fest set. There was a moment of feeling like I was in some small cafe in Paris listening to a funky jazz artist.
- Brett Dennen - A discovery from a Folks Festival a few years back when he played an early afternoon set. He has since taken the main stage at Telluride Bluegrass and blew the crowd away this year with his full band during his Sunday early evening set.

Which leads me to the 'discoveries'. I've been going to the Folks Fest since 2001. Haven't missed a year yet, and don't plan to unless some amazing travel opportunity just gets in the way. Each year without fail there is a find. An act that shows up on the lineup that I've never heard, but just blows me away. And theirs is the CD I buy for the weekend. Yep, I just buy one for the entire weekend. Previous years finds have been the likes of Brett Dennen, Missy Higgins, The Waifs, and Darrell Scott to name a few. They have remained personal favorites and I have seen them all develop their sets and presence over the years. It is fun to witness in which direction the success takes them.

In the tarp line Friday morning, a conversation with a Bob Dylan fan (identified by his concert t-shirt) from Colorado Springs turned to who is the new must see act this year. We talked about Over the Rhine (who when all was said and done were my runner-up), Joe Pug, and Will Hoge. They were all awesome and worth putting on the rain gear for (which was done multiple times).

The Dylan fan told me about an act he heard about on NPR. They did a tour along the West Coast riding their bicycles. Kinda cool, huh? I was curious and marked them in the schedule as a 'don't miss'. Good thing, too. Turns out Blind Pilot, the band in question, was the hands down find of the weekend.

Now the tough part. Why were they the find of the weekend? In the moment, sitting in a sea of tarps with my festivarian glow I was wowed by how tight the band played and the use of 'not everyday instruments' such as the trumpet, harmophone, xylophone, full size base, and non-bluegrass banjo. Their music filled the senses in a good way. It may sound fluffy, but that it is. I like the feeling their music evokes for me. And, that feeling keeps coming each time I listen to their CD. Over and over and over.

You can get yourself a dose of it here.

a guiding mantra

I am a big believer in affirmations. The words we use (internally and externally) become our reality. It is but a matter of time before our world is manifested from our thoughts and our words.

Today, I stumbled upon a Jared Matthew Kessler's blog that spurred some thoughts and uncovered what he calls a mantra. Feels like a pretty darn powerful affirmation to me and I'd like to share it with you. You can check out the entire post here.

“I believe I’m always divinely guided, I believe I will always take the right turn in the road, I believe God will always make a way even if there is none.”
courtesy of Jared Matthew Kessler's blog

celebrating the irish

On St. Patrick's Day those of us that have even a wee bit of Irish heritage become fully Irish for the day. We talk of the luck of the Irish, wish each other well, perhaps share a pinch for those not sporting green, and celebrate further by lifting a glass or two.

At our home we often celebrate by watching John Wayne rediscover his Irish roots in 'The Quiet Man'. It's a love story and a story of a Yank coming home to discover what he is really made of. Here's a clip of the big fight scene. And, of course, some drinking.



I wish you and yours a Happy St. Patty's Day and a bit of that luck of the Irish.

May there always be work for your hands to do,
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine warm on your windowpane,
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you,
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

life's for sharing

This was posted on a friend's Facebook today (you know who you are!). It made me smile. Not just that across the face smile, but the heart and soul smile. I love that fun and silliness is something that pulls people in, connects us, and makes friends of strangers. Even if for a moment.

It is titled 'Life's for Sharing'. Hope watching it brings you a heart smile, too. Now, go forth and create some sharing and happiness in your day. :-)

Watch the moment Liverpool Street Station danced to create this special T-Mobile Advert. Life's for sharing.

*Not* Dark As A Dungeon

John Cowan kicked off the Wildflower Pavilion 2009 concert series at Planet Bluegrass in Lyons last night. Being a big fan of who I refer to as John 'Oh My Gawd' Cowan, I have seen him many times - from 3rd row at the Boulder Theater to a sea of tarps with 13,000 festivarians at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

Last night John was at his best. Lyons is a warm crowd that loves John, and at the lack of sounding all gooey, John loves this crowd back. Doesn't hurt that he has a stellar band that is able to crank out traditional bluegrass tunes, some funky bluegrass jazz, and put their own twist on rock covers such as Tuesday Afternoon (Moody Blues) and Going to California (Led Zeppelin).

One of John's signature songs is 'Dark As A Dungeon'. The song tells of the life of a miner. What it is like to be below the earth without sunshine or rain. Without connection. With destruction of health. With risk of death.

No one does a better delivery of this standard than Johnny C. I've heard him belt it out many times. Have always loved it. But, last night sitting in the 5th row in such an intimate setting, the song struck a cord beyond appreciation of music.

It is this darkness and physical risk which is the everyday reality of a mining life that motivated my Mamaw (Grandmother) to be adamant her boys *not* follow the family business and enter the mines at an early age. That they not sign up for later years of black lung and a crippled body. That they create a life based on another livelihood.

Not sure she knew she was signing up for her eldest son, my Daddy, to be a career soldier and travel the globe. That his family would be far away from her and she would not have the joy of spending more than the infrequent vacation with her only grandchild. Even so, I believe she would have chosen it if she had known. Mamaw wanted a better life for her sons and their children.

With her encouragement my Dad created a life different than the one John sang of. He chose instead a path that lead away from the coal mining hills of Dante Virginia, to many duty stations across this country and world, and eventually lead to his daughter being in the Wildflower Pavilion last night listening to Johnny C sing about what about *used* to be the family business.

I am thankful to both my Mamaw and my Daddy. She for having the courage to see and encourage a better life for the generations to come. He for having the courage to make it so.

You can check out an early recording of John singing 'Dark As A Dungeon' with New Grass Revival...