My weekend at Shakori Hills and MvA’s wedding

I was sitting in my hotel room in Siler City NC when I got a text message from Bobby Miller. “You go on at 11:30. Stage manager asked me to tell you.”

It was 10:49, and Siler City is a good half an hour from the festival.

I had no idea I had a mainstage set at 11:30. I thought I was doing a looping workshop at 5:30 and a set in the Cabaret tent at 9:15.

I leapt up, threw all my stuff in the car, and headed over. Fortunately the line of cars to get in was short, and I was able to jump the artist check-in line to get my wristband and parking pass. Jammed over to the mainstage,
thanked Bobby profusely for saving my life, set up my stuff, and we were playing live at 11:30 sharp.

Half my rig wasn’t working: the “acoustic” guitar side. I played the set in “electric” mode, which made things interesting.

It took me a few minutes to get my head straight and become present with the music, my mandolin-pickin’ partner, and the audience, but I think it was a good set.

I didn’t record that set, nor the Cabaret set. I hope someone did!

Musically, this was most satisfying. The looping workshop was great fun, although it ended prematurely when the mist turned to rain and my gear started getting wet.

I turned in early Saturday night, missing Donna the Buffalo altogether (except for their set with Preston Frank, which was of course delightful) so I could get in the road at 8am. I made it to Decatur in plenty of time for Mark van Allen‘s wedding, which was followed by a humongous jam at Eddie’s Attic. I ran out of steam and headed for bed just a few minutes before midnight, after almost five hours of music. There were still a few performers waiting to go on. What a day!

One of the workers at Shakori Hills told me he thought the staff vote was more-or-less “unanimous” last fall to invite me back, and he thinks I will be invited back again. I sure hope so: Shakori Hills is as musician-, family-, and earth-friendly a scene as you could possibly imagine. All that and Tom’s Sugar Shack, too! (Although I did not partake of the Veggie Thing nor French Toast this time around.)

P.S. This note, from the Shakori Hills web site:

You may have heard about our efforts to own the land we call Shakori Hills. Owning the land will make it easier to make improvements and to claim it as “our own.” Ours, meaning yours, everyone’s. If you have an interest in helping us with this endeavor, please feel free to write shakorihills@grassrootsfest.org or call us at 919-542-1746.

I made a donation at the festival and I am going to contact them about getting some national attention for the campaign. Even if you have never been to Shakori Hills, and even if you may never get there, I believe it is a worthy cause to support because this is a model event for our style of music festival – and for public gatherings in general. now that I think of it.

P.P.S. Bobby Miller, Jay Sanders, some other friends, and I are playing four shows in North Carolina this week. Deatils on my web page. And Bobby is finishing up a CD that I think you’re gonna like; he leaked a mix of “She Said She Said” to me last week and I was delighted!